Super Special #1 the Ballpark Mysteries series, The World Series Curse has just been published. The timing’s pretty perfect.  It’s a must read for competitors and sports lovers.

Mike and Kate are cousins and they often travel around the country with Kate’s mom, a sports reporter, to baseball games.  They are great fans.  They know lots about the game and  players. They also know lots about the history of the game, the stories behind the stadiums and the players who have built baseball into America’s sport.  Because of their parents’ connections (Kate’s dad is a recruiter for the Dodgers), Kate and Mike are allowed into many different parts – the dugouts, the locker rooms, behind to scoreboard at Fenway – of stadiums that you or I could not visit. While they’re basking in this baseball glory, Mike and Kate take time to notice things.  They see people where it seems they really shouldn’t be.  They pay attention to odd conversations and things that seem peculiar as they watch practices, and see things behind the scenes.  When the time comes, their observations allow Mike and Kate to unravel the mysteries surrounding each game.  The mysteries often come about because someone just can’t bear the idea of losing the game!

In World Series Curse, Kate and Mike uncover a plot to change the outcome of the last game in the World Series between the Red Sox and The Cubs.  It’s one thing to lose, but it’s another thing to lose because the game has been rigged.  You’ll have to read the book to discover the final game’s outcome.

If you’re really into the facts behind the game and the curses placed on teams throughout history the Dugout Notes add even more information.  This book is a great addition to a fun series – great characters, great settings, great mysteries for all readers whether baseball is your thing or not.  They are in the “Books with a Sport’s Theme” section of our classroom library.