Manny's starting his first football season with the Hudson City Hornets, and he's determined to get in the game and not warm the bench. Problem is, Manny's not a big guy, and when he tries to tackle the offense, he's the one who ends up on the ground. Coach isn't too pleased, especially when the team starts losing. But Manny refuses to give up; he's as tough as anyone out there and he's fast. He's got the season to prove to Coach, his teammates, and himself that he has the talent to earn the roar of the crowd.

Welcome to Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, a small, dead-end town with nothing to do and no way out. At least that's how Ben, a high school senior and the second-best 135-pound wrestler in school, sees it. But Ben's fed up with being stuck on the bench, watching as his friend Al, the state champion, gets all the glory. If Ben doesn't get his life in gear, he could end up like his father and the other men in Sturbridge--working on the line in the cinder block factory. Spurred on partly by a wise, intense young woman, and partly by a strength found deep within himself, Ben looks for a way out--his whole life depends on it. In the words of Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli, "Wrestling Sturbridge isn't just an outstanding first novel; it's an outstanding novel, period." From the Hardcover edition.

Ron is watcher, it seems. He watches his pick-up basketball team--five guys trying to fit together on the court. He watches Dawn on the dance floor, and that tiny star tattoo on her shoulder. He watches Darby run, her short legs all sweat and muscle. He watches his friends veer off--and up--into popularity. He watches his dad move in with his grandmother and make do. But he's more than a watcher: He's a hustler on the court, a free-thrower, a poet, a poker player, a rule breaker, a loving grandson, a runner, and a ruthless competitor in those eight laps around the track--the 3200 meter. In nine interwoven stories, award-winning author Rich Wallace brings a small-town high school to life through the sharp, spare voice--and the heart-pounding defeats and triumphs--of an athlete.From the Hardcover edition.

Jared knows he's the best basketball player in school. He's got thetalent, the touch, and the shots. With him at center, the Hudson City Hornets finally have a chance at making the playoffs. But Jared's also got a temper, and when the ref throws him out of the game, he watches his team's chances start to slip away. With some help from his friends, he begins to realize that he's got to be a better teammate in order for the Hornets to be a better team.

The pressures of being an undercover reporter are getting to Eddie Ventura. No one on his baseball team has realized that he is the anonymous writer behind all the great new coverage their team has been getting from their school newspaper. The only problem is—not everyone is thrilled with the stories, or the uncanny way their secrets are being leaked to the press. Should Eddie quit writing for the school newspaper before his secret is uncovered?

KICKERS: a young middle grade soccer seriesBook 3It's a race to the Kickers soccer league play-offs. Nine-year-old Ben is pretty sure that if the Bobcats win two of their last three games, they'll earn a tournament spot. But in their game against the Tigers, the Bobcats are a mess on the field--they're not passing well at all--and Ben decides to take control. Someone has to win this thing, and his teammates just aren't measuring up. Then the whistle blasts, the red card waves, and Ben is out--benched for dangerous moves. Not only that, he's barred from the next game, too--a key bout against the Rabbits. How can he possibly help his team to the play-offs from the sidelines?The Kickers series, from award-winning sports novelist Rich Wallace, features nonstop soccer action, black-and-white art, and league statistics and soccer tips throughout.Also available:KICKERS #1: THE BALL HOGSKICKERS #2: FAKE OUTFrom the Hardcover...

It's the summer of 1969. We've just landed on the moon, the Vietnam War is heating up, the Mets are beginning their famous World Series run, and Woodstock is rocking upstate New York. Down in New Jersey, twelve-year-old Brody is mostly concerned with the top ten hits on the radio and how much playing time he'll get on the football team. But when he goes along for the ride to Woodstock with his older brother and sees the mass of humanity there, he starts to wake up to the world around him-a world that could take away the brother he loves.