The Gold Medal Mess

April 18, 2016
Kelly branches out from his Ballpark Mysteries books with this opening title in the MVP series, in which a multiethnic group of elementary school students try to figure out who is threatening their school’s Olympics-style sports competition. After best friends Max and Alice discover a note reading “Your Olympics are a joke. Cancel them or the joke will be on you!” they enlist the help of their friend Nico, as well as twins Luke and Kat, to find the culprit, using methods both traditional (comparing fingerprints) and contemporary (evidence in a smartphone photo). Lively dialogue, athletic action, and smart thinking among the kids should keep interest levels high, and Brundage’s black-and-white cartoons mix playfulness and suspense as they depict various acts of sabotage, such as an oil-soaked relay race course. Simultaneously available: The Soccer Surprise. Ages 6–9. Author’s agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

March 15, 2016
When a mysterious saboteur threatens to shut down their school's Olympic games, five young athletes put on their detective shoes. Classmates Max, Alice, Nico, and twins Luke and Kat--a diverse crew, to judge from Brundage's introductory portrait gallery and frequent, realistically drawn illustrations--are looking forward to their respective events in Franklin Elementary's upcoming annual Olympics. But someone is sending threatening notes to the faculty organizers, and once the games begin, oiled grass on the relay route and a tug of war rope that is partially cut lead to dangerous falls. Who could the culprit be? Gathering fingerprints and other evidence, the young sleuths work together to eliminate one suspect and at last catch another red-handed. They are less successful in winning medals, but at the ensuing ceremony they earn a special "MVP" award for saving the games and decide to form a club. Along with plenty of sports action and sterling detective work to appreciate, Kelly offers readers a chance to ponder the contrast between the priorities of the culprit, a multimedalist from the previous year jealously unwilling to be upstaged, and Nico, who abruptly quits a race he's about to win when he spots the saboteur at work. A quick set of facts and photos from the official Olympic Games cap this series opener. This series opener is a promising venture into early Matt Christopher territory. (Mystery/sports fiction. 7-9)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2016

Gr 2-5-The first entry in this new series brings together a group of five energetic elementary students who are excited about the upcoming Olympic-style games. While Max, Nico, Luke, Alice, and Kat practice for their events, they stumble onto a mystery: someone is threatening the games. Although the principal tells them not to worry, they discover that there have been multiple threats insisting that the games be cancelled. Uncovering one clue at a time, they work together to solve the mystery. Short chapters filled with action keep readers interested and engaged. Illustrations throughout bring characters and events to life. An "MVP Stats" section at the end provides basic information about the Olympics.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.