Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series

Written by John Feinstein

Narrated by John Feinstein

Playing in the World Series is every ballplayer’s dream, but no one is more surprised to actually be here than Norbert Doyle–a late call-up for an underdog team.
Doyle pitched in the minor leagues for years before making it to the bigs. He went to school in the off-season to earn his degree. He raised two kids on his own after the tragic death of his wife. And now he’s slated to start game two of the World Series. His feel-good story is a media gold mine. And teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson have scored the first in-depth interview with him.
At first they’re as charmed by Doyle as everyone else–it’s hard not to root for this guy. But the more Stevie and Susan Carol learn about him, the more conflicting stories they hear. And so Stevie becomes an investigative reporter by day while covering the World Series by night, trying to piece together the truth of one athlete’s life. But along the way he has to wonder–who will be hurt if the truth is known, and who will benefit, and what does it have to do with baseball? There are a million secrets in any locker room. Which ones need to be told

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 11, 2009
• ISBN: 9780739381007

John Feinstein

John Feinstein was a sports writer and bestselling author of more than forty books, including A Season on the Brink, A Good Walk Spoiled, The Ancient Eight, and Five Banners: Inside the Duke Dynasty. He was a longtime columnist for The Washington Post, Golf Digest, and was a frequent contributor to a variety of radio programs. 

Reviews for Change-Up

[tsmom1219 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The latest in the Susan Carol/Stevie mystery series. In this one, the two teenage journalists cover the World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox. During the playoffs, Stevie discovers Norbert Doyle, an career minor-leaguer who, against all odds, makes the team for the series and is tapped to start Game Two. Stevie may have lucked into the best story of the Series, but as he learns more about Doyle's past, he starts finding things that don't add up.

As much as I want to love these books, I only like them. Feinstein is a great sports writer, especially when writing non-fiction, but the name-dropping and over explanation of baseball strategy really pulled me out of the story. I also thought the mystery was kind of a let-down at the end and found the fawning that seasoned sportswriters and announcers did over meeting Stevie and Susan Carol to be unrealistic. It just didn't pull me in like some of the other books in the series.

Give this one a miss and pick up Heat by Mike Lupica or The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane instead for an excellent YA sports read. Or (if you're a grown-up like me) pick up Feinstein's The Last Amateurs, which is one of the best books on college basketball that I've ever read.

[christianr_899499 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Can you believe a story where two fourteen year olds not only get to cover the top sports stories for two major newspapers, but also get to do serious investigative work for the papers as well? Stevie and Susan Carol are covering the World Series for two major D.C. papers, and stumble upon a potential criminal coverup. This book is a mix of sports, teens given adult responsibilities because of their exceptional abilities, and even a little romance. Totally unrealistic, but fun.