Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Yearling (Random House Children's Books)
Pages
251
Description
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
Description
New York Timesbestselling sportswriter John Feinstein exposes the real “March Madness”—behind the scenes at the Final Four basketball tournament.
When Stevie wins a writing contest for aspiring sports journalists, his prize is a press pass to the Final Four in New Orleans. While exploring the Superdome, he overhears a plot to throw the championship game. With the help of fellow contest winner Susan Carol, Stevie has just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of the star players . . . and why.
John Feinstein has been praised as “the best writer of sports books in America today” (The Boston Globe), and he proves it again in this fast-paced novel.
“A page-turning thriller and a basketball junkie’s bonanza.” —USA Today
When Stevie wins a writing contest for aspiring sports journalists, his prize is a press pass to the Final Four in New Orleans. While exploring the Superdome, he overhears a plot to throw the championship game. With the help of fellow contest winner Susan Carol, Stevie has just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of the star players . . . and why.
John Feinstein has been praised as “the best writer of sports books in America today” (The Boston Globe), and he proves it again in this fast-paced novel.
“A page-turning thriller and a basketball junkie’s bonanza.” —USA Today
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
251 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0553494600 / 9780553494600
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member Catnelson
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
LibraryThing member aperrigo
Pretty awful teen mystery a la Nancy Drew--except a boy and girl solve a price-fixing scheme at the Final Four basketball tournament. Totally unbelievable!
LibraryThing member catz
This book made me feel like I was helping Stevie and Susan Carol help Chip Graber. I like this book because it's a sports story and a mystery.
LibraryThing member bkoopman
Realistic issues confront two students who are torn by their goals. Set in the context of an exciting final four basketball tournament, and this story fills a need for the sports-minded student. Gripping for a few students, others will be lost in the sports terms.
LibraryThing member mzonderm
While the situation is a bit unbelievable (two students stumble upon a blackmail scandal at the Final Four of NCAA basketball and are determined to save the star player) the characters themselves are well-drawn. The scenes with the big-name sports reporters are very funny, even if you don't
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recognize all the names. Anyone who enjoys NCAA basketball and a good mystery will like this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Eighth-graders Stevie and Susan Carol are both winners of a young adult writing contest for the USBWA, thus giving them press passes to college basketball’s big event – the Final Four. While wandering around the Superdome looking for a story, Stevie and Susan Carol overhear someone threatening
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one of the star players into fixing the final game. Before they know it, Stevie and Susan Carol are in over their heads trying to prevent the blackmail scheme from succeeding. The book was a bit slow in the beginning, explaining a great deal about college basketball before finally getting to the mystery around page 50. After that, the pace picked up and the plot was a lot more compelling. Overall, this is an interesting book, with the mystery unfolding naturally with a balanced amount of suspense. My biggest issue is how 13-year-old Susan Carol (who could pass for 17) is constantly using her good looks to pump information out of middle-aged men – a little bit creepy in my opinion, especially for a book aimed at older children and younger teens. Show Less
LibraryThing member MAINEiac4434
Last Shot is the story of how two young sportswriters stumble upon a plot to fix the Final Four. The first of a very good (albeit improbable) series.
This book is really good for young sports fans. Pretty good writing, good characters, decent plot.
This book is really good for young sports fans. Pretty good writing, good characters, decent plot.
LibraryThing member ctmsrywi
The Last Shot by John Feinstein is a great book. The main character Steve and his new friend Susan Carroll learn something no one in the world is supposed to know. The book is fast moving and doesn’t slow down.
Steve and Susan Carroll are eighth graders who won a sports article contest and travel
championship game. They confront Chip and help him through his problem, but it gets dangerous for them when people find out what they know.
From the beginning it jumps straight into the story. It gave a quick introduction then goes strait to what’s happening now. It has a nice transition and moves fast, I could hardly put it down.
The Last Shot is a great book. It keeps you guessing and you never want to put it down. I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it as much as me.
ryan
Steve and Susan Carroll are eighth graders who won a sports article contest and travel
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to New Orleans for the final four of March Madness. When they are down there they over hear a man tell MSU’s star player, Chip Graber that he has to throw the championship game. They confront Chip and help him through his problem, but it gets dangerous for them when people find out what they know.
From the beginning it jumps straight into the story. It gave a quick introduction then goes strait to what’s happening now. It has a nice transition and moves fast, I could hardly put it down.
The Last Shot is a great book. It keeps you guessing and you never want to put it down. I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it as much as me.
ryan
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LibraryThing member JenJ.
Stevie cannot believe it at first: the basketball article he submitted has won a student journalism contest and even though he’s only in 8th grade, he’ll be covering the Final Four in New Orleans! Sure, his co-winner, 8th-grader Susan Carol is a foot taller than him and a Duke fan (a team
Feinstein has packed his story with the famous names surrounding basketball which will thrill sports fans although I was able to enjoy the story without recognizing more than one or two names tops. It would have been nice to have a note at the end of the book about which characters were real and which were fiction. The close-up look at the Final Four was fascinating particularly coming from an insider such as Feinstein who is a sports journalist himself. This would be a good fit, not necessarily for low level readers, but perhaps for reluctant readers with a decided sports bent. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series which focuses on tennis as I suspect I’ll recognize more of the characters (tennis is the one sport my family follows).
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Stevie’s definitely not a fan of), but Stevie’s getting to meet all his sports writing and basketball heroes. He’s having the time of his life, until he and Susan Carol overhear someone blackmailing Chip Graber, the best basketball player in the tournament, to throw the final game. The student journalists try to warn the adults, but of course no one believes them – so it’s up to Stevie and Susan Carol to find out what the blackmailer has on Chip and how to keep the Final Four tournament clean. Investigative journalism wasn’t what they originally came for, but these students aren’t leaving until they blow this story wide open – the only question is, will they survive the explosion?Feinstein has packed his story with the famous names surrounding basketball which will thrill sports fans although I was able to enjoy the story without recognizing more than one or two names tops. It would have been nice to have a note at the end of the book about which characters were real and which were fiction. The close-up look at the Final Four was fascinating particularly coming from an insider such as Feinstein who is a sports journalist himself. This would be a good fit, not necessarily for low level readers, but perhaps for reluctant readers with a decided sports bent. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series which focuses on tennis as I suspect I’ll recognize more of the characters (tennis is the one sport my family follows).
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LibraryThing member mbklibrary
This was a great fun mystery read that will capture any basketball or mystery fan. The two main characters, Stevie and Susan Carol, are budding journalists who have won a writing contest and therefore get to be journalists during the Final Four contest. While there they stumble directly into a
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mystery and together work to try to solve the case before the Final Four ends. Well paced, fun, and full of suspense this is a great middle grade book. Show Less
LibraryThing member KilmerMSLibrary
Stevie and Susan Carol win a sports writing contest and have a chance to cover the NCAA Final Four games. When these teenage journalists discover a scheme to fix the games, they go undercover to stop the plot. The first in Feinstein’s sports mystery series.
LibraryThing member loganjw
Last Shot by John Feinstein
Book review by: Logan Wallace
I wanted some books about sports for Christmas, because that’s my favorite kind of book to read. Last shot by John Feinstein is what I got, along with some other ones. It caught my eye when I saw it was a Final Four mystery book, so I
Last Shot is about two kids named Stevie and Susan who win a writing contest and get to go to the Final Four. They go with their dads and get access to practices, conferences, and media reporting since they have express passes. On their walk to the CBS compound they overhear a suspicious-looking man talking with Chip Graber. They find out something terrible. On (pg.55) “quit whining, do what you need to do, and we’ll all walk away happy.” Chip’s bad grades would cause his dad to get fired. Will Chip throw the game or will Stevie and Susan find out what’s wrong and stop him?
I love that Mr. Feinstein wrote about an unusual mystery. Typical mysteries are about who killed who, but this is totally different and creative. Putting a mystery into a Final Four game is crazy and imaginative. My only complaint would be there are way too many characters in the book. You have to know them too because they always refer back to them. He should have just put the first name and last name together to help remember the names better. That was the only criticism I had with the book; everything else was impeccable.
John Feinstein wants you to learn to never give up. Stevie and Susan could have given up their search for who changed Chip’s grade, but they didn’t. They were determined to find who changed the grades and it paid off in the end because who did it got arrested. This is an example of not giving up until you find what you are searching for. You should never give up on anything that you want to find out about or do. I think that is a valuable lesson that Mr. Feinstein wants us to have.
I would totally recommend Last Shot to kids from twelve to fourteen. Since there are a bunch of characters, it can be super confusing if you forget about someone. I think boys and girls will like this book because it’s a basketball mystery. Everyone should read Last Shot because it is awesome and super interesting. A ****
Book review by: Logan Wallace
I wanted some books about sports for Christmas, because that’s my favorite kind of book to read. Last shot by John Feinstein is what I got, along with some other ones. It caught my eye when I saw it was a Final Four mystery book, so I
Show More
wondered what that could mean and started reading. Last Shot is about two kids named Stevie and Susan who win a writing contest and get to go to the Final Four. They go with their dads and get access to practices, conferences, and media reporting since they have express passes. On their walk to the CBS compound they overhear a suspicious-looking man talking with Chip Graber. They find out something terrible. On (pg.55) “quit whining, do what you need to do, and we’ll all walk away happy.” Chip’s bad grades would cause his dad to get fired. Will Chip throw the game or will Stevie and Susan find out what’s wrong and stop him?
I love that Mr. Feinstein wrote about an unusual mystery. Typical mysteries are about who killed who, but this is totally different and creative. Putting a mystery into a Final Four game is crazy and imaginative. My only complaint would be there are way too many characters in the book. You have to know them too because they always refer back to them. He should have just put the first name and last name together to help remember the names better. That was the only criticism I had with the book; everything else was impeccable.
John Feinstein wants you to learn to never give up. Stevie and Susan could have given up their search for who changed Chip’s grade, but they didn’t. They were determined to find who changed the grades and it paid off in the end because who did it got arrested. This is an example of not giving up until you find what you are searching for. You should never give up on anything that you want to find out about or do. I think that is a valuable lesson that Mr. Feinstein wants us to have.
I would totally recommend Last Shot to kids from twelve to fourteen. Since there are a bunch of characters, it can be super confusing if you forget about someone. I think boys and girls will like this book because it’s a basketball mystery. Everyone should read Last Shot because it is awesome and super interesting. A ****
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LibraryThing member rgruberexcel
RGG: Mediocre mystery involving game fixing at the NCAA basketball tournament. The young sleuths sports writing interest is the best aspect.
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I thought I would hate this book because it is a sports book and I am so not sports girl, but it was actually pretty good. There are long passages with details about how college basketball works that I could have done without, but I have to admit they were helpful in figuring out how things could
Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
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affect each other.Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I thought I would hate this book because it is a sports book and I am so not sports girl, but it was actually pretty good. There are long passages with details about how college basketball works that I could have done without, but I have to admit they were helpful in figuring out how things could
Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show More
affect each other.Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I thought I would hate this book because it is a sports book and I am so not sports girl, but it was actually pretty good. There are long passages with details about how college basketball works that I could have done without, but I have to admit they were helpful in figuring out how things could
Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show More
affect each other.Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I thought I would hate this book because it is a sports book and I am so not sports girl, but it was actually pretty good. There are long passages with details about how college basketball works that I could have done without, but I have to admit they were helpful in figuring out how things could
Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show More
affect each other.Stevie and Susan Carol win the US Basketball Writers Association young writers award and get to go to the final four in New Orleans to cover the games for smaller papers that can't afford to send someone. They overhear a teacher talking to Chip Graber, one of the most famous and important players at the game, blackmailing him to throw the final game. They mention what they heard to their supervisors but the supervisors think they misheard. They think it's impossible to throw the game. The kids eventually manage to contact Chip and tell him they want to help him. They uncover a gambling operation that relies on Chip losing the game.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lkmuir
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
The author's experience and background fully informs this press-pass look at the Cinderella's ball of college basketball. Audiobook review: The sports commentator and writer reads his own youth mystery novel set at the Final Four championship in New Orleans, giving it an appealing authenticity and
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insider's view for the listener. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2008)
Edgar Award (Nominee — Young Adult Novel — 2006)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 9-12 — 2006)
Iowa Teen Award (Nominee — 2007)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — 2008)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Middle School — 2007)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-9 — 2007)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2008)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Junior Book Award — 2008)
Texas Lone Star Reading List (2007)
Call number
J4D.Fei