Soccer Scoop

When a cartoon appears in the school newspaper making fun of his tendancy to talk a lot, Mac, the goalie for the Cougars soccer team, is determined to find out who is responsible.

Mac Williams, goalie for the Cougars, is known as much for his upbeat game chatter as for his outstanding saves. But when an anonymous artist starts making fun of him with a weekly cartoon, Mac is anything but upbeat. To make matters worse, he suspects that somebody close to him is the cartoonist. Would one of his friends really betray him-or is there someone else who wants to make him look ridiculous?

Children's Literature

Mac could not keep his mouth shut. As the Cougar's goalie he continually told his teammates what to do. Some appreciated his commentary, others did not. Cartoons started appearing in the school's weekly paper, all of which were making fun of Mac, although no names were used. Mac was determined to find out who was drawing the cartoons and started blaming his friends. Mac was not sensitive to other people's feelings, although his friends were sensitive to his feelings--and Mac always believed he was right. One boy who was always getting slammed by Mac remained loyal to his teammates, although he was accused unjustly by Mac. Soccer fans might enjoy the play-by-play descriptions in this fast read which is part of "The New Matt Christopher Sports Library," but nothing is learned about true friendships. Mac never grasps the importance of listening to other people and the cartoons are more cruel than funny. Reviewer: Janet L. Rose