The Half-Court Hero

April 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-Zach and Zoe are twins with a passion for sports of all kinds. In the first entry of this new series, The Missing Baseball, Zach brings his most special autographed baseball to school for sharing with his classmates. It goes missing, and Zoe is on the case. In between gathering clues, the twins play soccer, basketball, and baseball. The mystery comes to a gentle ending and a climatic baseball game is won by Zoe with good sportsmanship shown by her loyal brother. In the second title, The Half-Court Hero, the twins are in a weekend basketball tournament. The court where they are to play is in pretty rough shape: broken benches, no nets, and it's in need of repainting. A mysterious benefactor begins nightly repairs on the court, and Zoe and Zach gather clues to solve the mystery of the do-gooder. All is neatly wrapped up at the end of this short chapter book. Zach and Zoe are likable and kind to each other, and their parents are supportive. Lupica knows how to write sports action with a heart, but his skill as a mystery writer for the chapter book crowd is not as refined. The clues are a bit too obvious and the resolution to the puzzles is not terribly engaging. Kids will appreciate that the sports action doesn't focus on just one sport per title, but the mystery elements won't keep many readers puzzling-they will have figured it out long before the twins do. VERDICT Give these to young readers who are looking for easy sports fiction or who are new to the mystery genre. An additional selection.-John Scott, Friends School of Baltimore

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