E ARC provided by Netgalley

Kate and Mike, who had many adventures with Kate's mother, a sports reporter, in The Ballpark Mysteries, are back! This time, Kate's mother is being sent to Dallas to interview Carlos Cook, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. They get to see the Cowboys' practice facilities, but when they finally meet Carlos, they find out that there is a mystery bothering him. Someone is sending him notes with a black football on them. When Carlos was in college, he took a class where he studied Treasure Island with several teammates, and they had a joke that this football, similar to the black dot featured in the book, was a "two-minute warning". These always come with messages indicating that Carlos should retire, and he thinks it might be one of the young players, like Trey Thomas, who want him to quit so they can get his job. Things don't look good for Trey, since he wears a cowboy hat, and someone wearing a cowboy hat has been seen in the area when the notes were dropped off. Kate and Mike start investigating (after an exciting tour of the facilities!) and also talk a lot to Carlos' college friend Blake, who is creating art for installations around the stadium. When the threats continue and Carlos' is flustered, everyone worries that this will affect his performance. Will Kate and Mike be able to solve the mystery and assuage Carlos' worries before the big game?
Strengths: When my children were in early elementary school, they adored beginning chapter books series. Didn't really matter what they were about, the more books, the better. There is something addicted about familiar characters and easily identifiable plots. Kelly's Baseball Mysteries came out in 2011, and are a perfect choice for readers who love sports. A lot of the time, sports enthusiasts are reluctant to read other types of books, so I was so glad to see this new football series! Cousins Kate and Mike get along well and support each other, and the mysteries they solve are very realistic. There are fantastic details about the areas to which they travel, the sports facilities, team history, and the workings of the games on and off the field. The mystery element is perfect for this age group, giving us hints and a couple of false leads. I'm looking forward to seeing what other teams are highlighted as the series continues.
Weaknesses: Random House should not have stopped publishing Kelly's work. I don't understand publishing. Sports books for elementary school readers are so hard to find.
What I really think: I don't deal quite as much in early chapter books as I used to. This is similar in length to 1990s titles like Magic Treehouse, A to Z Mysteries, American Girl, The Ruby Princess and Junie B. Jones and would work well for readers who like Little Shaq, Jake Maddox titles, and Mills' Franklin School Friends.

The Two-Minute Warning - the first book in a series called Football Mysteries by David A. Kelly - was published last week.

In this story, a couple of cousins - Mike and Kate - find themselves in Dallas trying to help the Cowboys' quarterback (the fictitious Carlos Cook and not current QB: Dak Prescott. Or latest signing - Trey Lance - for that matter) work out who has been sending him threatening notes.

As you've likely worked out from my brief description, the 'football' in this book is of the American variety.

With the 2023 NFL regular season just around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to have released this title.

I introduced my non-football following nephew to this story. Despite having zero interest in American football as a sport, he gave The Two-Minute Warning four stars out of five.

As for me? Bearing in mind I am far above the target age, yet a lover of American football, I too found story enjoyable. Although - I should also be straight up and say I fell for a potential red herring in the story and was sure I had worked out the culprit only to turn out incorrect when the antagonist was unmasked.

Complimenting the story are drawings by Robert Thibeault. You can see their work in the image of the cover directly above.

I'd recommend The Two-Minute Warning to children whether they enjoyed the sport of American football or not. However, my endorsement would strengthen to children - or families - with an interest in American football. Furthermore, if the child and his or her family are keen on the Dallas Cowboys, then that increases my level of recommendation higher.

Fans of the Cowboys' division rivals - the New York Giants - might have a contrasting opinion, though.

As well as the story about Carlos Cook and his mystery nemesis, there are facts about the Dallas Cowboys included in the book. Yet again, this may be of even more interest to children and families who follow America's Team.

I am intrigued to see which other teams become part of this new collection of books. David A. Kelly has written many baseball stories in the Ballpark Mysteries. Going by the titles of those, each book appears to focus on differing teams each time, so I expect a similar approach will be done with Football Mysteries.

Kate and Mike are back from The Ballpark Mysteries but this time they on using their sleuthing skills on the football field.
When a quarterback is given a threatening note the duo sets out to find out who and why .

A great book for young mystery readers .

I just reviewed The Two-Minute Warning by David A Kelly. #TheTwoMinuteWarning #NetGalley