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Ballpark Mysteries #12
The Rangers Rustlers
Batter up! Ballpark Mysteries ® combine baseball action with exciting whodunits for early chapter book readers!
Let’s play ball, y’all! Mike and Kate are very excited to watch a Texas Rangers game. Mike even bought an official shirt. But little did he know—it’s a fake! A sneaky crook is tricking Rangers fans into buying the wrong shirts. Can the cousins help a real-life police ranger round up the culprit?
Ballpark Mysteries are the all-star matchup of fun sleuthing and baseball action, perfect for readers of Ron Roy’s A to Z Mysteries and Matt Christopher’s sports books, and younger siblings of Mike Lupica fans. Each Ballpark Mystery also features Dugout Notes, with more amazing baseball facts.
Let’s play ball, y’all! Mike and Kate are very excited to watch a Texas Rangers game. Mike even bought an official shirt. But little did he know—it’s a fake! A sneaky crook is tricking Rangers fans into buying the wrong shirts. Can the cousins help a real-life police ranger round up the culprit?
Ballpark Mysteries are the all-star matchup of fun sleuthing and baseball action, perfect for readers of Ron Roy’s A to Z Mysteries and Matt Christopher’s sports books, and younger siblings of Mike Lupica fans. Each Ballpark Mystery also features Dugout Notes, with more amazing baseball facts.
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2016
27 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
David A. Kelly
66 books95 followersDavid A. Kelly is the author of over 30 children's books, including the bestselling Ballpark Mysteries series, the MVP series, the brand-new Football Mysteries series, and more.
Mr. Kelly is also the author of the early reader, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse and the picture books Tee Time on the Moon and Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and Secret Mud that Changed Baseball.
He has written about travel and technology for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, and many other publications. Mr. Kelly lives in Newton, MA, with his family.
For more information, visit David’s webpage – www.davidakellybooks.com. He's available for school and library visits, in person or virtually.
Mr. Kelly is also the author of the early reader, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse and the picture books Tee Time on the Moon and Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and Secret Mud that Changed Baseball.
He has written about travel and technology for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, and many other publications. Mr. Kelly lives in Newton, MA, with his family.
For more information, visit David’s webpage – www.davidakellybooks.com. He's available for school and library visits, in person or virtually.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 10, 2016
3 stars for predictability of story, 5 for entertainment value. My kids and I have read the entire Ball Park Mystery series by David A. Kelly and even listen to the audio version on car trips. The series stars cousins Kate Hopkins and Mike Walsh as they travel to various ballparks with Kate's mom, a writer for a baseball emagazine or dad, a scout for the Dodgers. The Ranger Rustlers is the series' latest installment.
In this story, it is up to Mike and Kate to find the band of rustlers who have been stealing merchandise from Rangers' games. Of course, because this is a kid's mystery they help solve the case.
What I liked about it is the tidbits of Texas history scattered throughout the book. Kelly usually has up to five facts and then has three extra pages of facts at the end. This time he focuses on Texas Cowboys and barbecue and even has an old west night at the ballpark along with a bobble head night.
I am looking very forward to the next installment of the series, a super special called The World Series Curse. It is due out in time for the World Series and stars the Cubs (yay!) and Red Sox. Should be exciting to read.
In this story, it is up to Mike and Kate to find the band of rustlers who have been stealing merchandise from Rangers' games. Of course, because this is a kid's mystery they help solve the case.
What I liked about it is the tidbits of Texas history scattered throughout the book. Kelly usually has up to five facts and then has three extra pages of facts at the end. This time he focuses on Texas Cowboys and barbecue and even has an old west night at the ballpark along with a bobble head night.
I am looking very forward to the next installment of the series, a super special called The World Series Curse. It is due out in time for the World Series and stars the Cubs (yay!) and Red Sox. Should be exciting to read.
January 24, 2021
Eeek, grown-up me had some troubles with this one. The kids go way too far into trespassing and getting involved in potentially dangerous criminals here, IMO, and it also seemed a bit of a stretch that the could solve something the Secret Service couldn't. But, kid me enjoyed the trip to Texas and the glimpse into ranching.
FULL REVIEW OF THE SERIES:
This series has a lot going for it. The characters feel well-drawn (though it’s not heavy on characterization) and the mysteries are quite well done for this age group, not dummied down yet with enough well-placed clues that astute young detectives will figure out whodunit before the big reveal (while including enough red herrings to keep them guessing most of the way).
I like that Mike and Kate feature equally in the book (it’s not a “boy” book or a “girl” book), they both like baseball (but neither is an incredible talent), they are both smart (without being unrealistic brainiacs), both good at solving the mysteries. They feel very relatable and like normal kids. I think boys and girls would equally enjoy this book. I appreciate that Kate is learning Spanish, and that she often researches the locations they travel to ahead of time. There’s a bit of humor and usually a cheesy joke or two for kids who like that, courtesy of Mike (but fortunately no potty humor). They are respectful to one another and there’s no bickering or rivalry. The parents don’t feature much, but again, the relationship is positive. Kate’s parents are divorced, but it is presented as amicable.
I imagine many kids will come to these books because they have a love of baseball but we came to them with very little knowledge of the sport. I chose them because they were well-reviewed and my son has enjoyed mystery books in the past. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was with the baseball aspect, and it really sparked my son’s interest in the sport. Usually there are a few “ballgame” moments with Mike and Kate watching some plays on the field, but it’s more focused on the mystery than the game play. Of course, all the mysteries involve either ballplayers or some aspect of the team or stadium. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the distinctive characteristics of each ballpark. I also appreciate that many of the books give a glimpse into some local culture or history and local landmarks of the city. The back matter provides further notes about the players, ballparks, city, and history mentioned within the story. They are effortlessly educational while being primarily entertaining.
As a parent, I do have a few qualms about the kids running around in large ballpark stadiums (including out-of-the-way places not frequented by crowds) and surrounding areas in unfamiliar cities without a parent around. They also go off with adults they barely know (usually staff at the ballpark, so not exactly “strangers” but…) some of whom they suspect of committing crimes (usually involving theft or some sort of threats to the ballpark or a player) but at least the kids are always together and, of course, it’s the way the kids are able to be heroes and solve the crime themselves. Some of the books are a little heavier on the exposure to danger than others but most are pretty tame and, of course, all ends well. Also, the kids sometimes look for evidence in an office or a person’s backpack or something like that because they suspect the person of having committed the crime—but, of course, they have no warrant or legal right to do so and sometimes it’s a little close to trespassing or, at least, significant snooping. But, again, the positives of the book outweigh these few quibbles for me.
Overall, I highly recommend the series to young readers who enjoy mysteries and baseball. My son loves them and we have read almost every one in the series. I personally like them better than Magic Treehouse and I think they would appeal to fans of Magic Treehouse type books, too.
FULL REVIEW OF THE SERIES:
This series has a lot going for it. The characters feel well-drawn (though it’s not heavy on characterization) and the mysteries are quite well done for this age group, not dummied down yet with enough well-placed clues that astute young detectives will figure out whodunit before the big reveal (while including enough red herrings to keep them guessing most of the way).
I like that Mike and Kate feature equally in the book (it’s not a “boy” book or a “girl” book), they both like baseball (but neither is an incredible talent), they are both smart (without being unrealistic brainiacs), both good at solving the mysteries. They feel very relatable and like normal kids. I think boys and girls would equally enjoy this book. I appreciate that Kate is learning Spanish, and that she often researches the locations they travel to ahead of time. There’s a bit of humor and usually a cheesy joke or two for kids who like that, courtesy of Mike (but fortunately no potty humor). They are respectful to one another and there’s no bickering or rivalry. The parents don’t feature much, but again, the relationship is positive. Kate’s parents are divorced, but it is presented as amicable.
I imagine many kids will come to these books because they have a love of baseball but we came to them with very little knowledge of the sport. I chose them because they were well-reviewed and my son has enjoyed mystery books in the past. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was with the baseball aspect, and it really sparked my son’s interest in the sport. Usually there are a few “ballgame” moments with Mike and Kate watching some plays on the field, but it’s more focused on the mystery than the game play. Of course, all the mysteries involve either ballplayers or some aspect of the team or stadium. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the distinctive characteristics of each ballpark. I also appreciate that many of the books give a glimpse into some local culture or history and local landmarks of the city. The back matter provides further notes about the players, ballparks, city, and history mentioned within the story. They are effortlessly educational while being primarily entertaining.
As a parent, I do have a few qualms about the kids running around in large ballpark stadiums (including out-of-the-way places not frequented by crowds) and surrounding areas in unfamiliar cities without a parent around. They also go off with adults they barely know (usually staff at the ballpark, so not exactly “strangers” but…) some of whom they suspect of committing crimes (usually involving theft or some sort of threats to the ballpark or a player) but at least the kids are always together and, of course, it’s the way the kids are able to be heroes and solve the crime themselves. Some of the books are a little heavier on the exposure to danger than others but most are pretty tame and, of course, all ends well. Also, the kids sometimes look for evidence in an office or a person’s backpack or something like that because they suspect the person of having committed the crime—but, of course, they have no warrant or legal right to do so and sometimes it’s a little close to trespassing or, at least, significant snooping. But, again, the positives of the book outweigh these few quibbles for me.
Overall, I highly recommend the series to young readers who enjoy mysteries and baseball. My son loves them and we have read almost every one in the series. I personally like them better than Magic Treehouse and I think they would appeal to fans of Magic Treehouse type books, too.
March 4, 2016
I have been reading this entire series with a student I tutor whom is not an avid reader but a huge baseball fan and I was so excited to have this book recently come out as this student loves reading these. We love seeing what stadium/team the dynamic sleuth duo will take on next.
Once again, this mystery is an easy read and filled with usual detective shenanigans.
Once again, this mystery is an easy read and filled with usual detective shenanigans.
September 6, 2022
This wasn’t my favorite of this series but still a fun kids’ mystery. And the Rangers stadium doesn’t seem quite as exciting as some of the other ballparks but they do have a statue of Nolan Ryan who was my little brother’s favorite ball player back in the day so that makes up for a lot.
Don’t mess with the real
Texas Rangers because they
Are law enforcers.
Don’t mess with the real
Texas Rangers because they
Are law enforcers.
January 24, 2020
This was a mystery that took place in the Rangers ballpark and Ft Worth. The story was interesting and it was neat to be able to actually picture the places they were talking about. Of course it had the big hats and buckles and boots that every non Texan pictures when you say Texas. Good story and happy ending as you would expect.
March 31, 2020
Very fun! I wanted to try one of these after we Skyped with the author at school and he was so interesting to talk with. It’s fun to learn about different ball parks and the surrounding area, and unique trivia of the team. The characters are fun too.
September 25, 2017
i liked it
February 15, 2018
it was very good
March 23, 2018
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March 13, 2016
This children's book has interesting characters, and adventure sure to appeal to sports-minded boys and girls. The vocabulary is quite simple, but has a high interest level, so the series is just the thing for certain reluctant readers. The illustrations are all right, but would really be great in color.
June 25, 2016
My 9yr old & I have been privileged enough to read 2 books from this series & both were equally enjoyable. I'd especially recommend this series to 6-10 yr old mystery fans who also happen to have a love of baseball. They are great middle-grade chapter books.
March 11, 2016
"I wouldn't say it's the best book ever-not the best mystery. There's not as much action, " (8 yr old) It takes a long time for the mystery plot to develop.
May 22, 2016
The baseball scene wasn't really on point.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews