Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series
Author: John Feinstein
Playing in the World Series is every ballplayer’s dream, but no one is more surprised to actually be here than Norbert Doyle–a late call-up for an underdog team.
Doyle pitched in the minor leagues for years before making it to the bigs. He went to school in the off-season to earn his degree. He raised two kids on his own after the tragic death of his wife. And now he’s slated to start game two of the World Series. His feel-good story is a media gold mine. And teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson have scored the first in-depth interview with him.
At first they’re as charmed by Doyle as everyone else–it’s hard not to root for this guy. But the more Stevie and Susan Carol learn about him, the more conflicting stories they hear. And so Stevie becomes an investigative reporter by day while covering the World Series by night, trying to piece together the truth of one athlete’s life. But along the way he has to wonder–who will be hurt if the truth is known, and who will benefit, and what does it have to do with baseball? There are a million secrets in any locker room. Which ones need to be told?
VOYA
Teens Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are back on the newspaper sports beat, this time at the World Series. Veteran reporters, they have access to athletes and locker rooms to get the stories fans want to read, and it seems that Stevie has hit it big when he interviews Norbert Doyle, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals. Doyle has never made it big in baseball, but he is about to. Doyle gets to start the first game of the Series and becomes the biggest feel-good story in baseball. As Stevie digs for more material for his story, he finds out there is more to Doyle than he first thought. While covering the Series, Stevie tries to also uncover the truth of Doyle's past, and then must decide if it is something the world really needs to know. Readers will appreciate the sports details and real-life characters Feinstein includes throughout the novel. He provides enough background of the sport so even non-baseball fans can appreciate the action. It is not the drama of the World Series or baseball as much as the mystery of Doyle's past that moves the book forward, as Stevie and Susan Carol interact with Doyle's teenage twins and visit his former hometown to get at the truth. Yet readers never forget that Stevie and Susan Carol are newspaper reporters as they grapple with deadlines, sources, ethics, and the power of the press. This book is an enjoyable trifecta of sports, mystery and journalism for young readers. Reviewer: Nancy Pierce
School Library Journal
Gr 6–9—In previous books, teenage sportswriters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson exposed a scheme to throw a game in the NCAA basketball tournament, unraveled a kidnapping plot at the U.S. Tennis Open, and uncovered a steroid scandal at the Super Bowl. Now they are assigned to cover the World Series, where the underdog Washington Nationals are meeting the Boston Red Sox. While checking out the Cinderella story of the 38-year-old Nationals' rookie pitcher, Norbert Doyle, the friends discover a shadowy incident in the man's past. Although Doyle, his children, and especially his agent attempt to deceive, manipulate, and intimidate them, in the end the two reporters base their decision about running the story on the good it would do versus the harm it would cause. As in the other books in the series, Feinstein brings his insider's knowledge of sports to bear, with good effect. The inclusion of real-life sports and media figures along with fictional characters is likely to appeal to knowledgeable fans. For libraries in which the other books have proven popular.—Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT
Kirkus Reviews
Fourteen-year-old sports columnists Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson begin freshman year with a close-up look at a dramatic wild-card National League Championship final and then at the World Series between Boston and Washington, D.C. When a player who's come up from the minors in a late-season trade pitches a near no-hitter in game two, the mystery and personal tragedy in his past become the story Stevie pursues. Feinstein trots out an array of familiar personalities and offers a look at the way that the players, Major League Baseball and the media interact. He winks editorially about everything and everyone from Tony Kornheiser to the deficiencies in the new Nationals stadium. But the dogged running to earth of the pitcher's story is the real focus, far more than the game of baseball, which is seen only in glimpses. While Stevie and Susan Carol's unlimited freedom stretches credulity more than a bit and nuanced relationships and glimpses of dugout grit are in short supply, fans of the series will enjoy another inside scoop. (Mystery. 12-14)
Book review: Go Dog Go or Goodnight Moon Runaway Bunny
Julie Boxed Set (American Girl Collection Series: Julie)
Author: Megan McDonald
The perfect way to learn about Julie Albright is with a complete set of her six books in an attractive slipcase. Set includes "Meet Julie"; "Julie Tells her Story"; "Happy New Year, Julie"; "Julie and the Eagles"; "Julie's Journey"; and "Changes for Julie".
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