The Gold Medal Mess (MVP #1)

Kelly branches out from his Ballpark Mysteries books with this opening title in the MVP series, in which a multiethnic group of elementary school students try to figure out who is threatening their school's Olympics-style sports competition. After best friends Max and Alice discover a note reading "Your Olympics are a joke. Cancel them or the joke will be on you!" they enlist the help of their friend Nico, as well as twins Luke and Kat, to find the culprit, using methods both traditional (comparing fingerprints) and contemporary (evidence in a smartphone photo). Lively dialogue, athletic action, and smart thinking among the kids should keep interest levels high, and Brundage's black-and-white cartoons mix playfulness and suspense as they depict various acts of sabotage, such as an oil-soaked relay race course. Simultaneously available: The Soccer Surprise. Ages 6-9. Author's agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (May)

Gr 2-5—The first entry in this new series brings together a group of five energetic elementary students who are excited about the upcoming Olympic-style games. While Max, Nico, Luke, Alice, and Kat practice for their events, they stumble onto a mystery: someone is threatening the games. Although the principal tells them not to worry, they discover that there have been multiple threats insisting that the games be cancelled. Uncovering one clue at a time, they work together to solve the mystery. Short chapters filled with action keep readers interested and engaged. Illustrations throughout bring characters and events to life. An "MVP Stats" section at the end provides basic information about the Olympics.