The teen reporters who uncovered scandal at college basketball's Final Four in Last Shot wangle new assignments to cover the U.S. Open tennis championships. Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson find themselves pulled into investigating the disappearance of Nadia Symanova, a Russian with a powerful forehand and supermodel looks. Despite the onslaught of media that converges on Queens, it takes the two 13-year-olds to untangle the mystery, and uncover the corruption fueling it. Sportswriter and adult novelist Feinstein (A Season on the Brink) delivers a name-dropping, insider account of professional tennis politics-TV announcer Bud Collins is a character-and does not pull his punches. "Agents are responsible for most of the ills of tennis, and the ills of tennis are endless," his Collins says-and those ills apparently include tennis prodigies who forfeit their education to pursue million-dollar shoe contracts, and players who shriek when striking the ball. Sports agents come under the harshest scrutiny. There may be a lot of commentary here, but the tension continually escalates, and ends with a hint of romance between the protagonists that suggests at least one more adventure for Susan Carol and Stevie. Ages 10-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 6-9-In Last Shot (Knopf, 2005), 13-year-old amateur sportswriters Susan Carol Anderson and Stevie Thomas uncovered a plot to throw a championship game in the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. Now they meet once again, this time in New York City to help cover the U.S. Open Tennis tournaments. Susan Carol's uncle, a new agent for an up-and-coming female tennis player, lives in Manhattan and offers them a place to stay. When the Russian tennis sweetheart Nadia Symanova is kidnapped right before her first match, Stevie begins to suspect that Susan Carol's uncle is involved. The mystery maintains a genuine level of suspense throughout the story. Many superfluous figures are introduced, and it can be difficult to keep them straight, especially when they are referred to by first name in one chapter and last name in another. Although the main characters are predictable, the use of kid-friendly terminology, contemporary personalities in the tennis world, and factual information about the game may appeal to savvy tennis fans.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In Feinstein's Last Shot (2005), 13-year-old reporters Susan Carol Anderson and Stevie Thomas uncover a scandal at basketball's Final Four event. In this follow-up, set at the U.S. Open, the teens once again unravel a scandal, all the while learning the ropes of sports reporting. Accompanied by adult mentors, many of whom first appeared in Last Shot, the friends arrive at the Open and prepare to file stories for their newspapers. Then a young Russian tennis star is kidnapped, and as the teens track down clues, they discover that Susan's beloved uncle may be involved. Although too many logistical details slow the pace, sports fans will be fascinated by the insider's view of the tournament, and even teens ambivalent about sports will connect with the memorable, high-achieving kids and the messages about maintaining integrity versus selling out--in sports and in life. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.