Much ado about baseball

Gr 5--7--Magic is afoot once again in Comity, MA, in this stand-alone companion novel to LaRocca's Midsummer's Mayhem. After moving to Comity, 12-year-old Trish Das worries about being accepted as the only girl on her baseball team. Making matters worse, Trish's math puzzle competition rival Ben Messina plays on the same team. Insecure about his baseball skills and resentful of Trish's most recent math competition victory, Ben clashes with her while his best friend, Abhi, schemes to get the two to become friends (à la Much Ado About Nothing). In this book told in alternating perspectives, Trish and Ben stumble across copies of a mysterious book called The Mathematics of the Wild, whose odd math puzzles seem to magically help the team and bring the former rivals together. But when the books disappear just before the championship game, Abhi's life is endangered and they must seek answers in Comity's enchanted woods. Fans of Midsummer's Mayhem will delight in a return to the richly developed setting of Comity and its familiar quirky characters. A relatable sports plot about rivalry, teamwork, and forgiveness is elevated by lyrical descriptive writing and the unique intersection of mathematics and nature in the book's puzzles, which readers will be eager to solve. Trish is Indian American, and Ben is white. VERDICT This ambitious, layered story pulls together sports, Shakespeare, and mathematics while conveying a sweet, accessible message of the value of friendship and forgiveness. Recommended for all collections; hand to fans of Stacy McAnulty's The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl or Erin Yun's Pippa Park Raises Her Game.--Elizabeth Giles, Kansas City P. L., MO

A middle schooler struggles to adjust after moving to an idyllic Massachusetts town. Trish Das is at a crossroads. Not only is the 12-year-old unhappy that her family has moved yet again due to her mother's cardiology career, she also has to try out for a new baseball team. The fact that one of her new teammates is a former archrival further complicates matters. Math prodigy Ben Messina went head-to-head against fellow math whiz Trish at last spring's Math Puzzlers Championship. When Trish emerged victorious, Ben was stunned. The two get closer when the team's mysterious pregame snacks start making everyone play better while also causing magical side effects during games. Equally surprising are the cryptic puzzle booklets Trish and Ben receive in the mail that lead them to even more wins. But as the puzzles get harder to solve, the risk of failing to do so increases. Alternating between Trish's and Ben's perspectives, LaRocca's novel--a companion to 2019's Midsummer's Mayhem--is a Much Ado About Nothing homage that explores parental expectations, complicated friendships, and teamwork. The protagonists' love of problem-solving shines through, and the puzzles themselves are clearly explained. As a third-generation Indian American, Trish also has moving conversations about the circumstances that led her grandparents to emigrate and how those decisions still impact their lives. Ben is implied White. Final illustrations not seen. A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.