The Rookie Bookie by L. Jon Wertheim (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Rookie Bookie by L. Jon Wertheim Elizabeth Bush Wertheim, L. Jon The Rookie Bookie; by L. Jon Wertheim and Tobias Moskowitz; illus. by Neil Swaab. Little, 2014 262p Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-316-24981-2 $17.00 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-316-24976-8 $9.99 Ad Gr. 4–7 Mitch Sloan’s parents, a potter and painter, lose their California business and move to Indiana, and Mitch faces the age-old problem of establishing himself socially in a new seventh grade. Things get off to a surprisingly good start when he meets Jamie, a girl who shares his enthusiasm for sports and joins in on his scheme to make quick bucks by managing bets among a few classmates on a Colts game. In no time Mitch’s locker is surrounded by kids as he hands out the week’s winnings and pockets his share of the cash. Some alert adults shut down the bookie business, though, and it looks like Mitch has lost his one true friend, never established a friendship with any of his “clients,” and worst of all, hasn’t really caught on to why taking “harmless” bets should have everybody’s knickers in a twist. Eventually, he finds a better outlet for his business acumen in helping his parents set their gallery straight, and all is right with the world. Not that readers are likely to notice, but this novel is peppered with observations and theories drawn from the authors’ adult work Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won that often amount to little more than aphorisms shoehorned in at appropriate moments. Once Mitch’s older brother Kevin breaks through with some candid talk on why making money isn’t the problem here—ripping off your would-be friends is—the authors’ adult and kid messages finally begin to fuse. Most readers will recognize Mitch’s archetype—the nerdy kid who tries a little to hard— among their classmates and admit that what he lacks in social skills he makes up for in chutzpah. [End Page 282] Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois