Life is tough for a young overweight punching bag.Portland Oregon in the sixties was an exciting place for those who had good self esteem and confidence, all of which John lacked. Moving into the inner city from the suburbs didn't help any and neither did the bullies, or the gang that ruled the neighborhood. But the bullies weren't the worst of it. No, the fact that the prettiest girl in the sixth grade would rather die than be caught in his presence is what pushed...

ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults * New York Public Library Books for the Teen AgeA riveting, scorching—and hilarious—autobiography by the award-winning author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and Deadline.From trying to impress a member of the girls’ softball team (with disastrous dental results) to enduring the humiliation of his high school athletic club initiation (olives and oysters play unforgettable roles), Chris Crutcher’s memoir of the tricky road to adulthood is ca...

Les Lewchuck is a rink rat--he loves hanging around his neighbourhood park in East End Toronto, playing hockey whenever and with whom ever he can. He's keen to hit the ice, then, when he finally gets to join a real team, the Metro Cats.He soon finds, however, that Roddy and Lenny Smith, a couple of tough, bullying brothers, run the team. When Les flattens one of the brothers in practice, they vow to get him back. To make matter worse, Les's parents have separated and things at home ...

A young baseball player struggles to overcome his fear of a pitched ball, improve his throwing, and somehow redeem himself in the eyes of his teammates.

Marvin Higgins is always calling people names and making them mad. And because the new girl in class, Lucy Tinker, has hair that sticks up like a porcupine, Marvin starts picking on her. But Lucy decides to be mean, too, and scratches Marvin with her long, rainbow-colored nails! Will Marvin and Lucy ever stop fighting? Suzy Kline, creator of Horrible Harry, returns to the classroom in this funny, realistic chapter book."The action is fast, the talk is lively, and the drawings get t...

Is Eric as cold as the ice he skates on? A fiery tour de force from the author of Inexcusable, a National Book Award finalist.The other guys on Eric’s hockey team call him the Iceman, because he’s a heartless player, cold as ice. Only Eric knows the truth—he’s not cold, he’s on fire, burning with a need he just can’t explain. Least of all to his family—not to his dad, whose only joy in life is watching Eric smash other hockey players to a pulp. Or his mom,...

Identical twins learn to accept the fact that they have different interests and abilities.

Arlo Brodie loves being on the football field, getting hit hard and hitting back harder. That’s where he belongs*,* leading his team to championships, becoming “Starlo” on his way to the top. Arlo’s dad cheers him on, but his mother quotes head-injury statistics and refuses to watch. Arlo’s girlfriend tries to make him see how dangerously he’s playing; when that doesn’t work, she calls time-out on their relationship. Even Arlo’s coaches begin to track his hit count, ready to pull him off t...

Thirteen-year-old Tree Taylor has two goals for the summer of '63:Experience her first real kiss. A kiss delivered by a boy. A boy who is not related to her. A kiss worth writing about.Become a famous writer. (Or, at least, write an investigative article that will land her the freshman spot on the Blue and Gold staff.)So when a gunshot is fired right across the street, Tree knows this is the big story she's been waiting for. But the ...

A collection of all eight books in the Baker Street Sports Club Series. Follow Dallas O'Neil and his Baker Street Sports Club friends as they solve mysteries, make friends, and develop their faith in this comprehensive collection.

Springtime in Rambletown means one thing—another season of Rounders baseball!Old Man Winter has delivered more snow than the post office has delivered mail! The only way the Rounders are getting to first base is with a snow shovel. As the team tries to "warm up" for the upcoming season, they welcome a new center fielder: Orlando Ramirez. He's fast as a cheetah and catches everything.Only one problem: those great catches end with him smashing into the outfield wall like a cr...

It's the Rounders' last season together, and they want to go out with a bang.Especially Slingshot Slocum, the team's star pitcher. So why has he just walked three batters in a row?Slingshot's obsessed with mastering the forkball—a dangerous split-finger curveball that everyone knows should never be attempted by anyone under the age of seventeen. It could wreck his arm forever!And he's not making it over the plate. Just like the torrential weather, Slingshot is all w...