Synopses & Reviews
Itandrsquo;s Chadandrsquo;s first spring as a batboy, and the Pine City Porcupines are hotandmdash;until they come up against the league-leading Heron Lake Humdingers. Now Chadandrsquo;s got a whole lineup of problems: his favorite player, shortstop Mike Stammer, thinks heandrsquo;s jinxed; Dylan, the other batboy, doesnandrsquo;t even
like baseball; thereandrsquo;s a goofy new porcupine mascot on the field; plus, Chad has to fill in as batboy for the Herons. Itandrsquo;s a good thing thereandrsquo;s something in the cardsandmdash;his
baseball cards, that isandmdash;that can help Chad sort it all out.
Praise for A Topps League Story: Jinxed
andquot;This book will be an obvious choice for sports enthusiasts, as well as middle grade readers and struggling boy readers. Refreshingly, though, Scaletta has created a baseball enthusiast protagonist who has characteristics that all readers can relate to.andquot;
--Library Media Connection
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s Chadand#8217;s first spring as a batboy, and the Pine City Porcupines are hotand#8212;until they come up against the league-leading Heron Lake Humdingers. Now Chadand#8217;s got a whole lineup of problems: his favorite player, shortstop Mike Stammer, thinks heand#8217;s jinxed; Dylan, the other batboy, doesnand#8217;t even like baseball; thereand#8217;s a goofy new porcupine mascot on the field; plus, Chad has to fill in as batboy for the Herons. Itand#8217;s a good thing thereand#8217;s something in the cardsand#8212;his baseball cards, that isand#8212;that can help Chad sort it all out.
Synopsis
These fun, illustrated early chapter books feature the adventuresand#151;and misadventuresand#151;of the Pine City Porcupines, a hapless baseball farm team, and their two batboys: Chad, an avid baseball fan with a huge baseball card collection, and Dylan, who doesnand#8217;t know a thing about the sport. The fictional series has a unique twist: Chad solves problems by using information from Topps cards of real figures from modern baseball history.
Pine City Porcupines batboy Chad breaks an important unofficial rule of baseball: Donand#8217;t talk to the starting pitcher when heand#8217;s got a perfect game going, where not a single opponent has reached base. Now, because Chad opened his mouth, the entire Pines dugout is upset, and the team may lose to the second-to-last-place West Valley Varmints. Chad has to consult his baseball card collection to figure out how to help his beloved Pines pull off the perfect game.
Synopsis
These fun, illustrated early chapter books feature the adventuresand#8212;and misadventuresand#8212;of the Pine City Porcupines, a hapless baseball farm team, and their two batboys: Chad, an avid baseball fan with a huge baseball card collection, and Dylan, who doesnand#8217;t know a thing about the sport. The fictional series has a unique twist: Chad solves problems by using information from Topps cards of real figures from modern baseball history.
Teddy and#8220;Bearand#8221; Larrabee, a slugger on the Pine City Porcupines, gets his 823rd base hit on his birthday, August 23and#8212;and itand#8217;s a home run! The Bear is a big believer in the power of numbers, so he asks Pines batboy Chad to retrieve the ball from the stands. Thereand#8217;s only one problem: the crabby fan in the ballpark who caught it. Chad really wants to keep the Bear happy and slugging, so heand#8217;s just got to figure out what the fan would be willing to trade for that 823 ball.
About the Author
Kurtis Scaletta is the author of several acclaimed middle school novels, including Mudville, one of Booklistand#8217;s 2009 Top 10 Sports Books for Youth. He lives in Minneapolis. Eric Wight is the creator of the popular Frankie Pickle illustrated chapter book series. He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.