Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite

In this second book of Secrets Of The Toad by Trisha, Play Ball, we are introduced to Emma’s brother Jake. Jake loves baseball and is on his school’s team. He’s very excited and wants nothing more than to be the main pitcher for the team. Jake knows that he is more than capable to lead the team to victory but there’s only one problem; the new coach doesn’t seem to care how well he pitches and his game stats from the previous year. Jake also notices that his coach seems keener on having his son take the main pitcher position, even though he isn’t that great. Jake is ready to give up baseball when his younger sister Emma reminds him of Tobias the toad who helped her out with making new friends at the beginning of the school year. Feeling like he has nothing to lose, Jake seeks advice from the mysterious talking amphibian that lives in the woods.

I thought Secrets Of The Toad was fun yet meaningful read. A lot of children can relate to Jake and his problem with baseball. The world is not perfect and there are times when life or a situation just seems unfair. Tobias gives Jake wise advice that helps him, gives him the will to carry on and stick with his team. This is the second book in the series, but you don’t get lost trying to figure out what happened in the previous book. The storyline and plot can stand alone in this case. I also enjoyed the penciled illustrations which were done beautifully. Trisha has done a wonderful job with Secrets Of The Toad: Play Ball and I’m looking forward to reading the first book in the series.