Childrens

Much Ado About Baseball

Much Ado About Baseball

  • Downloads：1867
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-30 06:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Rajani LaRocca
  • ISBN：1499811012
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

"Much Ado About Baseball is the best children's book I've read in the past 10 years！" -Brad Thor， New York Times bestselling author of the Scot Harvath series

"A moving tale of baseball， magic， and former rivals who come together to solve a problem。" -Kirkus Reviews， STARRED REVIEW

In this companion novel to Midsummer's Mayhem， math and baseball combine with savory snacks to cause confusion and calamity in the town of Comity。

Twelve-year-old Trish can solve tough math problems and throw a mean fastball。 But because of her mom's new job， she's now facing a summer trying to make friends all over again in a new town。 That isn't an easy thing to do， and her mom is too busy to notice how miserable she is。

But at her first baseball practice， Trish realizes one of her teammates is Ben， the sixth-grade math prodigy she beat in the spring Math Puzzler Championships。 Everyone around them seems to think that with their math talent and love of baseball， it's only logical that Trish and Ben become friends， but Ben makes it clear he still hasn't gotten over that loss and can't stand her。 To make matters worse， their team can't win a single game。 But then they meet Rob， an older kid who smacks home runs without breaking a sweat。 Rob tells them about his family's store， which sells unusual snacks that will make them better ballplayers。 Trish is dubious， but she's willing to try almost anything to help the team。

When a mysterious booklet of math puzzles claiming to reveal the "ultimate answer" arrives in her mailbox， Trish and Ben start to get closer and solve the puzzles together。 Ben starts getting hits， and their team becomes unstoppable。 Trish is happy to keep riding the wave of good luck 。 。 。 until they get to a puzzle they can't solve， with tragic consequences。 Can they find the answer to this ultimate puzzle， or will they strike out when it counts the most？

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Reviews

Phyllis ，

I chose to read this because it sounded like fun， even if it was geared to middle grade readers。 Baseball， math， and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - what a unique combination。 Author Rajani LaRocca's description: "This story is about Trish and Ben， twelve-year-old math competition rivals who find themselves on the same summer baseball team and must contend with brutish opponents， mysterious math puzzles， and sneaky magic while forming an unlikely friendship。" Trish is the new girl， hav I chose to read this because it sounded like fun， even if it was geared to middle grade readers。 Baseball， math， and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - what a unique combination。 Author Rajani LaRocca's description: "This story is about Trish and Ben， twelve-year-old math competition rivals who find themselves on the same summer baseball team and must contend with brutish opponents， mysterious math puzzles， and sneaky magic while forming an unlikely friendship。" Trish is the new girl， having recently moved to town， and the theme of fitting in and making friends is sure to resonate with many readers。 I especially liked the fun recipes at the end of the book， as well as the additional math concepts and puzzles， for those who wanted more of the math aspect。 Unfortunately I'm not a baseball fan， nor a math-puzzle person， but I appreciated that this book didn't talk down to readers or dumb down those topics。 One thing I thought odd was there are fairies， magic， and references to characters （Oberon and Robin） from A Midsummer Night's Dream， yet the author says the book is a take on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing。 。。。more

PottWab Regional Library ，

E

queen of narnia ，

Oh cosmos this sounds adorable 🥰🥰🥰

Cara （Wilde Book Garden） ，

4。5 starsCan Rajani LaRocca just adapt every Shakespeare play， please and thank you。CW: Grief， bullying， vomiting

Karen McKenna ，

A perfect summery read， I was initially drawn in with the alternating points of view between Trish and Ben。 I loved the friendship that develops between them after some misunderstandings and rocky starts。 I loved the math challenges and who wouldn't love a dog named Fibonacci！ As the only girl on the baseball team， the love of baseball shines through in the writing and adds an empowering element to the story for all girls， regardless of their passions。 With enough magic to suspend reality at tim A perfect summery read， I was initially drawn in with the alternating points of view between Trish and Ben。 I loved the friendship that develops between them after some misunderstandings and rocky starts。 I loved the math challenges and who wouldn't love a dog named Fibonacci！ As the only girl on the baseball team， the love of baseball shines through in the writing and adds an empowering element to the story for all girls， regardless of their passions。 With enough magic to suspend reality at times， this story is sure to cast a spell on middle grade readers。 #LitReviewCrew 。。。more

Charlotte ，

despite not giving a hoot about baseball， and being only mildly interested in math puzzles， and never having seen or read Much Ado About Nothing， I enjoyed this lots， because friendship， magic， a sweet dog， and parents who care are pretty universal likes。。。。

LS Johnson ，

Baseball + Shakespeare + Magic + Math/Logic。 Some of the connections felt a little forced but I liked the characters。 I’ll recommend this book to anyone who loves baseball stories。

Carrie Hamstra ，

Such a clever book！ This book just came out in June 2021。 I wish I was teaching math right now because this would be a great book to incorporate into the curriculum。 The story switches characters every other chapter between Trish and Ben。 They both love baseball and math。 In the beginning of the book they start off as enemies until they realize how much they have in common。 This book has it all: a little Shakespeare， a little magic， friendship， baseball and math puzzles！I think this book is more Such a clever book！ This book just came out in June 2021。 I wish I was teaching math right now because this would be a great book to incorporate into the curriculum。 The story switches characters every other chapter between Trish and Ben。 They both love baseball and math。 In the beginning of the book they start off as enemies until they realize how much they have in common。 This book has it all: a little Shakespeare， a little magic， friendship， baseball and math puzzles！I think this book is more suited for grades 6-8 （maybe 5th） and for small group or whole class instruction unless the reader really loves math。 Also， I think it would be fun for this book to be used as a family activity where everyone works together to solve the puzzles！There is a companion novel that preceded this book called Midsummer's Mayhem （2019） about a character named Mimi that has something to prove to her family。 。。。more

Stacey DeCotis （Reading in the Middle Grades） ，

What an absolute fun #summerread！！ Filled with baseball， math， and magic， this newest release by @rajanilarocca should be on everyone’s #tbrlist Ben was Trish’s nemesis at the beginning of the summer baseball season。 When mysterious things start to happen， they become friends fighting for the championship。 Add Abhi to trio plus Fib the dog， and all their stories come together。 ⛲️“Baseball is magic。 Math is magic too。” ⚾️✨🧮✨Thank you @littlebeebooks for sharing a copy with #bookexcursion

Laurie ，

So charming and delightful！ I loved this story of math， magic， baseball， and friendship。

Kate ，

I like this， but not sure if students will understand or have interest in Shakespeare。

Đức Nhật ，

4 stars。 A nice read for summer。You have math， sports， magic and food。 The author combined all the elements very well and created an addictive story。 While I would argue that baseball is the lamest sport ever， the way it was described is amazing。 Also that kid Abhi with the constant Shakespeare references LOL。

Joshua Levy ，

What a fantastic book！ （Both as a companion to MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM and on its own！） It's impossible not to root for Trish as she navigates her new home， new town， and new friends。 Bursting with ever-important middle grade themes of community， self-confidence， and acceptance--but remixed with baseball， math， magic， and （of course） food and Shakespeare--MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL is a *ton* of fun。 Also full of heart， this book will enchant every reader。 I loved it 3。14 times infinity！ What a fantastic book！ （Both as a companion to MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM and on its own！） It's impossible not to root for Trish as she navigates her new home， new town， and new friends。 Bursting with ever-important middle grade themes of community， self-confidence， and acceptance--but remixed with baseball， math， magic， and （of course） food and Shakespeare--MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL is a *ton* of fun。 Also full of heart， this book will enchant every reader。 I loved it 3。14 times infinity！ 。。。more

Ray Lee ，

Much Ado About Baseball is a story about friendship and teamwork。 The protagonists need to learn to work together， which is the true magic of this story！ Readers who love baseball and math will connect to the main characters immediately！ There is also a great literature connection to Shakespeare's work！ Middle grade readers will soak about this story！ Much Ado About Baseball is a story about friendship and teamwork。 The protagonists need to learn to work together， which is the true magic of this story！ Readers who love baseball and math will connect to the main characters immediately！ There is also a great literature connection to Shakespeare's work！ Middle grade readers will soak about this story！ 。。。more

Christine ，

Many thanks to author @rajanilarocca for providing #collabookation with an ARC of this charming MG novel。 I very much enjoyed the alternating perspectives of Trish and Ben， the two math whiz， baseball-loving main characters。 Although it seems like they should be the greatest of friends， that's certainly not how they begin。 Their growth seems to be helped by a great cast of supporting characters， including older siblings， teammates， parents， and two teenagers who seem to really want them to succe Many thanks to author @rajanilarocca for providing #collabookation with an ARC of this charming MG novel。 I very much enjoyed the alternating perspectives of Trish and Ben， the two math whiz， baseball-loving main characters。 Although it seems like they should be the greatest of friends， that's certainly not how they begin。 Their growth seems to be helped by a great cast of supporting characters， including older siblings， teammates， parents， and two teenagers who seem to really want them to succeed。A fun weaving together of Shakespeare and modern middle school story-telling。Out now。 。。。more

Linh Le ，

I enjoyed the whimsical and the math aspect of this book。 I don’t really understand baseball so I kinda just scan through the passages。 Overall， I think the book did a good job weaving a lot of messages in the book for middle graders。 I would love for another book in this series。

Jessica ，

Much Ado About Baseball is the companion novel to Midsummer's Mayhem that we all wanted and needed！ Whether you've read LaRocca's debut or not （and you should！）， you're going to adore this magical， mathical， baseball-infused take on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing。 Readers who enjoy sports or math will love seeing themselves in these pages。 But even readers *not* into those things （*waves dramatically* haha） will have a blast with the story and characters。 Plus， there are magical snacks and Much Ado About Baseball is the companion novel to Midsummer's Mayhem that we all wanted and needed！ Whether you've read LaRocca's debut or not （and you should！）， you're going to adore this magical， mathical， baseball-infused take on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing。 Readers who enjoy sports or math will love seeing themselves in these pages。 But even readers *not* into those things （*waves dramatically* haha） will have a blast with the story and characters。 Plus， there are magical snacks and recipes at the back， which makes everything sweeter！ （Or saltier 。。。？） 。。。more

Kirstie ，

4。5/5 Baseball， food， math， and magic！ What a charming combination！ I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Midsummer’s Mayhem， but it’s definitely a cute book that I’d recommend for any middle grade lover！ 😍

Read in the ，

Set in the fictional town of Comity， Much Ado About Baseball is a companion novel to Rajani's 2019 book Midsummer's Mayhem。 It's not clear right away how the two stories fit together， but you have to trust that - in the end - they do。Trish is the current reigning Math Puzzler Champion， so when her family moves to Comity she is surprised to see her rival， Ben， at her new team's baseball practice。 She is determined to stay away from him， hate him even， but eventually - at the plotting of a common Set in the fictional town of Comity， Much Ado About Baseball is a companion novel to Rajani's 2019 book Midsummer's Mayhem。 It's not clear right away how the two stories fit together， but you have to trust that - in the end - they do。Trish is the current reigning Math Puzzler Champion， so when her family moves to Comity she is surprised to see her rival， Ben， at her new team's baseball practice。 She is determined to stay away from him， hate him even， but eventually - at the plotting of a common friend - the two begin to form a tentative friendship。 When 2 secret math puzzle books mysteriously arrive， they bring good luck to the struggling baseball team。 Can Trish and Ben work together to solve problems and win the championship game？ This was such a fun read。 I loved the nod to MSM。 This book includes the same yummy food references and hints at magic in the air。 Highly recommend for kids in grades 3 and up。 Thanks to the author and Little Bee Books for an early copy to review。 。。。more

Laurie Hnatiuk ，

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books for a digital ARC of this title to read。Much Ado About Baseball is the companion book to Midsummer Mayhem， told from two perspectives， Trish and Ben。 Trish and her family have moved again so that her mother can head up a medical unit in a new town。 Trish has to figure out how to fit in being the only girl on a baseball time again。 Ben is on the same team after losing a bet and is not pleased to discover Trish is on the team Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books for a digital ARC of this title to read。Much Ado About Baseball is the companion book to Midsummer Mayhem， told from two perspectives， Trish and Ben。 Trish and her family have moved again so that her mother can head up a medical unit in a new town。 Trish has to figure out how to fit in being the only girl on a baseball time again。 Ben is on the same team after losing a bet and is not pleased to discover Trish is on the team。 Both Trish and Ben have a love and knack for Mathematics， and Ben is not happy to be on the same team where Trish beat him out at the annual Math Puzzlers Championships。 One would think that they would quickly become friends having so much in common， but that is not the case。 Ben's best friend Abhi can see the two have so much in common and slyly tries to intervene and provide opportunities for that friendship to develop。 The baseball team is not doing well， and Ben， in particular， seems to be struggling。 Trish wants to be friends with Ben and worries that a secret regarding the Puzzle Championship will be revealed and make matters worse。 When their team sponsor Salty Snacks starts providing pregame snacks， the team responds and magically starts to improve。 At the same time， Trish and Ben both receive a book that includes various puzzles， which they believe is practice for the Math team。 Both are puzzled that once solved words magically appear that provide advice specifically for them。 As more unusual events occur， Ben is convinced the books are magical and to win the championship， they must solve all the puzzles forcing the two of them to work together。 I enjoyed how Rajina LaRooco used baseball to retell this story and that Trish played on an all-boys team， gently nudging; well played！ I loved how she reminded readers how mathematics and baseball are intertwined and that anyone can do both。 Then there are the puzzles！ There are many drawing factors for readers to find appealing。 Whether it be the action of the baseball games， solving the puzzles， figuring out friendships or the magic that spins the story itself， all while providing a gentle introduction to a Shakespearean work。 Recommended: Gr 5+FIRST LINE: Baseball is magic。PICTURE BOOK PAIRINGS: Much Ado About Nothing for Kids， Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream and Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in NatureSIMILAR TITLES: The Magical Imperfect， Jayden's Rescue， and Get a Grip， Vivy Cohen！OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: Red， White， and Whole， Midsummer's Mayhem and Bracelets For Bina's BrothersSUBJECT HEADINGS/TAGS: Juvenile Fiction， Middle Grade， Retellings， Fantasy， Sports: Baseball， Mathematics 。。。more

Laura Roettiger ，

Spectacular weaving of friendship stories， baseball， math， Shakespeare， and a touch of magic。 There was so much to enjoy in the story and I enjoyed the math puzzles and how they were part of the story。 I don’t want to give anything away， but there’s something for everyone in this new middle grade novel told in back and forth chapters between the two main characters。

Amy ，

I can see a lot kids really loving this book。 It has baseball， math puzzles， yummy food， AND Shakespeare！ I can see it getting kids excited about math with all the fun math puzzles。 This book is the companion to Midsummer Mayhem， which I loved。 Both books have characters from A Midsummer Nights Dream show up and the rivalry between Titania and Oberon in these too books makes for a really fun story， especially for a Shakespeare lover like me。 This one also has some loose story elements from Much I can see a lot kids really loving this book。 It has baseball， math puzzles， yummy food， AND Shakespeare！ I can see it getting kids excited about math with all the fun math puzzles。 This book is the companion to Midsummer Mayhem， which I loved。 Both books have characters from A Midsummer Nights Dream show up and the rivalry between Titania and Oberon in these too books makes for a really fun story， especially for a Shakespeare lover like me。 This one also has some loose story elements from Much Ado About Nothing， but it's still completely its own story。 I loved how the friendships evolved in this story and how the characters faced family difficulties， too。 I also love that her books have recipes from the book in the back。 Note:I received a review copy for free from the publisher。 Opinions are my own。 。。。more

Jennifer Hottinger ，

5 Reasons You Need to Read This Book:1。Baseball with a young lady as a strong competitor2。Shakespeare3。Team Values4。Math as an intriguing puzzle5。Something for every reader throughout the story！

Katie Reilley ，

Thank you to the author and publisher for sharing an early copy with #bookexpedition。 A companion book to the author’s Midsummer’s Mayhem， this middle grade magical realism story did not disappoint。 Told in alternating voices from Trish and Ben， readers will enjoy their love for all things baseball and math。 Due to her mom’s busy new job， twelve year old Trish had to move to a new town。 At her first baseball practice， Trish realizes that the kid she beat in the spring Math Puzzlers Championships Thank you to the author and publisher for sharing an early copy with #bookexpedition。 A companion book to the author’s Midsummer’s Mayhem， this middle grade magical realism story did not disappoint。 Told in alternating voices from Trish and Ben， readers will enjoy their love for all things baseball and math。 Due to her mom’s busy new job， twelve year old Trish had to move to a new town。 At her first baseball practice， Trish realizes that the kid she beat in the spring Math Puzzlers Championships （Ben） is one of her teammates。 Though everyone assumes she and Ben will instantly bond over their passion of baseball and math， that’s not the case。 He can’t stand her， and to make matters worse， their baseball team stinks。 Then Trish and Ben meet Rob， an older kid whose mad baseball skills leave them envious。 When Rob tells them about his family’s store that sells unusual tasty snacks that will make them play ball as good as him， Trish is doubtful。 But she’s willing to do anything to help her team， so she gives the chips a try。 This is an excellent story centered in math puzzles， navigating new friendships， all things baseball， and understanding family dynamics。 I’m looking forward to seeing the illustrations in the final version。 Publishing June 15th！ 。。。more

Kathie ，

I’m not a big fan of realistic fiction stories touched with magic or fantasy elements， so I was not the right reader for this book。 I did like the theme of summer baseball， the positive math representation， and the unexpected twist， though。

Gillian ，

Love this book about friendship， baseball， and puzzles。 My son also loved it and could not put it down！ Highly recommended。

Stephanie P （Because My Mother Read） ，

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review。I was a huge fan of Midsummer's Mayhem and have been really excited about this companion novel。 While I didn't love it as much as Midsummer's Mayhem （mostly because I am personally more interested in baking than Math and baseball isn't my favorite sport） I still thought it was a wonderful story。 It is an excellent depiction of navigating friendship and family dynamics。 And even though I personally don't love Math， I really appreci I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review。I was a huge fan of Midsummer's Mayhem and have been really excited about this companion novel。 While I didn't love it as much as Midsummer's Mayhem （mostly because I am personally more interested in baking than Math and baseball isn't my favorite sport） I still thought it was a wonderful story。 It is an excellent depiction of navigating friendship and family dynamics。 And even though I personally don't love Math， I really appreciated the way the main characters did and their passion。 The puzzle solving aspect was really fun。 Sports lovers will appreciate the intensity of the ballgame scenes as it really brought me back to the feelings of being in the middle of a game。 The Shakespeare connections and seeing how this story overlapped with Midsummer's Mayhem was an enjoyable aspect as well。Now I am really craving some salty chips and need to make the recipe in the back of the book！ 。。。more

Andréa ，

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through an ALA virtual conference。

Ms。 Yingling ，

E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusTrish isn't thrilled to have to move to Comity， Massachusetts for her mother's job as a heart surgeon， and is concerned that she won't be welcome on a baseball team in her new town。 Ben is also on the team， but hasn't played much since the death of his beloved grandmother。 The two are rivals in a regional Math Puzzler competition， so get off to a rocky start， as told in chapters from each。 Ben's friend Abhi （who is obsessed with quoting Shakespeare）， however， know E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusTrish isn't thrilled to have to move to Comity， Massachusetts for her mother's job as a heart surgeon， and is concerned that she won't be welcome on a baseball team in her new town。 Ben is also on the team， but hasn't played much since the death of his beloved grandmother。 The two are rivals in a regional Math Puzzler competition， so get off to a rocky start， as told in chapters from each。 Ben's friend Abhi （who is obsessed with quoting Shakespeare）， however， knows that the two's shared love of baseball， math， and puzzles will bring them together， and resorts to a bit of subterfuge to encourage this。 The baseball team isn't doing well， but when their sponsor， a snack shop called the Salt Shaker， starts to provide snacks， things start to look up。 The two also each receive a book called Mathematics of the Wild that seems to have some magical properties。 When strange things start to happen， workers at the shop， Rob and Trish， offer some surprising insight into secrets of the town。 Will this be enough to help the team， cement the friendship， and help when an accident occurs？Strengths: It's good to see students who are really into an academic subject， and readers who like math puzzles will have fun solving the ones in the book。 The dog， Fib， has an interesting background to his name！ Stories about moving are always interesting to middle grade readers， and it's fun that Trish and Ben had met each other。 They definitely share common interests， so it's great to see them become friends。 I especially liked Trish's reaction to her mother being called off to work frequently， especially when her mother is instrumental in helping when the accident occurs （don't want to spoil things）， and this sheds a new light on her mother's dedication to helping others。 The magical snacks are fun， and there is plenty of baseball action for sports fans as well。 Weaknesses: Shakespeare is definitely not in my district's curriculum until high school， so the connection will probably go over my students' heads。 It's not essential to have that background knowledge， but it does make the story more amusing。 What I really think: This is an unusual blend of baseball， magic， Shakespeare， and math puzzles that will appeal to fans of the companion volume， Midsummer's Magic， as well as readers who like any of those elements or who want a story about forming friendships。 。。。more

Sarah ，

EARC provided by Edelweiss PlusI loved Midsummer's Mayhem， so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this as well。 I loved the magic， the friendships， and the math puzzles。 EARC provided by Edelweiss PlusI loved Midsummer's Mayhem， so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this as well。 I loved the magic， the friendships， and the math puzzles。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Much Ado About Baseball

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Much Ado About Baseball&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Much Ado About Baseball&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0