The Spy in the Bleachers

May 1, 2010
Grades 2-5 When siblings Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny attend a baseball game at Cogswheel Stadium, they discover that someone is stealing the catchers signs and alerting the batter. Over several days, they keep their eyes on three shady suspects: an enthusiastic fan in the bleachers, a seemingly friendly hot-dog vendor, and Wheelie the mascot. Dont look for character development in this beginning chapter-book mystery, but readers new to the genre will find it helpful when Jessie pulls out her notebook and writes down the clues. Attractive shaded-pencil drawings underscore the old-fashioned charm of the venerable Boxcar Children Mystery series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner. The Alden children solve two new mysteries. In Spy they attend a baseball championship series and discover who is stealing the pitcher's signals. In Superstar they figure out that a talent search for a dog food commercial is rigged in favor of the owner's pet. Both mysteries are simplistic and predictable but may appeal to die-hard fans of the original series.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)