The L.A. Dodger

Ballpark Mysteries #3

by David A. Kelly, Mark Meyers (Illustrator)

Now batting third—book #3 in a brand-new early chapter book mystery series where each book is set in a different American ballpark!

It's spring break and Kate and Mike are off to Los Angeles to visit Kate's dad, a scout for the Dodgers. But all is not sunny in L.A.—strange things have been happening to Kate's dad. Pages have gone missing from his clipboard. He's gotten threatening phone calls. And he thinks he's being followed! Is someone after Mr. Hopkins's top secret scouting reports?

The L.A. Dodger includes a fun fact page about Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium.

Cross Ron Roy's A to Z mystery series with Matt Christopher's sports books and you get the Ballpark fun, puzzling whodunnits aimed at the younger brothers and sisters of John Feinstein's fans.

Genres: Baseball, Mystery, Sports, Childrens, 2nd Grade, Chapter Books, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

David 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.

Reviews

[Lindsey Gandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute mystery series

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to confess, even though this is a book for kids, I quite enjoyed it! And I actually learned two things about the Dodgers (my favorite team!) that I didn't know - #1 why the Dodgers' dugout is along the third base side, and #2 why the seats in Dodger Stadium are colored the way that they are. Want to know the answers too? Read the book!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun baseball facts pop up throughout this mystery, including a cool tidbit that Babe Ruth was a Dodgers manager for one season.

Our young detectives, Kate and Mike, end up in sunny LA, exploring Dodger Stadium while trying to figure out what's up with the strange stuff happening at Kate's dad's work. Someone's taking computers, making threatening calls, even Kate's notebook went missing. They call this mystery person "the Dodger."

As an LA fan, I got a kick out of spotting places I know. Plus, learned some cool stadium trivia - like how they picked the seat colors to reference LA beaches: yellow, blue, and gold seats.

My son stuck with it, though I could tell it wasn't exactly hitting it out of the park for him. But hey, David A. Kelly's mystery gets kids thinking about being observant, trusting their gut, and following through on clues. We're going to still go ahead and read "The Pinstripe Ghost" next. We got these books as gifts, and we're in search of finding something that will motivate him to read more.

[Annie Flanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in this series sees Kate Hopkins and Mike Walsh - cousins - traveling to Los Angeles to stay with her father - Steve Hopkins. He is a baseball scout for the LA Dodgers and has been divorced from Kate's mother for many years.

Mr Hopkins and members of the Dodgers are being stalked and harassed by an unknown person.

Kate and Mike spot the person who has been stalking them - he had also stolen Kate's notebook at the airport as they were being picked up by her father. And they start stalking him back.

I really like seeing all the wonderful information about baseball presented in this and the other books.

At the end of the book are dugout notes about Dodger Stadium.

[Mayra Espinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great children's book in the mystery genre. The fact that the series is baseball-themed is so interesting. Especially if you have students who love sports. I also liked the storyline and the friendship between Kate and Mike.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't a big fan of the plot of this one. I know they are all kind of corny as they are kids mystery books, but I just didn't like who the Dodger ended up being. Did learn some cool stuff about Dodger Stadium though.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fun facts about the different ballparks in these books. They’re also great little mysteries.

[Samantha Herscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four-year-old loves these as bed-time books. Gotta say, this was the best one we've read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]. Really enjoying reading this series with Everett.

[Kat V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine book. A little better than the last ones. 3.4 stars

[Jack Kawata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the Book was a great idea to read it because it has lots of great emotions.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ballpark Mysteries #3: The L.A. Dodger by David A Kelly is a fun romp through Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium. The book follows Kate and her cousin Mike. They are in L.A. to visit Kate's dad, a scout for the Dodgers. But when they meet him at the airport, they quickly notice that something is not right. Her dad explains to them that mysterious things have been happening, and because of this he needs to keep a close eye on his scouting notes. Kate and Mike jump right into the mystery, trying to discover who the mysterious Dodger is and how they can stop him before her dad gets into any trouble at work.

This is a great book for kids that love anything about baseball. The illustrations are fun and the book also includes some fun facts about Dodger Stadium in the back. I'm definitely going to share this book with my nephew--he'll love it.

*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. This is the third book in the Ballpark Mysteries series. I have not read the first two books.
It has a 2.8 reading level.
This story takes place at Doger Stadium. It incorporates interesting facts about the stadium and the team history in the mystery. It's a cute story.
My eight year old daughter(who doesn't like baseball) also read the book and enjoyed it. If she liked it, I'm sure it will really be a 'hit' with someone who likes the game.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the Ballpark Mysteries series!

This mystery takes place in Los Angeles and around the L.A. Dodgers. The author did an excellent job of bringing in and explaining the history of this team -- that they came from Brooklyn, etc.

I also loved a lot of the facts about the stadium, players, Vin Scully, etc.

Best mystery in the series, so far!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. The books are cute, it's about baseball (almost an instant win), and there's just a lot of fun stuff here. This is another great entry in the series, and I'm really glad to see that more of them continue to come around.

[Kayla Schum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Mike and Katie who are cousins and take a trip to L.A. to see Katie's dad. There they find a mystery that needs solving. I would let my students read this because it is a good book to help them develop their reading skills.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate's Dad's scouting reports are missing; Kate's notebook is missing. What is going on in LA? "Leave your job with the Dodgers or there'll be trouble." Who is the mysterious man and why is he trying to get Kate's Dad out of the Dodger organization? Another good mystery for early readers.

[Desirae]

Read to my younger family members. They enjoyed the plot and had fun. I will be looking for the others in this series.

[Emily]

This book was sent to me by the publisher for my review...

[Deb Wiswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great ballpark mystery that teaches some great facts about the team, the ballpark, and the LA area.

[Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did the guy do this to Kate's dad?

[Amanda Gilles]

the characters get themselves into a situation which is a bit far fetched for kids their ages/parents to let them do....

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This particular story wasn't as good as the first two. My son still enjoyed it, but I found this pushing the limit for me.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Liked it

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good. It was funny. It was about someone who was trying to get the LA Dodgers back to Brooklyn by getting Kate's dad out of his job. But Kate and her cousin stopped him.

[Hillvan]

570L

[Sherry Tobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery. Learned a lot about the Dodgers and their history. My boys enjoy baseball and mystery so it’s a good combination

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ballpark: Los Angeles Dodgers

This was definitely one of the weaker volumes in the otherwise great Ballpark Mysteries series. It felt like the kids spent more time out and about in L.A. than they did at the actual ballpark. And the mystery was a little incredible. The culprit's plan, to harass the Dodgers into moving back to Brooklyn, was a little too far fetched, even for a children's book. The final confrontation could actually be a little frightening for a child, too, given the real life implications of an adult stranger interacting with a kid.

There were definitely still highlights, though. We get to meet Kate's dad, a scout for the Dodgers and the source of her regular (albeit mostly random) usage of Spanish. There are some cool facts about Dodgers stadium, such as why the seats are colored the way they are and why the dugouts are oriented the way they are. And of course Mike craves Dodger Dogs. However, I felt like I learned more about the team's history, like moving from Brooklyn, in The San Francisco Splash.

My four year old son didn't seem in a hurry to keep reading more chapters each night like he has been with other volumes. I don't think he really comprehended the mystery and why the culprit did what he did.

The dugout notes included the usual mix of facts about the team, the ballpark, and the city.