Rookie of the Year (Odyssey Classic)

Rating:
Summary: NOT THE BEST OF TUNIS OFFERINGS, BUT STILL A DECENT READ
Review: Along with "Schoolboy Johnson," this is the least among the eight Brooklyn Dodgers series written by John R. Tunis. Actually, there are a number of similarities between Bones Hathaway in this novel and the aforementioned Johnson: Both have great natural talent, both start out strongly before hitting the skids in midseason, both are headstrong and somewhat egotistical. In "Rookie Of The Year," however, Hathaway's comeuppance comes as a result of one the few honorable things he does during the first half of the book. One of the neat things about Tunis is that while the central figure in his stories are easily noticed by the reader, other people also play a major part. In "World Series," for instance, Brooklyn manager Dave Leonard is as important in the story as Roy Tucker; in "Keystone Kids," Jocko Klein is perhaps more important than the Russell brothers. In "Rookie Of The Year," Bones Hathaway just disappears for a stretch while manager Spike Russell assumes the spotlight. In many ways, this book is as much about Spike's coming of age as a manager as it is about Hathaway's coming of age as a man. Again, it's not the strongest in the Dodger series, but still worth a read.