Kurtis Scaletta: 12 books

When his dad gets a job at the U.S. embassy in Liberia, twelve-year-old Linus Tuttle knows it's his chance for a fresh start. Instead of being his typical anxious self, from now on he'll be cooler and bolder: the new Linus.   But as soon as his family gets off the plane, they see a black mamba--one...

Welcome to Moundville, where it’s been raining for longer than Roy McGuire has been alive. Most people say the town is cursed—right in the middle of their big baseball game against rival town Sinister Bend, black clouds crept across the sky and it started to rain. That was 22 years ago . . . and...

Rafael has dreams. Every chance he gets he plays in the street games trying to build his skills, get noticed by scouts, and—someday—play Major League Baseball. Maya has worries. The bees are dying all over the world, and the company her father works for is responsible, making products that harm...

When 13-year-old Eric Parrish comes across glowing mushrooms in the woods behind his house, he's sure there's a scientific explanation. But when they start encroaching on the town—covering the football field and popping up from beneath the floorboards—Eric knows something's seriously wrong. Not...

Umpire Solomon Johnson is squeezing the strike zone and throws out both the Pine City Porcupines starting pitcher and manager “Grumps” Humphrey for arguing the call. Chad tries to make peace by giving Solomon a rarely issued “umpire card”—but the ump blows his top. He thinks Chad is making fun of his weight. It’s going to be a long nine innings!

Diego Prado has spent most of his time on the Pines’ bench. But when Danny O’Brien goes on the disabled list, Diego gets a chance to play—and he’s on a winning streak! Danny wants one of Chad’s “magic” baseball cards to get back in the game. Diego wants to keep playing. What’s a batboy to do?

The Pine City Porcupines’ batboy, Chad, breaks an important unofficial rule of baseball: Don’t talk to the starting pitcher when he’s got a perfect game going, where not a single opponent has reached base. Now, because Chad opened his mouth, the entire Pines dugout is upset, the team may lose...

It’s Chad’s first spring as a batboy, and the Pine City Porcupines are hot—until they come up against the league-leading Heron Lake Humdingers. Now Chad’s got a whole lineup of problems: his favorite player, shortstop Mike Stammer, thinks he’s jinxed; Dylan, the other batboy, doesn’t even...

These fun, illustrated early chapter books feature the adventures—and misadventures—of the Pine City Porcupines, a hapless baseball farm team, and their two batboys: Chad, an avid baseball fan with a huge baseball card collection, and Dylan, who doesn’t know a thing about the sport. The fictional...

Chad’s got the summertime blues: his parents want him to be home by midnight (no extra innings) and eat healthier (no corn dogs). His friend, Abby, has bobblehead issues. And then there’s pinch hitter Sammy Solaris. But Sammy has problems of his own. He has a big swing but is too slow. If he can’t...

Seven feet of snow, four science-fair nerds, one creepy junkyard. Get ready for the ultimate robot battle. Jim is tired of being the sidekick to his scientific genius, robot-obsessed, best friend Oliver. So this winter, when it comes time to choose partners for the science fair, Jim dumps Oliver...

Meet history's game changers! This biography series is for kids who loved Who Was? and are ready for the next level. When Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, everything changed. He was the first black man to play in a major-league baseball game...