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That’s right, Ballpark Mysteries #21: Willie’s Clutch Catch is a Willie Mays mystery that takes place at America’s oldest professional ballpark, Rickwood Field, in Birmingham, Alabama!

Willie first played professional baseball at Rickwood Field, so it was a great setting for a Willie Mays Ballpark Mysteries book. In a follow on adventure to Ballpark Mysteries #20: Satchel’s Stolen Strike, Kate and Mike are excited to visit America’s oldest professional ballpark, the former home of baseball legend Willie Mays. But things take a wrong turn when their new friend Buck, who looks just like the famous slugger, is accused of plotting to sabotage the big game. With Buck banned from the ballpark and strange, stinky mishaps putting the game in jeopardy, it’s up to Kate, Mike, and their friend Andy to uncover the real culprit and save the day—while clearing Buck’s name!

Read a sample chapter of Ballpark Mysteries #21: Willie’s Clutch Catch!

Do you like being first? Be among the first to get a glimpse of America’s oldest ballpark, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with me.

Major League Baseball is having a big game there this Thursday, June 20th, as a tribute to the Negro Leagues (the Birmingham Black Barons, with Willie Mays, played there for many years.)

It’ll be a big baseball event, and you can get a behind-the-scenes tour first with me, on Tuesday, June 18th.

That’s right, join me on Facebook Live @davidakellybooks on Tuesday, June 18th, at 7pm Eastern for a quick reading from Satchel’s Stolen Strike and go on a behind-the-scenes Rickwood Field research tour that I took to write the book!

You’ll learn about the “secret” outfield wall and just how many future Hall of Famers have spit on Rickwood’s hallowed infield dirt!

By the time MLB’s big game comes around on Thursday, June 20th, you’ll be a Rickwood Field pro!

PS – If you haven’t purchased Satchel’s Stolen Strike yet, please consider buying a copy on Amazon today. If you have, please give it a five-star rating on Amazon-review Satchel’s Stolen Strike.

Satchel’s Stolen Strike is now available for purchase on Amazon! Satchel’s Stolen Strike is different from my other Ballpark Mysteries books. Instead of taking place at a Major League stadium, it takes place in a minor-league ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama!

A Ballpark Mysteries Book Set in Birmingham?
Yes! Satchel’s Stolen Strike is a unique Ballpark Mysteries book since it doesn’t take place at a Major League stadium. Instead, it occurs during a Major League event at minor-league ballpark. This June, Major League Baseball is hosting MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues with a special baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.

My new book, Satchel’s Stolen Strike, takes place at this upcoming event, with Mike and Kate heading to Birmingham for the Negro Leagues MLB event. The event and a big MLB game take place at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark. After an important Satchel Paige baseball gets stolen, the MLB celebration may be cut short unless Kate and Mike can find the thief and locate the priceless baseball.

Satchel’s Stolen Strike also includes additional information about the Negro Leagues and famous Negro Leagues players like Willie Mays and Satchel Paige, as well as Rickwood Field.

Keep reading! More Ballpark Mysteries are on the way….

Holidays and birthdays are great times to connect young readers with new books or their favorite authors. That’s why author David A. Kelly is now offering a range of special holiday gifts for readers.

• Signed books. Purchase personalized and signed books by David A. Kelly.
  
• New audio books. Great for holiday car rides! Purchase the new audio books for The Two-Minute Warning, The Black Cat Change-Up, and Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse (a non-fiction chapter book). And for football fans, The Football Fumble is now available!
  
• Personal video “shout out.” David A. Kelly will record a short video “shout out” to fans or readers for a holiday gift, birthday gift, or any other occasion. $25
  
• Personal virtual visit/writing workshop. Meet virtually (via Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) one-on-one with Ballpark Mysteries author David A. Kelly. Visits are up to 30 minutes long. David A. Kelly can discuss how he writes the Ballpark Mysteries books, answer questions, or talk about writing and publishing. He’s also happy to provide guidance, feedback, or mystery writing tips for young writers. $50
  
  • Add a video shout out. Personal virtual visit above with personal shout out included. $75 in total
    
  • Add a video shout out, signed book, and downloadable poster. Personal virtual visit above with personal shout out included, along with your choice of personally-signed Ballpark Mysteries book and a downloadable Mike and Kate Ballpark Mysteries poster. $100 in total
    
• Gift school visit. Purchase a prepaid virtual school author visit with David A. Kelly for your favorite teacher or school! Visit date and time can be coordinated afterwards at mutually convenient times and dates. $100 holiday rate
  
• Name a character. Ever wanted to be in a book? You can! Contact David A. Kelly for information on how you might become a character in one of his upcoming Ballpark Mysteries. Football Mysteries, or Mike and Kate Mysteries books! Priceless (but starts at $250, depending on the character)
  
• David A. Kelly Insiders Club. Want to go behind the scenes of the Ballpark Mysteries? Contact David A. Kelly for information on his upcoming Insiders Club. Includes a monthly short newsletter, quarterly virtual Q&A sessions where subscribers interact with David A. Kelly, and occasional work-in-progress chapters (that will probably change!). Subscribers also get pre-release copies of new books (at least one per year) before books are available to the general public.

Sometimes there’s more to the story than we realize at first. What if kids could learn about events like the Apollo Moon missions that happened long ago, but then find something new in them? That idea was the launching point for my latest book, Tee Time on the Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf.

Read more about turning history into discovery in my latest article for the Nerdy Book Club.

Now’s your chance to enter to win one of ten FREE copies of my brand-new picture book, TEE TIME ON THE MOON! Tee Time on the Moon tells the story-behind-the-story of Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard playing golf on the moon! Enter the TEE TIME ON THE MOON Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a free copy!

Dive right into Mike and Kate’s latest baseball mystery adventure with this free sample chapter from The Black Cat Change-Up! But watch out for the ghost!

Just click on the page below for your free Black Cat Change-Up sample chapter!

I’m pleased to announce the release of The Black Cat Change-Up, the latest Ballpark Mysteries book.

The Black Cat Change-Up is the 19th team book in the Ballpark Mysteries series and finds Mike and Kate trying to stop the ghost of a black cat from a famous 1969 game from haunting an important Mets/Cubs ball game! Will they solve the spooky situation before it brings down the Mets?

The Black Cat Change-Up is ideal for girls and boys in elementary school who love mystery, adventure, real-life situations, or sports. Like my other Ballpark Mysteries books, it includes some fun facts in the Dugout Notes section at the back of the book (did you know that the Mets stadium is the only one without yellow foul poles? Instead, the Mets have orange foul-poles!).

You can pick up The Black Cat Change-Up at local bookstores (ISBN 978-1959378006) or online at Amazon. Order your copy of The Black Cat Change-Up today.

The book is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, (and coming soon) audio book forms.

My Ballpark Mysteries books a great for elementary readers looking for mystery and adventure (or baseball!), but what do you do when you’ve finished them all? Don’t worry–here’s are five great chapter book series that are perfect for young readers who love mystery and adventure!

And if those books don’t keep your reader busy, I can also recommend this great list of graphic novels from Shepard.com.