The Football Fiasco (The Zach & Zoe Mysteries #3)

by Mike Lupica (Author)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
The third installment of the Zach and Zoe Mysteries--a sports-themed chapter book mystery series by New York Times bestselling author Mike Lupica.

There's nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide . . . well, it doesn't get any better than that.

In their third mystery, Zach and Zoe discover their recess football has been completely deflated, leaving them without a ball to play with. But who's behind it? By searching for clues around the school, Zach and Zoe uncover the truth behind the damaged ball, and learn the importance of friendship, inclusion, and being conscious of other people's feelings. Ending with a big Walker Family Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl game, The Football Fiasco is the perfect fall chapter book!

In the opening installments of the Zach and Zoe Mysteries, bestselling author Mike Lupica begins a series for a new and younger audience, introducing readers to a sports-loving detective duo who can swing for the fences and catch the culprit in one fell swoop. With a recipe equal parts sports and mystery, the Zach and Zoe Mysteries break fresh ground for an author who has been called the greatest sportswriter for kids.
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School Library Journal

Zach and Zoe are likable and kind to each other, and their parents are supportive. Lupica knows how to write sports action with a heart . . . Give these to young readers who are looking for easy sports fiction or who are new to the mystery genre.

Review quotes

Praise for The Zach & Zoe Mysteries

"Lupica kicks off a new series starring a pair of 8-year-old twins who solve sports-themed mysteries . . . Along with plenty of suspenseful sports action, the author highlights in both tales the values of fair play, teamwork, and doing the "right thing." . . . the supporting cast shows some racial and ethnic diversity. Wholesome, uncomplicated fare for the younger Matt Christopher crowd."—Kirkus Reviews

"Mike Lupica is bringing his sports knowledge and excellent writing ability to the chapter book world...[Zach and Zoe] have exciting playoff games, supportive parents, and act true to their ages . . . there is no evil involved in the mysteries, and the community is supportive. It is evident early on who or what is behind the mysteries, but this should be a positive for youngsters who are just getting started with guessing the outcomes of chapter books."—School Library Connection

Mike Lupica
Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sportswriters in America and is the recipient of the prestigious Damon Runyon Award for excellence in journalism. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider's knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular "Shooting from the Lip" column, which appears every Sunday.

He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN's The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2.

In 1987, Lupica launched "The Sporting Life" column in Esquire magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including Sport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men's Journal and Parade. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation.

Mike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on Wait 'Till Next Year, and wrote The Summer of '98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back and Shooting From the Lip, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including Dead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far and national bestsellers Wild Pitch and Bump and Run. Dead Air was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, "Money, Power, Murder" to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on Imus in the Morning since the early 1980s.

His previous young adult novels, Travel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, and the summer hit for 2007, Summer Ball, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a "serial Little League coach," a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780425289433
Lexile Measure
770
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication date
August 21, 2018
Series
The Zach & Zoe Mysteries
BISAC categories
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV032030 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Football
Library of Congress categories
Brothers and sisters
Schools
Twins
JUVENILE FICTION / Mysteries & Detective Stor
Football stories
Football
JUVENILE FICTION / School & Education
JUVENILE FICTION / Sports & Recreation / Foot

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