Sports – Page 8 – Sneak Peek Books

The Fenway Foul-Up

Mike Walsh knows everything about baseball. His cousin Kate Hopkins knows a little about everything. When the two get tickets to the Boston Red Sox game and all-access passes to Fenway Park, they will have to put all their knowledge together to solve the mystery of Big D’s missing bat.

Big D’s lucky bat is stolen during batting practice. Without his bat, will Big D be able to hit a much-needed home run and lead his team to victory? Can Mike and Kate solve the mystery and return Big D’s bat to him?

Baseball fans and mystery fans will enjoy The Fenway Foul-Up. Readers will be engrossed in the story as Mike and Kate follow the clues and eliminate suspects. The story is easy to read, but will also capture the attention of older readers because of the storyline. To help break up the text, black and white pictures appear every two to five pages. The book ends with a satisfying conclusion and fun facts about Fenway Park. This book will be a hit for reluctant and more advanced readers.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The Pinstripe Ghost

Mike and Kate get to spend three whole days at Yankee Stadium. The excitement of being at the most famous ballpark in America gets even better when Mike and Kate hear the rumor that Babe Ruth’s ghost is haunting the new stadium.

As Mike and Kate investigate the ghost sightings, they feel a chilly blast of air and hear strange sounds. Is Babe Ruth really looking for his missing locker or is something else going on at Yankee Stadium?

Black and white pictures appear every 2 to 5 pages and will help readers visualize the action. Even though Capital Catch is the #13 book in the series, the books do not build on each other, so they can be read out of order. The book ends with fun facts about New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Mystery fans and sports fans will both enjoy solving the mystery in The Pinstripe Ghost. The Pinstripe Ghost is another fun mystery for early readers. Although the story revolves around a ghost, there are no scary parts. Readers will have fun putting together the clues in this easy-to-read, engaging story.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

The San Francisco Splash

Sitting on a kayak in the San Francisco bay, Mike and Kate watch as balls soar over the wall of the ballpark and fall into the water. Both Mike and Kate hope to catch one of these splash balls. When a man falls overboard, Mike catches a big surprise—the man is an old-time baseball player. When the man is pulled from the water, his World Series ring is missing. As Mike and Kate search for clues, they learn about San Francisco and the ballpark.

The San Francisco Splash is an easy-to-read story that has a simple plot. Black and white illustrations appear every 2 to 5 pages. Most of the illustrations are a full page and they help readers visualize the characters as well as help them understand the plot. The book ends with Dugout Notes that teach fun facts about the recently built ballpark. The Ballpark Mysteries do not need to be read in sequence to be enjoyed.

The San Francisco Splash will hit a home run with young fans of mysteries and sports.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

None

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Kate calls her cousin a “dope.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Vampire Trouble

Alex hopes to win the kickball home-run record. When a new playground monitor appears, Alex begins to sneeze—great, big sneezes that make it impossible to kick the ball. Alex realizes that he’s allergic to the new playground monitor. Alex and his cousin Sara set out to discover what type of monster the new monitor is and how they can make her go away.

Although Vampire Trouble is not as suspenseful or humorous as the first book in the series, there is still a lot to like about the story. The plot is interesting and revolves around kickball. In the end, Alex learns that sportsmanship is more important than winning. Another positive aspect of the story is how the cousins in Vampire Trouble work together to find a solution to Alex’s monster allergy problem. In order to uncover the truth about vampires, they think like scientists, and through their search, readers will learn that not everything that is on the internet is true.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A boy hits Alex with a ball. “As I walked away, the ball smacked the back of my head with a loud POING!”
The vampire, who has rats that hang around her, threatens Alex and Sara. She tells them, “They will chase you off. And then a picture burst into my mind. I could see the rats leaping towards me.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

A vampire is a playground monitor at Alex’s school. Rats hang around the vampire.
The vampire can communicate by talking into people’s minds. When she communicates with Alex, “The words drifted into my mind, echoing like it had been spoken in a tomb.”

Spiritual Content