Say It Ain't So

January 15, 2014
The second installment in the Lenny & the Mikes mysteries finds Lenny Norbeck and his friends Mike and Other Mike in seventh grade with a new case to solve. Though starting catcher Davis Gannett has been kicked off the team for stealing a cellphone, and Mike has taken his place, Davis keeps showing up at games. As the season goes on, Lenny discovers that another team, Griffith Middle School, is stealing the catcher's signs, allowing their hitters to know what pitches to expect. So when pitching star Hunter Ashwell starts losing games, panic is in the air, and Lenny has a new mystery to solve. It's not as dramatic as the murder mystery of the series opener, Strike Three, You're Dead (2013), but Berk delivers important life lessons wrapped up in a satisfying story of baseball and friendship. What are the costs of solving crimes? Would he rather be "the Sherlock Holmes of suburbia" or just a friend? What if doing right turns out to help the boy nobody likes? These common middle school moral dilemmas are treated realistically in the believable context of baseball as a metaphor for life. Lenny is thrown several curves as he solves the mystery and finds a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a friend in this satisfying caper. (Mystery. 8-12)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 3-7-Berk hits it out of the park with this delightful story of baseball, friendship, and the perils of middle school. Mike can no longer pitch due to a shoulder injury, so with the help of his best friend, Lenny, he becomes a dynamite catcher. He and a new hotshot pitcher heat up the field until Hunter's perfect pitching streak goes sideways. It appears that someone is stealing Mike's catcher signals. Could it be the former catcher who was caught with a stolen phone in his shin guard but swears he's innocent? Or is it possible Mike framed him in order to win the catcher's position? Berk deserves a wide readership with his tale of sports, friendship, loyalty, and humor. Say It Ain't So will appeal to kids who enjoy Matt Christopher but aren't quite ready for Mike Lupica.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Mike (Strike Three, You're Dead) can't pitch due to an arm injury but gets back into baseball by moving behind the plate. When Mike lands in the starting lineup after the primary catcher is booted for theft, Lenny and Other Mike suspect there's been a set-up. Lenny's humorous narration distinguishes this solid middle-school sports mystery.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)