Mamba Point
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 of the deadliest snakes in Africa. Linus’s parents insist mambas are rare, but the neighborhood is called Mamba Point, and Linus is sure the venomous serpents are drawn to him — he can barely go outside without tripping over one. Then he hears about kasengs and the belief that some people have a deep, mysterious connection to certain animals. Unless Linus wants to hide in his apartment forever (drawing or playing games with the strange kid downstairs while his older brother meets girls and hangs out at the pool), he has to get over his fear of his kaseng animal. Soon he’s not only keeping a black mamba in his laundry hamper; he’s also feeling braver than ever before. Is it his resolution to become the new Linus, or does his sudden confidence have something to do with his scaly new friend? From Kurtis Scaletta comes a humorous and compelling story of a boy learning about himself through unexpected friends, a fascinating place, and an extraordinary animal. Mamba Point will be be published by Knopf on July 13, 2010.
- ★ Scaletta’s expertly voiced narrative offers an experience of Africa… in a tale tinted with magical realism that is by turns scary and very funny. — Kirkus Reviews
- Scaletta has created an appealing, well-written protagonist whose everyday and extraordinary experiences change his life in unexpected, positive ways. With lively, sometimes droll touches and a well-constructed 1980s setting, the engaging, first-person narrative and array of diversely drawn characters further enliven the novel. — Booklist
- The kaseng plotline is fully engrossing… the cast of secondary characters is generously developed… and the setting is vividly drawn. — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
- Funny, adventuresome and at times serious, the story is about a boy trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs. — The Washington Post
- The reader can never relax, sensing the danger that Linus chooses not to see. — The Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- The excellent characterization and the unusual setting will appeal to many readers. — School Library Journal
- The hurdles and difficulties faced by the protagonist allow him to discover who he really is. — VOYA Magazine
- The terrifying yet beautiful African wilderness contrasts with the sometimes horrifying, sometimes exhilarating coming of age experience in this novel that manages to be both funny and mesmerizing. — Teenspace, CincinnatiLibrary.org
- A funny and refreshing story that anyone will enjoy. — KidsReads.com
- Scaletta does such a great job of capturing the tortured and tortuous mind of a 12 year old boy, all mixed with a snapshot of Liberia in the 1980s and the mysticism of West African society. Mamba Point is funny and poignant and triumphant, all at the same time. — Helene Cooper, author of The House at Sugar Beach
- Fangtastic middle-grade fiction (and a story of epic scales)! — Michael Northrop, author of Gentlemen.
Mudville
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 biggest baseball game against rival town Sinister Bend, black clouds crept across the sky and it started to rain. That was 22 years ago . . . and it’s still pouring. Baseball camp is over, and Roy knows he’s in for a dreary, soggy summer. But when he returns home, he finds a foster kid named Sturgis sprawled out on his couch. As if this isn’t weird enough, just a few days after Sturgis’s arrival, the sun comes out. No one can explain why the rain has finally stopped, but as far as Roy’s concerned, it’s time to play some baseball. It’s time to get a Moundville team together and finish what was started 22 years ago. It’s time for a rematch.
- Named one of the Top 10 Sports Books for Youth in 2009 by Booklist.
- A Midwest Connections Pick by the Midwest Booksellers Association, Literary Pick of the Week by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and School Library Journal pick of the day.
- This humorous and tender ode to baseball is as full of hope and suspense as Casey’s famous turn at bat. -The Horn Book
- Mudville will hit a home run with baseball fans of all ages. – Sports Illustrated Kids
- Scaletta’s debut is a gift from the baseball gods. – Booklist
- Readers will cheer Roy on as he struggles to get his team in shape, clicks with a girl who is new to the game but turns out to have an unhittable natural screwball, and weathers some rough waters with moody Sturgis on the way to a rousing climax. – School Library Journal
- Scaletta has written a very readable story with many twists and turns. – Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Enjoy this funny book about wet fields, boys, baseball and dads who love the game. – Winston-Salem Journal
- Scaletta offers a nifty combination of baseball action, tall tale, interesting characters and even a little romance in this hugely entertaining first novel for young readers. – The Buffalo News
- [Scaletta] weaves the sports and the family and the mystery together with the same careful stitches that close the leather on a baseball, with the same end result: a lot of game in one small package. – Kidliterate.com
The Tanglewood Terror
When the little town of Tanglewood, Maine, is beset by a giant glowing fungus, thirteen-year-old Eric Parrish figures it’s just one more thing going wrong in his life — like his parents splitting up, or having a falling-out with his football team over a pig, or his little brother being a little pill. A teen runaway named Mandy tells him the fungus could portend the town’s doom and leave it in rubble, just like a colonial village that was mysteriously destroyed over two hundred years ago. With Eric’s little brother tagging along, they set out to solve a very old puzzle and save the town.
