Game 3

by Loren Long and Phil Bildner

Book Overview

Where there's smoke... The year is 1899 and the Travelin' Nine are barnstorming their way across the good ol' U. S. of A., trying to raise money to pay off the Payne family's big-league debt. Pulling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416918655
• ISBN13: 9781416918653
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

Another mysterious, fun and action-packed book!

Every pitcher who's ever hurled one over the plate has wished they were firing a missile--or better yet, a fireball. In Great Balls of Fire (Sluggers), the third book in the Sluggers series, the pitcher of the Travelin' Nine is doing just that, but why? There are many questions that need answers as The Travelin' Nine are still barnstorming their way across the good ol' U. S. of A. to help pay off a substantial debt incurred by Uncle Owen. This time, the team heads to Chicago with a 1-1 record. In Sluggers! 2, the team managed to spit out a win as the kids began to learn that the baseball their Uncle Owen had given to them on the night of their father's funeral was magical. Doc and Woody came through with timely fielding, Crazy Feet and Tales smacked clutch hits, and champion horses provided that extra kick, helping the barnstormers to their come-from-behind victory. In this installment,Griffith is convinced more than ever that Uncle Owen owes money to the Chancellor and has a run-in with one of his men on the train, who states that the Chancellor "wants what you have." Ruby also has an encounter with a mysterious stranger, and even though she doesn't know why, she knows that he will change the Travelin' Nine. And Graham launches a towering shot out of the park when he thinks no one is looking. Unfortunately, the wrong eyes may have seen what the youngest Payne can do with a baseball. As the Travelin' Nine take the field, the kids know it's time for all of them to place their hands on the magic ball. Their fears and worries continue to grow, wondering who's watching. But because of the baseball, this time, strange things begin to happen on the field that reference the Great Chicago Fire. Even a gigantic cow appears on the field--could they use it to their advantage? The mystery deepens at the end of the book when Griffith has an encounter with the Chancellor who confirms that he wants something and also has something Griffith wants. What could they possibly be? Bildner and Long have done it again with another mysterious, fun, and action-packed book! Out of the first three books of the series, this is my favorite because, as answers begin to unfold, the action reaches an escalated level. My heart was pounding as Griffith came face to face with the Chancellor and I'm dying to find out what the Chancellor has that Griffith wants. I thought the references to the Great Chicago Fire were phenomenal along with the old baseball lingo that continues to inform us in the margins.

Will enchant young readers who love America's favorite pastime.

In August 1899, Griffith, Ruby and Graham Payne and the Travelin' Nine leave behind their winning ways in Louisville, Kentucky, and take a train to Chicago, Illinois. The Travelin' Nine baseball team includes the children's mother, Elizabeth, and eight Spanish-American War veterans who fought side by side with the younsters' late father, Guy. The team is barnstorming across the United States, challenging local "ballists" to winner-take-all games in order to repay Guy's debt. On the train ride from Louisville, Elizabeth confides in Griffith and Ruby, the two older kids, details about the substantial debt owed by their father and Uncle Owen. If the Paynes can't repay $10,000, Elizabeth fears she could lose her children. Griffith believes he knows who is behind their troubles. Yet his mother refuses to listen to talk about the evil Chancellor and his men, who followed the family in Louisville. Griffith suspects she knows more than she's admitting and can't shake the feeling that they're still being watched. The movement of the train and his mother's talk upset Griffith. Unable to sleep, he takes a late-night stroll and bumps into one of the Chancellor's goons. The man grabs Griffith by the collar and tells him that the Chancellor wants what he has, adding that the Chancellor "always gets what he wants." In Chicago, while passing out flyers in Jackson Park, Ruby runs into a stranger who says his name is Preacher Wil. Instead of being afraid of the dark-skinned man with wire-rimmed glasses and two different colored eyes, she feels safe. He calls her "Angel" and promises their paths will cross again. At the ballpark, Graham does his best to be part of the team. Ruby tries to focus on the game but becomes distracted by events on the field and searching the crowd for Preacher Wil. Griffith also looks for him but with a feeling of dread because he fears he might see the Chancellor and his men. On game day, "Chicagoland rooters" cheer from the stands, bizarre creatures appear on the field, a beloved member of the Travelin' Nine falls ill and the Payne children's magical baseball heats up the action. Game 3 is a must-win for the Travelin' Nine, but at what cost? The short chapters, graceful illustrations, eye-appealing layout and fascinating historical tidbits about the game of baseball enhance this young-reader-friendly novel. The suspenseful third installment of the New York Times bestselling series has characters to root for and will enchant young readers who love America's favorite pastime. --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt