M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Tennis, Anyone?
By Holly E. Newton

Tennis, anyone? Are you ready for the U.S. Open? Here is an outstanding mystery that takes place during the U.S. Open. Vanishing Act, by John Feinstein, is an exciting adventure as well as an inside look at professional tennis. Two teenage reporters, Stevie and Susan Carol, are invited to report on various players and events as they unfold at the U.S. Open. What they don’t realize is that they are also about to become intricately involved in a mystery.

When the Russian player, Nadia Symanova, suddenly vanishes just prior to her next match, the entire tournament is in an uproar. Stevie and Susan Carol had just met her and were looking forward to seeing her play, but now they are swept up in trying to figure out what happened to her. They begin to put the mysterious pieces of the puzzle together as they become detectives, as well as reporters.

The dialogue between both of these smart young protagonists is clever and the story will keep you guessing through to the very end with its final resolution. Feinstein is a regular sports writer himself, as it becomes apparent in the story. His extensive experience covering professional tennis gives the reader a real look inside this potentially wealthy sport. He brilliantly weaves real players, agents, reporters and even products into this insightful story. His other mystery involving these same storyline characters, Last Shot, is another great look inside the profession of basketball.

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And while we’re on the subject of basketball and sports, Mike Lupica has a new book about the subject. Summer Ball has 13-year-old Danny heading up to Maine to be in one of the most coveted basketball camps in the nation. This is where many college coaches go to take a look at future prospects, where 17-year-olds are looking to sign on to a big-time college program and where Danny can hardly wait to play his favorite sport all day long and well into the night for a month.

Even though he’s smaller than average, he makes up for it with speed and accuracy — which becomes evident by the amount of hours he puts into his practice. He’s about to meet some major obstacles at camp — ones that are completely unexpected and even surprising.

If you’ve not read Lupica’s other books, you’re missing out! His book, Heat, is about Danny and his team winning the national championship and is as good as this follow-up book. But you don’t need to read the first book in order to catch up on Danny’s life at this point. However, I’m warning you, even if you don’t care about basketball, you’ll love this book. Teachers and parents will love reading this story out loud! Be prepared for your listeners to beg you to keep reading! These kinds of books are priceless!

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Is your sports enthusiast interested in football? You won’t find a better informational book than John Madden‘s Heroes of Football: The Story of America’s Game. This over-size book is full of photographs, historical events and interesting real life stories of some of the greatest players in history.

But don’t be dissuaded into thinking this book is dull. On the contrary, his extensive knowledge on critical plays, players and the growth of this most popular spectator sport will thrill even the couch enthusiast. And what I like best are the stories of players that beat the odds by rising above mediocrity to become great! Each one of these examples shows kids how hard these players worked and practiced to become their best.

Kickoff, by Donna King, is a fast read for the soccer enthusiasts and has Tyra just moving from Florida to England with her family. Even though the story is fairly predictable, it’s a fun read as Tyra tries to adjust to this new and different culture. But, she has one thing in common with these new girls she’s about to meet — soccer. The team didn’t win a game the previous year, but it’s all about to change with the talented new girl from the U.S.A.

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Getting Air, by Dan Gutman, looks like it’s going to be all about skateboarding. But the story is much more involved than just the sport of boarding. Jimmy, his little sister, and two of his best boarding friends are flying to California to visit family when the plane is hijacked. The story draws parallels from the 9/11 attacks and the kids get their motivation from remembering what happened back then. The survival is exciting and a page-turner; it’s just always too bad when authors have to use violence in any of their stories. Kids see enough of that on TV, movies and video games.

Getting to First Base with Danalda Chase, by Matt Beam, is a clever book that uses baseball cards and lingo as Darcy, who is nuts about the game, is attempting to get a girl to like him. The story is funny and ends with a good moral and you may just learn a thing or two about baseball.

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Heart of a Champion, by Carl Deuker, focuses on two boys’ lives and how they become best friends. Jimmy is talented at baseball and likely heading for the pros. Seth, who tells the story, has to work hard to be successful on the field. Seth comes from a strong family; Jimmy doesn’t. Jimmy makes some bad choices and Seth stays true to his beliefs. This particular book is better suited for ages 12 and up, while the rest of these sports books are geared for ages 10 and up.

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