 
|
Student journalists Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are on the beat again, this time at the World Series: the Washington Nationals versus the Boston Red Sox. The Nationals have just brought Norbert Doyle up from the minors, and he’s almost pitched a no-hitter in the second game of the Series. Who is this new player? Where did he come from?.
A widowed single father of 14-year-old twins: sounds like a movie in the making. As Stevie digs deeper into this player’s past, Susan Carol gets chummy with Doyle’s son, learning a secret she cannot tell anyone, not even Stevie. As the kids continue their interviews, more truths are revealed - or are they lies covering a darker truth?
Certain to grab the attention of baseball fans as well as followers of Feinstein’s sports mystery series, Change-up is a welcome addition to both the mystery and sports genres for middle-school students. Baseball players will especially love the play-by-play action of the World Series, while mystery lovers will puzzle over the varying testimonies of the people in Doyle’s past.
Real-world lessons on the journalistic process, the economics of baseball promotion, and lessons in the hazards of drunk driving all work within the plot. While Stevie and Susan Carol’s characters are well-developed, others are stereotypical.
Highly recommended as a quick pick for reluctant readers, especially boys who love sports.
|
|
Change-up: Mystery at the World Series