This anthology of short, autobiographical stories has kids' book authors telling tales of their own real-life athletic incidents. Some are funny, some are serious, and some put their own twist on the whole "sports" concept. Eight stories—including both boys’ and girls’ perspectives—tell tales of dodgeball, wrestling, track, softball, and even ballet. Kids will relate to the struggling non-jocks as well as the athletes who take the trophy home.

Reviews:

School Library Journal, November, 2005

Well-known YA authors provide clever, “semi-autobiographical” snapshots that most people would love to forget. While many of the stories are about failed physical efforts, others celebrate athletic achievement. Many are endearingly and identifiably familiar, either from a nostalgically bittersweet perspective, or from the point of view of a young and hopeful athlete. The element of humor counters the trip-ups, bruised egos, and foiled attempts that accompany organized play. The revelation, especially for students, is that everybody (even successful authors) has had pitfalls. Sometimes the failures are more interesting and laughable than the triumphs. The sports theme will make this book a hit with kids, and the well-crafted prose will assure its repeated use by teachers. Laughter, action, and personal anecdotes are a perfect fit for middle-schoolers wrestling with the pressures to conform to unrealistic social and physical norms.

Publishers Weekly, October 3, 2005

Sports Shorts gathers eight “semi-autobiographical” tales in an eye-catching paper-over-board book, including Joseph Bruchac’s “Bombardment,” which describes a kind of dodgeball game that, “with its simple, violent, semi-controlled chaos, was my only release,” and which wins Bruchac the approval of his peers; and “First Position” by Marilyn Singer — not to be confused with playing first base, but rather a position at the barre.

Booklist, September 1, 2005

When these eight writers mined their school days for sports tales, the result was not so much a treasury of thrilling victories and agonizing defeats as a series of unexpected, crystallizing moments that they would never forget. Readers may find these moments memorable, too. In Joseph Bruchac’s “Bombardment,” for instance, the usual “last one chosen” becomes a great team leader for one shining hour, while in Tanya West’s “Finding High-Jump Fame,” a high jumper’s wardrobe malfunction becomes the stuff of legend (or at least the stuff of cautionary tales). David Lubar, Dorian Cirrone, Marilyn Singer, Terry Trueman, Alexandra Siy, and Jamie McEwan also contribute original stories to the collection. Although some of the vignettes are laugh-out-loud funny and others have the self-deprecating humor of the chronic under-achiever, one of the writers (McEwan) took sports seriously enough to win an Olympic medal. Following each of the stories is a page or two of autobiographical musings, accompanied by a photo of the writer as a youth. The book’s smaller-than-standard trim size and inviting page design will help attract readers to this rewarding collection.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2005

Eight sports short stories cover the bases, from kickball to ballet, bombardment to running. Typical here is the geek or nerd who sometimes, somehow, finds a moment of greatness. Since several pieces are first or early sports memories, they are semi-autobiographical, allowing for some invention to round out authors' recollections. Ultimately, sports are simply the vehicle for story, for reflections on life's lessons and personal journeys. David Lubar, for example, went from middle-school sports washout to karate black belt. Tanya West contests the notion that sports are just for jocks and appreciates the value of backyard baseball and games of P-I-G. Baseball didn't quite work out for Alexandra Siy as a kid, but as an adult, she planned to ride the unpaved Denali Highway with her daughter. Each story is followed by a brief author's note. The stories are simply written and chatty and make good models for young writers with sports memories to embellish. Accessible to a wide range of sports enthusiasts, and appealing to older, struggling readers. (Fiction. 8-12)

Children's Literature
All the kids of the world who have ever felt inadequate as a sports star, this is their book. Information about sports attempts or blunders is told in a straightforward manner by several children’s authors. Tales of Bombardment (dodge ball), ballet, tag football, baseball, track, etc. play out in short stories told from the perspective of the author’s bungling childhood experiences. Most tales tell about the attempt at guts and glory; all the tales allow the reader to understand it is okay to not be the perfect athlete. This is what gives the book value. Even star athletes will enjoy the tales as they recognize friends who are not athletically gifted. It is nice to see that the casual presentation of experiences allows people with all kinds of different talents to be deemed okay. Following each story, the author takes a look back and expresses how he or she felt when they realized they were not gifted in athletics. The publisher has tagged the book for ages 11 up. However, younger good readers will also benefit from reading this title. Place it in libraries or classrooms from middle grade on up and encourage bunglers and stars alike to read it.

St. Augustine Record , August 21, 2005

Sports Shorts is a collection of eight stories, each offering a pearl of wisdom on the exciting, turbulent, embarrassing and touching world of children’s sports. Both men and women have contributed their perspectives to this anthology, and between them, they have participated in a variety of activities including, dodgeball, basketball, ballet, track, baseball, cycling and wrestling. The stories feature both underdogs and national champions, but in the process, they all learn something about themselves.

Because Sports Shorts includes such a wide range of ideas and experiences, most any child will be able to find at least one story to relate to, no matter what their abilities may be. While many books highlight athletic heroes, may of the anecdotes featured in this book include those who were picked last on the team or who never succeeded in sports, transforming it into an endearing selection to read.