PRLog - Oct. 9, 2014 - BETHESDA, Md. -- Arriving just in time for postseason excitement, author R. M. Clark's new novel is a baseball-centered middle-grade mystery, featuring spunky twelve-year-old protagonist April O'Day. As the daughter of a former minor-leaguer, she really knows baseball. And when she wins the opportunity to be a bat retriever for one week with her hometown's minor league team, she proves it, transforming her seven-day dream job into a summer-long adventure of runs, hits, errors . . . and a mystery to solve.
Baseball-playing shadows are on the field, which only she, her friend Darren, and the team's owner, Mr. Haney, can see. And when April finds one of their shadow balls in the stands, the three are able to witness a 1940s Negro Leagues game.
Who are these players—especially the one they call Flash, a lightning-fast base runner? And why are they at Haney Field? Can Marcus "Mayhem" Mayfield, a veteran of the Negro Leagues as well as the majors, help them solve this mystery?
And as facts come into focus, will Mr. Haney try to keep an event from the 1960s hidden under the grandstands?
The reviews are in, and this book is a homer:
"A well-written Disney-like story. . . . The characters are well-drawn and likable, and Clark obviously knows baseball. . . . A home run . . ." writes Kirkus Reviews.
"As deeply moving as Field of Dreams," writes Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite.
"An inviting read. The discoveries and the reflections of this feisty protagonist, who loves the sport and whose curiosity leads her to investigate the Negro Leagues, baseball history, and even issues of discrimination, are what make this story so enjoyable," writes Diane Donovan of Midwest Book Review.
A glossary of baseball terms opens the book so readers can keep up with the action on the field.
Author Robert (R. M.) Clark spent nineteen years as a baseball coach—from T-ball to American Legion and most levels in between. “It was from my usual place in the third-base coach's box that I imagined a story told from the point of view of a bat girl. To add history to the mystery, I had her connect with a 1940s baseball player from the Negro Leagues. He represents the greatness of the players from that era, the majority of whom—because of the color of their skin—never made it to the majors. Add into the mix a huge scoreboard, WW II heroics, and a man's haunting mistake, and a mystery was born."
The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery is available in paperback and eBook form from online retailers and independent bookstores.
About:
For interview requests with R. M. Clark, please contact the publisher. Requests for review copies may be made by phone or email.
The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery
$9.95 (paperback), $4.99 (eBook)
Publication date: September 16, 2014
134 pages
ISBNs:
Paperback: 978-0-9913646-2-6
Epub: 978-0-9913646-3-3
Kindle: 978-0-9913646-4-0
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It's "A Home Run. . ." Says Kirkus Reviews about a New Middle-Grade Baseball Mystery
October 09, 2014 at 10:00 AM EDT
