Middle-Grade & YA Novels

The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery

WRITTEN BY R. M. CLARK

Twelve-year-old April O'Day's summer has gotten off to a flying start. As the daughter of a former minor-leaguer, she really knows baseball. And when she wins the opportunity to be a bat retriever with her hometown's minor league team, she proves it, transforming her seven-day dream job into a summer-long adventure of runs, hits, errors . . . and a mystery to solve!

SILVER WINNER: GLOBAL EBOOK AWARDS

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  • ​• Pages: 134
    • Age Range: 8 - 12 years
    • Pub Date: 9/9/2014​
    • Size: 5.25 x 8 inches​
    • ISBN: Paperback: 978-0-991364626

  • Family, friendships, fantasy, teamwork, baseball, Negro Leagues, righting past wrongs, prejudice, history

Fans of Dan Gutman's Baseball Card Adventures and Julianna Baggott's The Prince of Fenway Park are going to root for April and Darren as they dig into the secret at Haney Field. Mystery and history go together like peanuts and Cracker Jack in this engaging baseball story!

Twelve-year-old April O'Day's summer has gotten off to a flying start. As the daughter of a former minor-leaguer, she really knows baseball. And when she wins the opportunity to be a bat retriever with her hometown's minor league team, she proves it, transforming her seven-day dream job into a summer-long adventure of runs, hits, errors . . . and a mystery to solve!

Baseball-playing shadows are on the field, which only she, her friend Darren, and the team's owner, Mr. Haney, can see. And when April finds one of their shadow balls in the stands, the three are able to witness a 1940s Negro Leagues game. Who are these players—especially the one they call Flash, a lightning-fast base runner? And why are they at Haney Field?

Can Marcus "Mayhem" Mayfield, a veteran of the Negro Leagues and the majors, help them solve this mystery? And as facts come into focus, will Mr. Haney try to keep an event from the 1960s hidden under the grandstands? Find out in this winning novel!


"Cover Your Bases With These 10 Baseball Books for Middle Grade Readers": Barnes and Noble BNKids Blog

 Reviews

"Middle school readers ages 8-12 (especially those with an affection for both baseball and mysteries) will find The Secret at Haney Field an engrossing, involving read. Nothing is predictable, everything is tinged with baseball lore, and middle school readers will be more than drawn in by the combination of alluring storyline and protagonists who are realistic and compelling."

—MIDWEST BOOK REIVEW, D. DONOVAN, EDITOR


"The mystery weaves American history around a baseball themed story to create an intriguing page-turning case."

—GET KIDS TO READ, PAT TIERNEY


"As deeply moving as Field of Dreams, . . ."

—READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS, BIL HOWARD

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