CROSSED UP

I'm always on the lookout for interesting middle grade level books for my twins who are in fourth grade to read. They've recently become interested in the sport of basketball playing in a local Salvation Army rec league and we've gone to see Detroit Pistons and Harlem Globetrotters games during the last few months.  So I thought the kids would enjoy M L Rosynek's middle grade book CROSSED UP which involves a youth basketball team solving a pirate mystery.

MIDDLE GRADE READING

Books categorized as middle grade are written to be read by boys and girls between the ages of eight and twelve who are in third through sixth grade.  To be age appropriate authors in this literary category limit sexual content, swearing, gore and violence. On the other hand, middle grade books tend to provide a healthy dose of adventure and silly humor to make them especially entertaining for juvenile audiences.

Middle grade books tend to have main characters that are around the same age as their targeted readers.  The books also utilize sentence structures and vocabulary that are suitable for independent reading by elementary and junior high school aged children.  These style of books are great for improving both confidence and enjoyment when it comes to getting kids to want to read.

SAY AHOY TO ADVENTURE

A Texas high school basketball team has their quest to bring home a championship trophy interrupted when they discover the hotel they are staying at is haunted. Solving the 200-year old haunting of the Galvez Hotel isn't going to be an easy lay up for the team, but the boys are up to the challenge of both winning the big basketball game and freeing the trapped spirits of the pirate ghosts they've discovered. Inspired by The Goonies, Stranger Things and her own sons' basketball team road trips, M L Rosynek has readers embark on a pirate adventure that combines sports with a spooky mystery.

As the boys learn about the tyrant pirate Jean Laffite and his crew who are haunting the hotel their trip becomes much more than just playing in a basketball game.  They are going to try to set free the trapped souls of these pirates without the boys becoming ghosts themselves. Can the boys free these lost souls and win their basketball championship?

Pick up a hardcover, paperback or digital edition of the book to find out.  With a surprise appearance by NBA great Shaquille O'Neal and a conclusion that is sure to leave pre-teen readers "hooked" on the ending, this book provides an intriguing adventure by combing athletic themes with a mystery. CROSSED UP also communicates an important message …  no treasure is more valuable than the memories created with friends and family. You can find it at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.