Shadow Over Second (Peach Street Mudders Series)

by Matt Christopher, Anna Dewdney (Illustrator)

Overview

Originally published in 1996 by Little, Brown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599533209
Publisher:	Norwood House Press
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Series:	Peach Street Mudders Series
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 8.76(h) x 0.19(d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Matt Christopher (1917-1997) was an American writer of children's books. He wrote more than 400 novels and short stories, mainly featuring sports. After his death, his family has overseen the production of ghost written books under his name. Born in Bath, Pennsylvania, Christopher was a gifted athlete as a child, which influenced his primary topic of writing. In addition to sports books, he also enjoyed writing detective fiction; his first published novel before the successful The Lucky Baseball Bat was Look for the Body, a murder mystery written for adults.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-4Nicky Chong, second baseman for the Peach Street Mudders, is closing in on his league's R.B.I. record. Being superstitious, he feels jinxed when his father mentions the record and is further stressed when someone locks him and a teammate in his family's shed, causing him to be late for one of the season's final games. Arriving during the second inning, Nicky finds his hitting skills haven't been affected by his father's statement, thus diminishing his fervent belief in superstitions. Furthermore, he's able to deduct who locked him up. This title, the seventh in the series, is one of Christopher's weaker efforts. Though baseball is a team sport, which should be emphasized in sports books for young readers, the whole focus here is on Nicky's quest for an individual record. Uncharacteristically, there are a couple of errors in game description. Black-and-white drawings appear throughout this beginning chapter book. For purchase only by those libraries that can't pass up a title by the prolific Christopher.Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI

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