Baseball Bats. (Bat Series). Sharon Jennings. Illustrated by Kalle Malloy. Toronto, ON: HIP-JR, 2011. 68 pp., pbk., $10.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-12-2. Grades 4-7 / Ages 9-12. Review by Janice Foster. ****/4
	Baseball Bats Teacher�s Guide. Lori Jamison. Toronto, ON: HIP-JR, 2011. 24 pp., stapled, $5.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-13-9. Grades 4-7 / Ages 9-12. Review by Janice Foster. ****/4

excerpt:

Of course the burglar heard us. What would he do? We waited and waited and then we saw a black shadow slip out of the side door. The guy looked back at the house.

The guy ran up the street and got in the passenger door of a car. The car started moving slowly towards us. Then it suddenly stopped in front of my house. The doors were flung wide and two men jumped out. They came right at us.

Baseball Bats is the sixth and final title in Sharon Jenning�s �Bat Mystery� series. Once again, the two members of the Bat Gang, Sam Fletcher and Simon McDonald, find themselves involved in solving a crime. With only a week left of school, the boys� grade six teacher and baseball coach, Mr. Chong, is arrested for robbery. They are certain that he can�t be guilty, but how can they prove it?

     The story evolves at a fast pace with the inclusion of humour, danger, excitement and colloquial dialogue. Sam and Simon�s antics, such as breaking into the gym, searching for a lost bat in the baseball field at two in the morning and getting detention as well as their impressions of school staff and parents, will appeal to the targeted preteen audience. The boys� encounter with the real jewel thieves puts them at risk of physical harm and makes readers maintain their high interest in the novel while wondering if the Bat Gang might not solve the mystery. The 10 short chapter format, interspersed with simple, cartoon-like black and white illustrations by Katie Malloy, is consistent with the other titles in the series and provides an easy-to read format for reluctant and struggling readers.


     The accompanying Teacher�s Guide, by language arts consultant Lori Jameson, follows the same teaching suggestions format as previous teacher guides in the series. This guide provides different strategies for using Baseball Bats in a classroom setting with both proficient and reluctant readers. Lesson plans are provided with activities for independent reading, guided reading or literature circles. These include chapter discussion points and activities, a plot synopsis, a quiz, point of view and mind map activities and after reading activities suggestions. This guide presents teachers and English as an Additional Language (EAL) instructors with ideas to assist struggling readers in becoming successfully engaged in reading.

Highly Recommended.

Janice Foster, a former teacher and teacher-librarian, lives in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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