It seems like Ryan, Zeke, Miles, and Eli have been friends forever. They spend practically every afternoon together playing basketball or just hanging out. But this year is different. All four friends are trying out for the basketball team.With so many good players in the running, Ryan is concerned that he won’t make the team. But he’s even more worried about what will happen to his group of friends if all of them don’t make the final cut.

The Reds and the Cubs are battling for the first place in the Rising Stars League. The Reds need a victory in today’s game to push ahead in the standings.Kyle, the Reds center fielder, wants to win so much that he secretly cheats—just a little—to clinch the game for his team. His teammates go wild with victory. His parents beam with pride.Suddenly Kyle feels uneasy. But what can he do? He’s a winner—and he can’t turn back now . . .

Sam loves football. There’s nothing better than the rush he gets when his team, the Cowboys, are working together—moving closer and closer to the end zone.In a key game, the Cowboys beat their arch rivals to remain undefeated, thanks to a major play by Sam. But the celebration ends when he and his teammates make an unwelcome discovery.Is the Cowboys’ perfect season in jeopardy?

Jamie's lucky glove is the most precious thing in the world to him. He's spent all winter oiling it while readying his skills for the upcoming season. But what happens when he loses the glove?After an unsuccessful search and a disappointing first game, Jamie realizes he's lost much more than his glove. He's lost his confidence. So when he seeks help from the owner of a local sporting goods shop—a former minor league player—the old-timer shares the history of baseba...

Ryan, Zeke, Eli, and Miles have always shared a love of sports, especially basketball.When it's time for basketball team tryouts, these best friends practice together, compete in a local 3-on-3 tournament, and carefully compute their chances of making the team. However, when tryouts arrive, will all their athletic skills pass the test? Can their friendship survive if one of them doesn't make the cut?Fred Bowen keeps readers on the edge of their seats with p...

Chris is tired of being a benchwarmer.He loves basketball and wants nothing more than to play on the court with his team. So, hoping to get more playing time, he asks his friend Greta, the high-scoring star of the girls' team, for help with his shooting skills.But surprisingly, it's Greta's mom—a former basketball player who never even scored a basket—who helps change Chris's strategy. Can he finally become a success on the court?This action-packed ...

Josh is so excited when he earns a spot on the United, an elite travel soccer team with exceptionally talented players. So why can't they win a game?Despite grueling practices and talent, Josh's teammates are prone to hogging the ball and seem to only play for themselves. He begins to wonder if made a mistake leaving his old team.But just when he's about to give up, Josh learns that the 1999 United States Women's World Cup team faced similar difficulties th...

Richie Mallon is known as "the shooter"—the one on the team who scores most of the baskets.Every day he practices at his driveway hoop, perfecting his technique. Richie never plays any other roles on the court, leaving it to his teammates to do the assisting and rebounding.Under a new coach, Richie makes the team but isn't given a starting position. So when his shooting skills fall into a slump, can he find a way to become a better-rounded player and stay o...

For Jake, there is only one thing he loves more than playing shortstop for his team, and that's winning.So when newcomer Adam joins the team, Jake is excited to see that this guy can do it all—pitch, hit, field! But as their team racks up win after win, Adam's talents dominate every game and Jake can't help but wonder: Do he or the other players even matter? Or will he learn that even the best players must rely on their teammates?This action-packed story of...

Brett Carter, the Wildcats' star forward, is a hotshot on his basketball team—or at least he was.After missing an easy layup shot at the buzzer in one of the most important games of the season, he feels like a total loser. And things only get worse from there... At his best friend's birthday party at a rock-climbing center, Brett freezes on the wall. Then he blows an easy question in the American history bee at school. And when he gets back on the court, he can't g...

Like many athletes, Trey is superstitious. How could he not be when he just made the Ravens travel team, thanks to his lucky charm—a piece of rare sea glass he found on his grandmother's beach?This stroke of good fortune reinforces his superstitious behavior, and the rituals become more and more important to him. In spite of some teasing and even some sarcasm from his teammates, Trey persists?he never steps on the foul line, he obsessively taps the corners of home ...

More than anything, T. J. wants to be a pitcher. But he's smaller than his teammates, and his pitches just don't pack the power they need to strike out the batters.So when T. J. learns about one of baseball's early heroes, Pittsburgh Pirate Rip Sewell, he decides to try Sewell's secret weapon. Will his teammates give T. J. the chance to prove that he can be a pitcher? And will T. J.'s secret pitch help lead his team to victory?Author Fred Bowen offers anoth...