Dugout: The Zombie Steals Home: A Graphic Novel - Hardcover

Scott Morse is the award-winning author of many graphic novels for children and adults, as well as the creator of The Magic Pickle Graphic Novel and the Magic Pickle chapter book series with Graphix. He's currently a Story Supervisor at Pixar and has also worked for Cartoon Network, Disney, and Nickelodeon. Scott lives with his loving family in Northern California.

Gr 4-7-Gina and Stacy, twin sisters being raised by their grandmother, can't get along. To make matters worse, they play on rival baseball teams. While Gina's team is on a winning streak, Stacy's team can't catch a break, let alone a fly ball. Her fellow Rooks are convinced the team is cursed; after all, everyone knows her grandmother is a witch. It's clear that Gina and Stacy care about each other, but they have trouble showing it. A fight between the two of them leads Gina to accidentally curse Stacy's baseball mitt, which culminates in the raising of an undead baseball player. Surprisingly, the zombie might just be the ticket to help the Rooks improve their game. Morse's artwork is highly dynamic. There's movement in nearly every frame, which can make it hard to distinguish the other players on Stacy's team. The other Rooks are all along for the ride and offer playground humor and problem-solving in equal measure. The story lags a bit in the middle, but sports fans will be so wrapped up in the baseball plot that they'll hardly notice. The zombie plot line is barely scary, making this an approachable read even for those who shy away from horror. VERDICT This madcap tale of strikeouts and sibling rivalry will do well in most young graphic novel collections.-Gretchen Hardin, Sterling Municipal Library, ­Baytown, TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.