Case of the Missing Coach

Title: Case of the Missing Coach

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC (September 29, 2007)
Reading age 10 to 14
ISBN-10: 0979751314
ISBN-13: 978-0979751318

Case of the Missing Coach is a contemporary mystery of deceit, sabotage and kidnapping. Who would have thought that Little League Baseball could be so exciting? The Jonesville Chargers are slated for national fame when they win the state championship but someone doesn’t want them to win. As they prepare for the Regional tournament all of the team equipment is found mysteriously destroyed and the team has to borrow equipment in order to continue. This devastating act may have crushed any other team but nothing could squelch the enthusiasm for winning that every Jonesville Charger had inside them. This confidence was encouraged by the Charger’s respected coaches. The destruction of equipment was not enough. Soon threatening notes are sent to players saying “You better start losing or something bad will happen.”

When the Chargers win the Regional tournament threats intensify and coaches do not take any chances. They report all threats to authorities and also set up a buddy system network so that no player will be left alone. Unfortunately, threats accelerate again when Coach Randy disappears and the FBI becomes involved. Overwhelmed by problems and the possibility of facing an almost certain defeat, the team comes together and wins the championship, proving that there is strength in numbers and that winners never quit.

Author: V. Gilbert Zabel paints a realistic picture of life inside a Little League Team with her wealth of knowledge of the game. Also, how she substantiates that coaches genuinely care for the players and protect them from harm is a major strength of this story. Baseball jargon is realistic and Zabel demonstrates her love for a good mystery with great dialogue and plot. Vivian wrote and studied writing for over fifty years. For 27 years, she taught English, composition, creative writing, newspaper, yearbook, and literary magazine. As she taught, she studied and honed her own skills.

Over the period of nearly fifty years, she has poetry, articles, and short
stories published. So far she has been published in five books.

With her experience in teaching and the "editing" required in evaluation
of students' work, the next step Vivian took was as a professional editor.
She has been on both sides of the writing coin: writing and editing.

Write it down,
Carma