One of my favorite books as a kid was The Famous Forward Pass Pair by Marion Renick. In this book, the two main characters are a pair of young boys (Joe and Beeky) who dream of playing football even though they’ve never once picked up an actual football. They work out elaborate fantasy games, but never take it to the streets to test their skills.
As time goes by, they get a shot on the local pee-wee football team and it’s a disaster… they can’t catch or throw, making it difficult for them to live up to their “Famous Forward Pass Pair” fantasies.
My mom got this book for me when I was 7 or 8, but I read it last week and it felt like I was a kid again. I’m disappointed that this title appears to be long out of print and will likely be overlooked by future generations. But with how many children’s books are published each year (2,500), I guess it’s fate that some great stories slip through the cracks.
Posted in Childhood Memories