Crunch Time Book

THE STORY: High school senior Robin Wingstrom's life is going nowhere. She's juggling a newspaper route, schoolwork, basketball, and a would-be boyfriend - all with little success. To make matters worse, her only living relative, Gramps, is a senile old poop who's driving her certifiably nuts. When Robin misses a key shot in an important basketball game, her team loses, their coach collapses (dead on the spot), and Robin becomes the school goat. A new coach arrives. Smooth-talking Miles Murdock offers Robin the deal of her life - an infallible jump shot. It's a 100% sure thing - guaranteed. She can't miss! But a price must be paid. As Robin's jump shot earns her glory, Gramps suffers a series of excruciating maladies. The cafeteria lady, Lily Wintergarden, knows there is more to Coach Murdock than meets the eye, but she's not into helping folks anymore. It's a Faustian deal Murdock has struck with Robin, but he doesn't need any more souls; it's just plain old human suffering he relishes. Despite Murdock's diabolical intentions, Robin leads her team to the state championship game. It's the biggest contest of her life, and when she and Murdock go one-on-one, it's crunch time! Co-authors Mark Medoff and Phil Treon have fashioned an intriguing morality tale centered on a high school girls' basketball star who makes a deal with a Mephistophelean figure‚¬¦This is a playful work, full of puns, word play and idea play‚¬¦The overall mood is one of Thornton Wilder meets Pirandello as touching all-American high school moments collide with theater-of-the-absurd developments‚¬¦CRUNCH TIME is a fun show with some serious ideas. It has flair. - Omaha World-Herald