The Football Fiasco

The Zach & Zoe Mysteries #3

by Mike Lupica

The third installment of the Zach and Zoe Mysteries--a sports-themed chapter book mystery series by New York Times bestselling author Mike Lupica.There's nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide . . . well, it doesn't get any better than that. In their third mystery, Zach and Zoe discover their recess football has been completely deflated, leaving them without a ball to play with. But who's behind it? By searching for clues around the school, Zach and Zoe uncover the truth behind the damaged ball, and learn the importance of friendship, inclusion, and being conscious of other people's feelings. Ending with a big Walker Family Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl game, The Football Fiasco is the perfect fall chapter book!In the opening installments of the Zach and Zoe Mysteries, bestselling author Mike Lupica begins a series for a new and younger audience, introducing readers to a sports-loving detective duo who can swing for the fences and catch the culprit in one fell swoop. With a recipe equal parts sports and mystery, the Zach and Zoe Mysteries break fresh ground for an author who has been called the greatest sportswriter for kids.

Genres: Sports

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2018

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Rebekah Guest]

Read with my students!

[Teri Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery, a lesson or two learned, and a shout out to the military.....this book has it all!! Geared around Thanksgiving and football, the young sports fan will enjoy exploring the clues with Zoe and Zach to find out whodunnit.

I recommend this for young readers in the third grade, but is suitable for anyone ages 6-9, depending on their reading level.

Thank you to Puffin Books for the privilege to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Blaire Malkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second installment in this series manages to be even cheesier than the first. Zach and Zoe have another mystery to solve while imparting lessons about friendship and sportsmanship. Fine for an early chapter book. Zach and Zoe seem a bit too perfect. 2.5 stars.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for sports fans moving into chapter books!

[Deana Metzke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good chapter book starter series for kids who like mysteries and/or sports.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son has been reading this series and has really enjoyed them. He said I had to read them, so I have. This book, in particular, I enjoyed because it touched on an issue that I don't think a lot of kids pay attention to. My son is a high-level reader, so because of his age, I'm not sure that he caught it. But for kids reading this on level, I think that they might catch this and make sure that they are always making others feel included. The mystery in this book was good, but the life lesson was even better. I have really enjoyed these books and I highly recommend these to you readers.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kilian age 9 wanted to rate it 5 stars. It was a good book is his comment

Conor also rates it a 5 as it kept him thinking

Sean age 11 thought it was “cringy” but he did continue to pay attention.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gabe only gave this book two stars because football was involved. According to him… “it wasn’t even a mystery!”