Speed Austin is the best shortstop in the neighborhood—and he's just as quick with his fists as he is on his feet. But behind his reputation as a playground tough is a boy who only wanted to help his widowed mother make ends meet. Lured by promises of easy money, Speed has fallen in with a crowd that he can’t seem to escape.
When Jack Reynolds and the boys from St. Leo's find themselves in need of a new shortstop, they decide to give Speed a chance. He's delighted to join their baseball team, and before long, he begins to discover what real friendship is all about. But his old gang isn't about to let him walk away…they're determined to teach him what happens to members who try to quit.
Can Jack and his friends help Speed break free before it's too late? Or will his efforts to leave his old life behind put them all in danger?
Written in 1930 by a Chicago priest who understood firsthand the dangers facing boys growing up in the big city, this gripping story of courage, loyalty, and the struggle to do right is newly illustrated by Erin Bartholomew.
Here’s the kind of story that may make Mom nervous…but strikes right into the marrow of boyhood, thrilling and inspiring at the same time.
Read more about the author, Monsignor Raymond O'Brien, here.
5.5" x 8.5" paperback 188 pages
NOTE: Want to read more about Speed Austin and his friends? The boys from St. Leo's return in Midget: The Story of a Boy Who Was "Always Goin' Alone", the sequel to this story.