The Prince of Fenway Park

By Julianna Baggott

Sport: Baseball

Rating: 4 1/4 stars

Who knew that baseball and fantasy could be mixed together so wonderfully? Set in 2004, Oscar is adopted and has never felt he fits in; it doesn't help that his parents have split up. The only thing he truly loves is the Boston Red Sox and he waits breathlessly for them to advance in the playoffs versus the Yankees, but it feels like they will never beat that 86 year old curse. Then, when his mother leaves him unexpectedly with his father while she pursues a job and a new romance in Baltimore, Oscar's father reveals to him a huge secret. The curse that has followed the Red Sox all of these years, preventing them from winning a World Series, was placed upon them by one man, who also gave clues on how to break the curse. And that curse also encompassed people like Oscar's father and many others, causing them to live a strange life underneath Fenway Park until someone can finally break it. People like the Pooka, Weasel-man, and the Aunties, as well as Oscar's father. Is Oscar the one who can do it? As Oscar accepts this strange new reality he decides he will attempt to break the curse. But not everyone wants him to succeed. And can Oscar do it before Game 4 of the American League Championship Series seals the fate of the Red Sox for another year? He will have to travel through time and find one single special baseball--is he up to the task? Does he have enough faith? Sports fans, especially Red Sox fans, will love all of the baseball history, and the fantasy storyline carries the plot forward at a rapid pace. A very enjoyable book!