Explore 5 Not-So-Secret Locations that Inspired Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball
The Samantha Spinner book series is one of our absolute favs. Filled with tricky puzzles, fascinating facts, and fast-paced adventure, these reads are equal parts hilarious, mysterious, and a ton of fun to read!
In Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball, Samantha and her annoying younger brother, Nipper, are headed out to finally find out the answers to their many, many questions. To find their missing uncle, Samantha and Nipper will travel to iconic locations that are filled with secrets, but are actually inspired by real places across the US!
Intrigued? Author Russell Ginns is here to dish on some of the weird roadside attractions and notable landmarks you’ll discover while mystery-solving with Samantha!
Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball is the third installment in the hilarious, puzzle-filled around-the-world adventure of the Spinner Saga. With the help of a secret map inside an umbrella, Samantha and her super-annoying brother Nipper are off to find their mysterious missing uncle.
The adventure begins in Seattle, where Samantha and Nipper discover the top-secret Kogelbaan, an amazing underground marble coaster! Soon, they are on a roll, exploring secrets across the USA. Here are a few of those secrets.
BEYOND THE PAGES: Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball:
- The Uniroyal Giant Tire -Allen Park, Michigan
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A giant tire was originally a Ferris wheel for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. When the fair ended, the owners disassembled it and shipped it on 22 separate trucks to Michigan, where it became an advertisement for Uniroyal tires. At 68 feet high, it is the largest tire ever built, and one of the largest roadside attractions in the United States. It’s wheelie big!
In The Boy in the Ball, the Giant Tire is also a secret station to ride on single-wheeled vehicles called monowheels.
- The Corn Palace – Mitchell, South Dakota
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The Corn Palace in South Dakota, is a public arena. Hockey games, concerts, and conventions take place inside – surrounded by corn! The outside of the building is covered with real corncobs and cornhusks. Local artists use them to create colorful mosaics.
In The Boy in the Ball, there is a secret entrance below the Corn Palace leading to the Hoverdisk Highway, where travellers can zoom across the country on giant air hockey pucks!
- The Giant Coffee Pot – Bedford, Pennsylvania
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This two-story, pot-shaped building is a celebrated example of novelty architecture. It was originally built as a lunch stand in 1927. It was threatened with demolition in the 1990s, but in 2004 it was moved across the street and restored. If it was a real coffee pot, it could hold over 40,000 gallons of coffee!
In The Boy in the Ball, Nipper is chased by a band of daredevils and a ninja monkey!
- The World’s Biggest Ketchup Bottle – Collinsville, Illinois
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A water tower in the shape of a giant ketchup bottle rises over the highway near Collinsville, Illinois. The “bottle” is 70 feet tall, perched on 100-foot steel legs. If it really was a ketchup bottle, it could hold 100,000 gallons of sauce!
In The Boy in the Ball, the Giant Ketchup Bottle is also a secret station for the Kogelbaan where they can roll all the way back to their home in Seattle, Washington.
- The Gateway Arch – St. Louis, Missouri
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At 630 feet, the Gateway Arch is the world’s tallest arch, the tallest human-built monument in the Western Hemisphere. Completed in 1963 as a monument to westward expansion in the United States, the arch is an instantly recognizable symbol of St. Louis and a major tourist attraction. The observation deck provides an excellent view of the surrounding city and far beyond.
In The Boy in the Ball, Samantha and her brother discover that the giant arch is actually an oval! What amazing secrets wait for them below ground – you’ll have to read it to find out!
Thank you so much to Russell for sharing all these amazing facts with our readers! Ready to join Samantha on her adventure through all these fascinating locales? Samantha Spinner and the Boy in the Ball is out now!
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