David A. Kelly Books in Order

Where to Start with David A. Kelly

For young readers diving into the work of David A. Kelly, the best starting point is unquestionably The Fenway Foul-Up (2011), the debut book in his flagship Ballpark Mysteries series. This book introduces cousins Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins, establishing their detective skills and their deep love for baseball. Starting here allows readers to see how the main characters interact, setting the stage for their future cross-country adventures.

If you have a child who prefers sports other than baseball, the MVP (Most Valuable Players) series is another excellent entry point. Start with The Gold Medal Mess (2016), which introduces a tight-knit group of school friends solving stadium-themed mysteries during their school's field day. For younger readers, Kelly's award-winning historical picture book, Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball (2013), offers a fantastic, standalone introduction to his engaging and educational storytelling style.

Ballpark Mysteries: Reading Order & Series Structure

The Ballpark Mysteries series is David A. Kelly's most famous collection. Each book takes Mike and Kate to a different Major League Baseball park, where they tackle a local mystery and share "Dugout Notes" packed with real-world sports trivia and geography facts.

Because each mystery is self-contained, readers do not strictly need to follow a chronological sequence. However, reading in order of publication is highly recommended to track the real-world timeline of team updates and stadium references. Here is the complete list of the main series books:

1. The Fenway Foul-Up (2011) - Set at Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
2. The Pinstripe Ghost (2011) - Set at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)
3. The L.A. Dodger (2011) - Set at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers)
4. The Astro Outlaw (2012) - Set at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros)
5. The All-Star Joker (2012) - Set at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium (All-Star Game)
6. The Wrigley Riddle (2013) - Set at Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
7. The San Francisco Splash (2013) - Set at AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)
8. The Missing Marlin (2014) - Set at Marlins Park (Miami Marlins)
9. The Philly Fake (2014) - Set at Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies)
10. The Rookie Blue Jay (2015) - Set at Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays)
11. The Tiger Troubles (2015) - Set at Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
12. The Rangers Rustlers (2016) - Set at Globe Life Park (Texas Rangers)
13. The Capital Catch (2017) - Set at Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
14. The Cardinals Caper (2018) - Set at Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
15. The Baltimore Bandit (2019) - Set at Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles)
16. The Colorado Curveball (2020) - Set at Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
17. The Triple Play Twins (2021) - Set at Target Field (Minnesota Twins)
18. The Atlanta Alibi (2022) - Set at Truist Park (Atlanta Braves)
19. The Black Cat Change-Up (2022) - Set at Citi Field (New York Mets)
20. Satchel's Stolen Strike (2024) - Set at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum / Kauffman Stadium
21. Willie's Clutch Catch (2024) - Set at Rickwood Field (historic Birmingham ballpark)
22. The Sausage Race Chase (2024) - Set at American Family Field (Milwaukee Brewers)
23. The Bobblehead Bunt (2025) - Set at Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks)
24. The Rumble Monkey Mix-Up (2025) - Set at loanDepot Park (Miami Marlins)

Ballpark Mysteries Super Specials

Alongside the main novels, Kelly has penned four "Super Special" editions. These are longer, offer slightly higher stakes, and feature fun extra content like baseball stats, trivia, and puzzles. They can be read at any point after readers are familiar with Mike and Kate, but placing them in publication order keeps the character progression smooth:

• Super Special #1: The World Series Curse (2016)
• Super Special #2: Christmas in Cooperstown (2017)
• Super Special #3: Subway Series Surprise (2018)
• Super Special #4: The World Series Kids (2019)

Spin-Offs and Companion Series

David A. Kelly has expanded his sports-centric universe beyond baseball diamonds into other popular sports, giving readers plenty of variety.

Football Mysteries

In 2023, Kelly launched a direct sister series to Ballpark Mysteries called the Football Mysteries. Featuring the same beloved sleuths, Mike and Kate, this series shifts the focus to professional football stadiums. The duo tackles football-themed puzzles and mysteries, starting with:

• The Two-Minute Warning (2023) - Set at U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)

MVP (Most Valuable Players) Series

Unlike the travel-heavy Ballpark and Football Mysteries, the MVP series follows a group of five elementary school friends who love sports and work together to solve puzzles. These books focus heavily on teamwork and are structured around different popular sports:

1. The Gold Medal Mess (2016) - Track and Field / Field Day
2. The Soccer Surprise (2016) - Soccer
3. The Football Fumble (2016) - Football
4. The Basketball Blowout (2017) - Basketball

Standalone Books and Non-Fiction

For readers looking for short, standalone stories or educational books, Kelly has written both picture books and non-fiction resources:

• Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse (2009) - A chapter book detailing the legendary "Curse of the Bambino" and the Boston Red Sox's history.
• Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball (2013) - A picture book about the special mud used by every major league team to rub down new baseballs.
• Soccer for Kids: Learn the Basics & Play the Game (2021) - A practical, non-fiction instructional guide introducing young players to soccer rules and skills.
• Tee Time on the Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf (2023) - A STEM-focused picture book documenting the true story of golf being played on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission.

What to Know Before You Start

David A. Kelly's books are specifically engineered for early readers, typically in the 6 to 9 age range (grades 1 to 4). Because the chapters are short, the vocabulary is accessible, and the stories are packed with action and illustrations, they are widely recommended by educators for reluctant readers.

A common point of confusion arises with the Totally True Adventures series. While some online lists show David A. Kelly as the author of a twelve-book series under this name, the Totally True Adventures series is actually a multi-author anthology published by Random House. Kelly only contributed a single book to this series, which was Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse (originally published in 2009 and integrated into the anthology lineup). The other titles in that collection—such as Balto and the Great Race and Ice Wreck—were written by other children's authors and have no narrative connection to Kelly's books.