Eighteen-year-old Dean, a former high school baseball star whose future has been ruined by a batting slump and a bad arm, is offered a college baseball scholarship and finds himself uncertain of whether to take it. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Powell (Is Kissing a Girl Who Smokes Like Licking an Ashtray?) wraps up this nifty coming-of-age tale in a baseball story-yet not a single game is played. Although he's only just graduated from high school, Dean Duffy thinks of himself as a has-been. An agonizing and inexplicable slump has cut short his promising career as a ballplayer; once considered a shoo-in for any number of athletic scholarships, he is at loose ends until a longtime mentor arranges a baseball scholarship to an exclusive private college, to begin the following spring. Dean spends the autumn mulling over the offer: he takes a lot of long drives in his '63 Volvo, embarks on a wryly recounted romance with the strong-minded waitress at his favorite coffeeshop and wonders if he has the nerve to play ball again. Like a string of firecrackers, a series of epiphanies explodes as the deadline for Dean's decision draws near. The ambiguous yet upbeat ending provides a fitting climax. With his effortless-seeming writing, Powell creates a recognizable world and peoples it with characters who are remarkably sympathetic and complex. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 7 Up‘Dean, 18, is a baseball player whose glory days are behind him. At 15, he pitched for the world championship Little League team, and as a freshman he hit a game-winning grand slam. But after his arm gave out, he moved to first base and plunged into a two-year batting slump, losing any hope for a college scholarship. Since graduation he's been sliding sideways, wondering what his future holds. Interesting supporting characters, several of them adults, nudge Dean in various directions. Jack Trant, an affable supporter of college athletics who is estranged from his own son, finagles Dean a one-semester ``trial'' scholarship at a small private college. The young man realistically hesitates to commit himself to possible further humiliation playing the game he's loved. He meets a beautiful and enigmatic high-school dropout with a baby and they develop a friendly and supportive relationship, but it's Dean's encounters with several old baseball acquaintances that finally get him moving. In an exciting climax he survives a plunge down a ravine and is able to expunge some of his demons. The ending is delightfully ambiguous, as Dean is handed a pen to sign his letter of intent and readers are left to decide whether or not he will give baseball‘and himself‘another chance. Dean Duffy has stronger subplots and more likable characters than Powell's earlier YA novels.‘Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 8-12. From Little League on, Dean Duffy was pegged to be a future baseball great, and that was fine with him--baseball was his life. Then his pitching arm went bad, he clutched and lost his swing as well, and by senior year of high school, he was not only without a scholarship, but also washed up. When his mentor finds a way for him to get one more chance through a trial scholarship, he's not sure it's worth the fight. As Dean struggles with his decision, he has to reexamine his life and his priorities, face his fear of failure, and learn just how much he's worth. The first-person narrative is straightforward and smoothly written; Dean is a likable and thoughtful character who could serve as a good role model for boys driven by their interest in sports; and there are several strong female characters, who make this an enjoyable read for girls as well. --Jeanne Triner From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.