TWO HOT DOGS WITH EVERYTHING by Paul Haven

Haven, Paul.
TWO HOT DOGS WITH EVERYTHING
New York : Random House, 2006
IL 3-6, RL 6.0
ISBN 0375933484

Some people believe that for the Red Sox to win, they need to wear the same clothes they wore the last time they won. Or maybe they need to rub their Big Papi bobble head doll after each out. Or perhaps they sit in the same spot and will only leave the couch to go to the bathroom during the commercial breaks and only in the top of the inning and never if the home team is ahead. 11 year-old Danny Gurkin is this type of superstitious fan. In fact he is overly so, to the point where he believes every single one of his actions during a game could affect the outcome. “Never leave a window open when a right handed pitcher in on the mound”. In Two Hot Dogs with Everything by Paul Haven, Danny is a loyal fan to the Sluggers, a baseball team that has only won one championship in 108 years. Not even one since the curse of the poison pretzel had taken over. Founded by a bubblegum tycoon, Danny and his friends make a trip to the tycoon’s home to try to figure out how to break the curse. A little bit of magic is found and the season picks up. Will the Sluggers win? Does Danny somehow affect the outcome with his rituals? If you have ever loved a hot dog, a baseball game, or a bit of magic, you will love this book. (New Hampshire Great Stone Face nominee, 2007-2008)