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Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series (by John Feinstein)

common sense media says

Mystery and ethics in sports journalism.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is some discussion of drinking, drunkenness, and rehab, and the story revolves around a possible drunk driving accident in which a mother is killed. There's also a bit of mild swearing.

Educational value: Contains information about sports and journalism.
Positive messages: The story revolves around a question of journalistic ethics, thus encouraging readers to think about ethical issues.
Positive role models: Stevie and Susan Carol are models of young gifted teens pursuing their
passion for writing in an adult world, meeting deadlines, and being
serious and dependable.
Violence: A woman was killed in a car accident in the past, a girl slaps a boy, a man sets his dog after a boy, a brief fistfight.
Sex: Some kissing.
Language: A bit of mild swearing and one use of "asshole."
Consumerism: Soda, fast food, department store brands mentioned.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: One of the characters is a reformed alcoholic, and the mystery revolves around an accident that may have involved drunk driving. Adults drink and get drunk. A discussion of chewing tobacco.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about journalistic ethics. When, if ever, is it right to look into and expose someone's personal life? Do famous people have different rights than ordinary people? Should they? Do they have more or fewer rights?
  • Does Stevie make the right decision here? Why or why not?
  • Is fame worth the loss of privacy? Would you want to be famous? What do you think it would be like? What are the upsides and downsides?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Teen reporters Stevie and Susan Carol are covering the World Series when they meet the perfect story -- an aging minor-leaguer, widower, and single dad, called up to the majors just in time to pitch in the Series. But his story about how his wife died doesn't ring true, and since he is about to sign a deal for his life story, it seems worth investigating. With everyone involved telling lies, and whatever the truth is seeming destined to destroy a family, where does journalism end and privacy begin?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Unlike others in this series, this isn't really about sports. There's a bit of sports action (which will be a bit hard to follow for anyone who doesn't know baseball pretty well), but it's mostly window dressing for a non-sports mystery with a strong ethical component. The story raises a host of interesting questions, some with a clear authorial opinion, some more ambiguous. How can we know the truth when everyone is lying? Is it ever a good thing to cover up the truth? What are the rights of famous people, journalists, and the reading public? Is fame worth the price?

This series does for bright kids who love to write what the Tom Swift series did for bright kids who love science: provides a delightful fantasy of brilliant and talented kids operating with nearly complete freedom in the adult world and beating adults at their own game. Add in mystery, sports action, and in this case an ethical dilemma, and you get a winning formula that's fun and provokes both thought and daydreams.

From the Book:
He turned and saw a player standing at the locker. He had a bottle of champagne in his hands but clearly wasn't involved in the celebration. After seven games Stevie thought he knew all the Nationals players. But he was drawing a blank on both the face and the number, which was 56.

Apparently, the player noticed the blank look on Stevie's face, because he  stuck his hand out and said, "Norbert Doyle. You've never heard of me because I've never done anything."

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: John Feinstein
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: August 11, 2009
Number of pages: 308
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 10
This review was written by Matt Berman
 
 

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