Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball

Author: Russell Ginns
Illustrator: Barbara Fisinger

© Date: 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 306
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, many page layouts do not have an illustration
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12
Bonus Activities at End of Book: Yes, fun facts on the value of several items mentioned in the book, more puzzles to solve with websites that have more puzzles (yes, answers to the book puzzles are given at the back of the book), and a map

Summary from Book: At Last! Samantha Spinner tracked down her uncle! Now it’s her big chance to learn everything.

Samantha knew there was more to the story when Uncle Paul went missing. He’s a man of mystery, but her left her a trail of clues and the key to super-secret travel in a gift: a rusty red umbrella. And now that he’s safe and sound, it’s time to get some answers.

There are so many questions to ask-it’s almost impossible to know where to start. Where did the RAIN come from? And what about the SUN? Who made the umbrella and all the increible ways to travel? What did Uncle Paul mean when he told Samantha to watch out for the…

Wait a minute. Nipper’s missing.

Where did he go? What’s that strange trail of yarn? Can’t a girl take her eyes off her super-annoying little brother for ten minutes?

(If you’ve been paying attention, then you know that the answer to that last question is “No! Of course not!”)

Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this a short bit ago.

Page Pig Thoughts: This series definitely does not follow a formulaic path. Samantha and Nipper traveled around separately in this book, which was a pleasant change of pace from the previous books. Samantha’s travel companions, her kinda, sorta friends provided new levels of intrigue and added interest to mystery solving methods.

Russell Ginns definitely has a knack for finding everyday objects that translate to being weapons. Even though I have poked myself with the corner of a metal ruler before, I will not look at ruler and protractors the same for awhile.

This one definitely got a Page Pup thumbs up. Definitely do yourself a favor and have the next book waiting when you finish this one. The cliffhanger of Samantha passing out at the end makes you quickly grab for the next one.

Family Unit: The Spinner family: Samantha (11, I think), Nipper (8), Buffy (teenage), Mother, Father, Dennis (pug), and Uncle Paul (lived in an apartment above the garage, but seems to consistently need to be found). Aunt Penny has been in New York City with Buffy.

Conflict/Social Issues:

Samantha is frustrated that she isn’t learning anything from her Uncle Paul.
Nipper is trying to find his way back home. While getting a little distracted by the awesomeness of riding a giant marble around a giant marble track, he is attacked by an evil ninja monkey, followed by CLOUD members, and approached/attacked by the math police/SNOW.
George does not tell his wife about his missing child or the missing dog. Then he doesn’t tell her about the other potentially missing child.
Uncle Paul is really bothered by the shoe invention of his little brother, George.
Buffy has not been tending to her school studies, which makes her mother upset. Mrs. Spinner spends a good portion of her drive across the country with Buffy trying to tell Buffy about the importance of education.
Lainey is an expert of all things little brother, but she does not have a little brother of her own. It is theorized that she learned so much because she longs for herself.
The math police/SNOW walk out with Uncle Paul at the end of the story. Not exactly kidnapping him because he walked out on his own, but he is gone again at the end of the story.

Positive Items:

Historical facts are given in the story. They are short, add interest to the story, and don’t feel like boring, teaching moments.
Uncle Paul has confidence in Samantha’s ability to track down Nipper, so he distracts Mr. Spinner/his little brother George by taking him on secret travel trips.
Each family member, including Dennis the pug, has their special skills that they use at various points to help other family members out. Except maybe Buffy, she is really only into herself, so any assistance that she provides is accidental.
Lainey shows that even very specialized skills (little brother knowledge) can have useful applications.
Samantha learns how nice it is to have friends for company and help.
There are still a lot of puzzle pieces in the big picture unfolding. While you can enjoy tracking the immediate adventures/mystery, you can also start glimpsing into the next adventure.

Items of Interest:

Nipper is a nickname, Jeremy Bernard Spinner used to bite people when he was younger.
Nipper and his father, George Spinner, went back to Seattle so Nipper could attend math camp. The rest of the Spinners were still back in NYC so they could see Buffy’s play.
George Spinner, the father, does not want to tell his wife that Nipper is missing. Initially, he was trying to find Nipper on his own because Nipper has a tendency to wander off. But then George talks with Missy Snoddgrass, the neighbor/baby-sitter (responsible to Nipper’s disappearance), and is told that he will seem unreliable and careless, so he calls Samantha to help search instead.
Samantha is not having much success getting her Uncle Paul to provide information that helps decode all of the secrets that she keeps stumbling into.
Samantha brings Uncle Paul back to Seattle to help search for Nipper.
While Mrs. Spinner was starting to ask Buffy how she finds time for her schoolwork amidst her life of “fabulousness,” Aunt Penny gives the clue that tips Mrs. Spinner off that Buffy just hasn’t been tending to her schoolwork. Despite Buffy’s pleas that she has been getting an education outside of school, Mrs. Spinner calls the theater and cancels Buffy’s play. Then coordinates loading all of Buffy’s stuff into 13 semitrucks to drive back to Hollywood. Mrs. Spinner even drives a truck herself.
Uncle Paul has a hard time focusing around Mr. Spinner’s Nipper tracking shoes.
Uncle Paul, Mr. Spinner, and Dennis the pug go out searching for Nipper.
Samantha goes out on her own, but asks her kinda, sort of friends for help. One friend is Fiona, who is a master detective. The other is Lainey, who is a master of all things related to little brother knowledge.
While collecting initial clues, Lainey asks Samantha and Fiona if they have crushes. The question produces a quick no, but there are hints throughout that Samantha may have some sort of feelings for Seydou, the boy that rescued her and Nipper in Mali.
Nipper manages to roll his giant ball of yarn self (Missy Snoddgrass wound him up) out of Missy’s house and down the street (not much control). He finds the kogelbaan, an underground marble track.
Nipper comes out of his ball of yarn (did I miss/forget how?) and travels around the kogelbaan. At one point,he is chased by the evil ninja monkey that was in the first and second books.
Samantha, Fiona, and Lainey track Nipper to the kogelbaan and take a ride themselves. Although they discover how inefficient/slow the method of travel is, so they wind up exiting and finding a different mode of transportation to get ahead of Nipper and leave a clue so he will exit the kogelbaan before getting trapped for a week.
The CLOUD is the secret group that uses the kogelbaan. They are ridiculous daredevils that cannot function for themselves without directions from their leader, Crash Nitro. They travel around and steal things during daredevil stunts while getting candy from Crash Nitro.
Crash Nitro happens to be the Rainbow Thief from Australia. She has a weaponized boomerang that she throws at people.
A security guard from the Eiffel Tower has been tracking down Samantha and Nipper. He is seeking redemption. Samantha and Nipper’s previous trip to the Eiffel Tower led to him losing his job, so he is trying to bring them to justice and get his job back.
Nipper is at one point chased by four people that he thinks are the math police. They are armed with weaponized rulers and protractors. Nipper manages to get away without them catching him.
George and Paul Spinner manage to lose Dennis.
Crash Nitro starts up a chocolate fountain to attract Nipper because he won’t be able to stop himself from continually dipping foods.
Fiona and Lainey have to go home for dinner. Samantha goes back to the kogelbaan by herself and finds the room with the chocolate fountain party.
Samantha manages to peel Nipper away from the chocolate fountain, but the French detective blocks their exit. Crash Nitro says that no one else gets to walk away with her prisoners, but is content with just taking Samantha’s umbrella for payment.
Dennis the pug manages to save the day by exposing Crash Nitro as the Rainbow Thief. The French detective is content taking the notorious thief to justice instead.
Mr. Spinner was picking up the phone to call Mrs. Spinner and tell her that he lost two kids and the dog when Samantha, Nipper, and Dennis come in the front door. Mrs. Spinner comes home shortly after that. Mr. Spinner realizes that since everyone is accounted for, he doesn’t have to admit to losing everyone.
Nipper happens to mention that he was lost and talks of some of the things that he saw on his adventure. Mrs. Spinner is not happy to learn that her husband did not tell her about her missing child that traveled around the country.
The math police come to the house and take away Uncle Paul after he manages to leave a clue for Samantha about the SNOW.
Nipper trots over to Missy Snoddgrass’s house with a new plan to get his Yankees back. He leaves disappointed, yet again.
The book ends with Nipper coming back into the house to find Samantha as she is looking at a letter from Buffy from Hollywood. Buffy tells of her new movie making plans and includes a picture of the boy that she is in love with. The book ends with Samantha looking at the picture, discovering that the boy is Seydou, and passing out.

Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):

Book 1 – Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans (review)
Book 2 – Samantha Spinner and the Spectacular Specs
Book 3 – Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball
Book 4 – Samantha Spinner and the Perplexing Pants

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