Football stories for a long holiday weekend

Thanksgiving weekend seems like it's all about football games and turkey. Here's a group of stories about the game and a book about one of its greatest players, Jim Thorpe. Look for these on BookBag with the Amazon and World Catalog search boxes.

Football Champ, by Tim Green (HarperCollins) Fiction. Twelve-year-old Troy White's uncanny gift for predicting football plays is proving to be a powerful secret weapon for the Atlanta Falcons, who hired him as a consultant after he demonstrated his talent. But a seedy reporter with a vendetta suspects the Falcons of cheating and sets out to shred Troy's reputation. Meanwhile, the controversy over Troy's involvement with the pro team threatens not only his own job, but his mom's, too--she's a PR agent for the Falcons. If you like fast-paced sports stories with lots of action and surprises, you'll enjoy the Football Genius novels, of which this is the second.

Touchdown Trouble, by Fred Bowen (Peachtree) Realistic Fiction. It's the biggest game of the season and mere seconds are left on the clock when 12-year-old Sam makes a touchdown, securing victory for the Cowboys! Everything is great...until later, when the team watches a video of the game and Sam realizes that his winning touchdown was scored illegally. The Giants--his team's biggest rivals--should have won. Now what will the Cowboys do? Those who like plenty of play-by-play action mixed with a bit of drama will enjoy this entertaining read.

Jim Thorpe: Original All-American, by Joseph Bruchac (Dial Books/Walden Media) Fictionalized Biography. Jim Thorpe won Olympic gold medals for the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, played collegiate and pro football, also played professional baseball and basketball, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in U.S. history. Focusing on Thorpe's years at Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian School--Thorpe was a Sac and Fox, or Sauk, Indian--this novel brings his early athletic career, especially his college football days, to life. It also gives readers a clear picture of Jim Thorpe the man (not just the athlete) and movingly portrays what life was life for Native Americans at the turn of the 20th century.

Million-Dollar Throw, by Mike Lupica (Philomel Books) Fiction. Eighth-grader Nate Brodie is the star quarterback of his school's football team and is dating Abby McCall, his best friend in the world...but that's where the perfect-life stuff stops. Nate's parents are in financial trouble and might lose the family's home, and Abby is losing her eyesight due to a rare disease. Just when things seem hopeless, Nate wins the chance to throw a football through a target during a college game's halftime festivities--for a million-dollar prize. Can he keep his cool and make the pass? This quick and enjoyable read will keep you turning the pages to see what

happens.

15 Minutes, by Steve Young (HarperCollins) Fiction. Casey Little is almost always late. Figuring that a watch might help him, he digs his grandfather's old watch out of the attic...but it doesn't seem to work. It turns out that the watch is actually one of Grandpop's crazy inventions: a Go-Back, or a time machine that transports its wearer back 15 minutes into the past. Dizzy with possibilities, Casey uses the Go-Back to boost his test scores, improve his performance on the football field, look suave for the ladies, and avoid a bully. But what happens when the little changes that Casey makes to the past start affecting other people? This fast-moving and hilarious story is a great pick for football fans who want to read something a little out of the norm.

More than baseball: Teen sports novels about soccer, stock cars, and rodeo

There are more sports for kids than baseball and football. Here are books featuring stories about soccer, stock-car racing, and even rodeo that readers will find fast and fun. Look for these on BookBag using the WorldCatalog and Amazon search boxes, and discover that competition comes in all kinds!

Bull Rider, by Suzanne Williams (Margaret K. McElderry Books) Fiction. Cam O'Mara comes from a ranching family, but unlike most of the O'Mara men, he's much happier riding a skateboard than a bucking bull. Then Cam's older brother, Ben, comes home from Iraq paralyzed and depressed, and Cam decides to carry on the family tradition of bull-riding. He finds out that he likes it--and he sets his sights on prize money that could help Ben get the rehabilitation he needs. This tough and tender small-town story of family, competition, and the wild world of the rodeo circuit is a powerful and affecting read.

Box Out, by John Coy (Scholastic Press) Fiction. High school sophomore Liam Bergstrom is thrilled to have moved up to the varsity basketball team from JV. But when he decides to take a stand against his coach, who leads mandatory prayer meetings before every game and whose racist attitude pushed the team's African-American star player to quit, Liam's position on the team isn't the only thing in jeopardy. With plenty of exciting on-court action and just as much drama off of it, Box Out is a thought-provoking sports novel about an ordinary guy who's just trying to find his own path.

Out of Reach, by V. M. Jones (Marshall Cavendish) Fiction. Thirteen-year-old Philip "Pip" McLeod hates playing soccer--mostly because of his father's obnoxious behavior on the sidelines at games. He's also just not as good at soccer as his older brother, and never good enough for his grumpy, critical dad. So when Pip tries out the rock-climbing wall at a new sports complex in town and realizes that he's a natural, he starts practicing there in secret to prepare for the regional climbing championships. Set in the author's native New Zealand, this uplifting story will have you cheering for Pip as he finds his own way to shine.

Boost, by Kathryn Mackel (Dial Books) Fiction. Thirteen-year-old Savvy Christopher is 6'2" and a talented basketball player; her big sis, Callie, is a cheerleader. When an injury ruins their dad's golf career, the family moves from their swanky New Mexico home to an aunt's sheep farm in Rhode Island, a major adjustment. Savvy is thrilled when she makes the exclusive 18-and-under basketball team The Fire; getting to play on a great travel team makes up for having to share a room with Callie, being teased about her height, and having to work on the sheep farm. But when steroids are found in Savvy's gym bag, she'll have to fight for her spot on the team. A bit of mystery, complex family relationships, and plenty of exciting on-court action make Boost a riveting read.


Throwing Like a Girl, by Weezie Kerr Mackey (Marshall Cavendish) Fiction. When her family moves from Chicago to Dallas during her sophomore year of high school, Ella Kessler falls in love with softball. Ella has never played a team sport before, but she discovers a hidden talent for the game that makes her transition to a new school easier, despite her mean-girl teammate Sally's attempts to ruin things for her. Then Ella gets matched with cute senior Nate, Sally's brother, for a super-secret project, and things heat up both on and off the field. With ample details of game play and the trials and tribulations of high-school social life, Throwing Like a Girl hits a home run.

Super Stock Rookie, by Will Weaver (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Fiction. In this second volume of the Motor series (after Saturday Night Dirt), teen stock-car racer Trace Bonham tries out for corporate-sponsored Team Blu and makes the cut. Torn over whether or not to desert his amateur beginnings, Trace decides to sign on with Team Blu and soon learns that there's a lot more to professional racing than he'd realized--and not all of it is good. Packed with action, authentic racing details, and sharp dialogue, Super Stock Rookie is an exciting story that will thrill racing fans. The next volume in the Motor series, Checkered Flag Cheater, was published in late April.

Let's go camping!

If you like to go camping, or even never tried pitching your own tent, there are some great books to read for every level of interest in the great outdoors. Even fiction stories (for those who might like to just read about it.) Here is a very short selection of books available at your library -- find them near you using BookBag's World Catalog search box -- or buy a copy through the Amazon.com search box. Either way, summer's a great time to spend some time under the stars!


Camp Out! by Lynn Brunelle, Brian Biggs, and Elara Tanguy (Workman) Nonfiction. If you're eager to go camping but don't know how to set up a campsite, how to cook food in the great outdoors, or what to do while you're camping, then this is the book for you. Covering everything from planning a camping trip to leaving your campsite as pristine as it was when you arrived--and with a lot of helpful information and fun ideas for activities in between--this entertaining guide is sure to have you camping out in the woods (or maybe just in your backyard) in no time!

The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz; illustrated by Alexis Seabrook (Collins) Nonfiction. From lists of campfire songs, hiking tips, and essential gear (such as a pocket knife and flashlight) to instruction on how to paddle a canoe, tie knots, and build a campfire, this friendly, informative book includes a lot of advice on camping--and a whole lot of other great stuff. Plus, it's packed with fascinating facts as well as games, crafts, and other fun activities to do while you're basking in the great outdoors, including ghost stories to tell after dark. And look for the boys' companion book, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden.

Earthquake Terror, by Peg Kehret (Puffin Books) Fiction. When the Palmer family goes to a remote island for a camping trip, they get way more adventure than they'd bargained for after Mom breaks her ankle. Twelve-year-old Jonathan and his physically disabled sister, Abby, stay at the campsite with the family dog so their parents can get to a hospital faster, and Jonathan feels confident that he can take care of things until his dad comes back...but then a terrible earthquake strikes. This may not be the best book to take along on a camping trip, but it's an exciting suspenseful survival adventure that thriller fans can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters, by Lenore Look; illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Schwartz & Wade Books) Fiction. Alvin Ho is a nervous kid--the type who, when his dad wants to take him camping, wonders what's so great about the "great outdoors." Besides the fact that it gets really dark outside (and Alvin is afraid of the dark), he worries about hurricanes and landslides, wild animals, poison ivy, spiders, and, well, just being in the woods. But even though he's scared, Alvin is a good sport, and this funny, feel-good story of his misadventures while roughing it is a great read for any kid who isn't gung-ho about sleeping under the stars. Want to read more about Alvin? Check out the 1st book in this series, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things.

Amelia's Itchy-Twitchy, Lovey-Dovey Summer at Camp Mosquito, by Marissa Moss (Simon & Schuster) Fiction. Despite the promise of hard mattresses, biting bugs, and exhausting hikes, Amelia finally agrees to go to sleepaway camp when she learns that her best friend, Carly, is going. But when she gets her first serious crush on a boy named Luke, who's a cartoonist like her, Amelia is stunned to find out that Carly likes him too. If you like Amelia's funny, realistic way of writing and the illustrations in her notebooks (of which there are now 24!) and want another entertaining camping tale, check out Ruth McNally Barshaw's Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel.

Made You Look, by Diane Roberts (Delacorte) Fiction. Sixth-grader Jason Percy and his best friend Freddy are huge fans of the TV game show Masquerade Mania, so when Jason learns that his family is headed to Los Angeles (where the show is filmed) on vacation, he's super-excited. But that's before he understands that his dad plans for them to drive, rather than fly, from Texas to California and camp in their pop-up Camp'otel along the way. Hilarious mini-disasters involving pink underwear, sudden downpours, and a papier-mâché dinosaur head will keep you rolling with laughter throughout this fun, fast-paced read.

For Dad's day, a list of best-ever baseball books

It's Father's Day, and baseball season is in full swing. While kids may be thinking "gee, my dad always can use another tie," Dad may enjoy a good book while the kids are splashing in the pool (and before he has to fire up the barbeque). From Levi Asher's Literary Kicks website, here's a selection of baseball books for Dad that teens may like, too. Look for these on Amazon and World Catalog by using the search boxes here on BookBag -- and maybe give Dad a break from the grill today.

Bang the Drum Slowly, by Mark Harris: The story of a smart pitcher and his dumb, ill-fated catcher, this novel will draw tears from even the hardest-hearted Yankees fans. Any of Harris’s baseball novels are worth reading -- The Southpaw, Ticket for a Steamstitch -- but this one will make you cry. The closing pages of Bang the Drum Slowly rank right up there with The Great Gatsby in my personal literary ballpark. "From here on in, I rag nobody.” It’s one of the few great baseball books made into a good movie, starring Robert DeNiro and Michael Moriarty.

Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings by Bill Brashler: Though fiction, this novel accurately depicts life on the Negro League barnstorming circuit during the bleakest days of segregated baseball. The book is dedicated to Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Cool Papa Bell, three of the best players in history, who also appear in the story. John Badham actually made a pretty decent movie out of this, starring James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor, in 1976. It’s probably the most truthful portrait of a barnstorming team in the days of segregated baseball.

The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. by Robert Coover: A proto-Rotisserie League set in Dante’s Inferno, Coover’s book is disturbing in all the right ways. Henry Waugh is a paunchy Everyman whose real life is falling asunder, so each night he retreats into a fantasy baseball game he’d originally invented to kill some time. As he begins to invest his emotions upon every outcome, the game takes over his life like a psychological kudzu and, well, you can guess the rest.

A False Spring by Pat Jordan: A minor league pitcher confronts the weighty issues of existence and gets the hell beat out of him by Elrod Hendricks in the bargain. Jordan bases this remarkable novel on his own experience as a promising pitcher in the Braves organization. The title refers to the collapse of that promise, as the cruel arm of fate tosses him some unhittable curveballs, all of this beneath the impossibly huge skies of McCook, Nebraska.

You Know Me, Al: A Busher’s Letters by Ring Lardner, Jr.: Until the Black Sox scandal, Lardner was baseball’s biggest, most perceptive fan. These fictional letters, first serialized in Chicago newspapers in the second decade of the 20th century have his patented ear and eye, among the greatest in literature. Written in the form of letters from rookie pitcher Jack Keefe to his pal Al back in Indiana, this novel is his finest. Keefe was an American original, noted critic Jonathan Yardley -- who wrote a superb biography of Lardner -- whose “expression of the vernacular ... had a lasting effect on the way American writers describe American talk.” Lardner published an entertaining sequel to this book called Alibi Ike.

The Natural by Bernard Malamud: Even though Malamud was swinging for the metaphysical fences with this novel -- attempting, as he did in all of his fiction, to pit good against evil -- he got enough of the idiom and the action right to have come damn close to the perfect morality play. A bat called Wonderboy carved from a tree cloven by a thunderbolt?

The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant by Douglas Wallop: Inspiration for Broadway’s Damn Yankees, this old yarn hits all the right diehard fan buttons. Joe Hardy arrives out for nowhere, two years after Malamud’s Roy Hobbs did the same thing in The Natural. Only Wallop’s book has a happy ending. That is, Joe Hardy -- er, Boyd -- is reunited with his long-suffering wife, but more importantly, the damn Yankees lose the pennant to the pitiful Washington Senators.

More than baseball: Teen sports novels about soccer, stock cars, and rodeo

There are more sports for kids than baseball and football. Here are books featuring stories about soccer, stock-car racing, and even rodeo that readers will find fast and fun. Look for these on BookBag using the WorldCatalog and Amazon search boxes, and discover that competition comes in all kinds!

Bull Rider, by Suzanne Williams (Margaret K. McElderry Books) Fiction. Cam O'Mara comes from a ranching family, but unlike most of the O'Mara men, he's much happier riding a skateboard than a bucking bull. Then Cam's older brother, Ben, comes home from Iraq paralyzed and depressed, and Cam decides to carry on the family tradition of bull-riding. He finds out that he likes it--and he sets his sights on prize money that could help Ben get the rehabilitation he needs. This tough and tender small-town story of family, competition, and the wild world of the rodeo circuit is a powerful and affecting read.

Box Out, by John Coy (Scholastic Press) Fiction. High school sophomore Liam Bergstrom is thrilled to have moved up to the varsity basketball team from JV. But when he decides to take a stand against his coach, who leads mandatory prayer meetings before every game and whose racist attitude pushed the team's African-American star player to quit, Liam's position on the team isn't the only thing in jeopardy. With plenty of exciting on-court action and just as much drama off of it, Box Out is a thought-provoking sports novel about an ordinary guy who's just trying to find his own path.

Out of Reach, by V. M. Jones (Marshall Cavendish) Fiction. Thirteen-year-old Philip "Pip" McLeod hates playing soccer--mostly because of his father's obnoxious behavior on the sidelines at games. He's also just not as good at soccer as his older brother, and never good enough for his grumpy, critical dad. So when Pip tries out the rock-climbing wall at a new sports complex in town and realizes that he's a natural, he starts practicing there in secret to prepare for the regional climbing championships. Set in the author's native New Zealand, this uplifting story will have you cheering for Pip as he finds his own way to shine.

Boost, by Kathryn Mackel (Dial Books) Fiction. Thirteen-year-old Savvy Christopher is 6'2" and a talented basketball player; her big sis, Callie, is a cheerleader. When an injury ruins their dad's golf career, the family moves from their swanky New Mexico home to an aunt's sheep farm in Rhode Island, a major adjustment. Savvy is thrilled when she makes the exclusive 18-and-under basketball team The Fire; getting to play on a great travel team makes up for having to share a room with Callie, being teased about her height, and having to work on the sheep farm. But when steroids are found in Savvy's gym bag, she'll have to fight for her spot on the team. A bit of mystery, complex family relationships, and plenty of exciting on-court action make Boost a riveting read.


Throwing Like a Girl, by Weezie Kerr Mackey (Marshall Cavendish) Fiction. When her family moves from Chicago to Dallas during her sophomore year of high school, Ella Kessler falls in love with softball. Ella has never played a team sport before, but she discovers a hidden talent for the game that makes her transition to a new school easier, despite her mean-girl teammate Sally's attempts to ruin things for her. Then Ella gets matched with cute senior Nate, Sally's brother, for a super-secret project, and things heat up both on and off the field. With ample details of game play and the trials and tribulations of high-school social life, Throwing Like a Girl hits a home run.

Super Stock Rookie, by Will Weaver (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Fiction. In this second volume of the Motor series (after Saturday Night Dirt), teen stock-car racer Trace Bonham tries out for corporate-sponsored Team Blu and makes the cut. Torn over whether or not to desert his amateur beginnings, Trace decides to sign on with Team Blu and soon learns that there's a lot more to professional racing than he'd realized--and not all of it is good. Packed with action, authentic racing details, and sharp dialogue, Super Stock Rookie is an exciting story that will thrill racing fans. The next volume in the Motor series, Checkered Flag Cheater, was published in late April.

Start your engines! Books for teen NASCAR fans

The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) season begins this month with races at Daytona International Speedway. Here's a selection of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that will get readers ready for this season's first lap! Look for these titles using the WorldCatalog and Amazon search boxes here on BookBag.

Sunday Money: Speed! Lust! Madness! Death! A Hot Lap around America with NASCAR, by Jeff MacGregor (Harper Perennial) Adult Nonfiction. In order to fully grasp the appeal of NASCAR, Sports Illustrated contributor Jeff MacGregor and his photographer wife attended nearly every race during the 2002 season--it took their savings, a 26-foot RV, 48,000 miles and 40 weeks to do so, but by the end of their odyssey they'd met revered drivers and wacky fans, camped out in Wal-Mart parking lots and grandstands alike, and picked up a fair amount of NASCAR lore and advice (such as "Go big, baby, or don't go"). Reading this book is almost -- almost -- as good as having been on the road with the MacGregors.

Yellow Flag, by Robert Lipsyte (HarperTeen) Fiction. More at home behind a music stand than behind the wheel, talented trumpet-player Kyle Hildebrand has, so far, avoided being part of the family business of stock-car racing. But when Kyle's older brother, Kris, is forced to sit out a race due to an injury, Kyle has to take his place...and discovers that he likes it. Now he's torn between pursuing a NASCAR career and continuing to study music, and to make things worse, he's got a potential girlfriend in each of these worlds. With plenty of NASCAR details, Yellow Flag is a must-read novel for racing fans.

Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story: The American Odyssey of NASCAR's First Black Driver, by Brian Donovan (Random House) Adult Nonfiction. Like many early NASCAR drivers, Wendell Scott learned how to maneuver a fast-moving car by running moonshine. Unlike most talented racers, however, Scott had no sponsorships, no professional pit crew, and no guarantee that when he showed up at a track he'd be allowed to enter the race. Why? Because, in the 1950s, he was the only African-American competing in the sport. This "memorable tale of an unsung American hero" (Kirkus Reviews) is a must-read for any auto-racing fan and has ample appeal for those interested in civil rights history as well.

Saturday Night Dirt, by Will Weaver (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Fiction. The many members of this book's car-obsessed cast are all out to prove themselves, both on and off the quarter-mile, small-town Minnesota dirt track speedway that is the center of their lives. On a collision course to meet at the Saturday night race that could make or break the financially struggling Headwaters Speedway, the characters move through one day, all of them hoping to win--and praying that the predicted rainstorm will pass them by. Exciting race scenes, colorful characters, and mechanical details that will enthrall gearheads make this fast-paced first entry in the Motor series a winner.

Switched, by Jessica Wollman (Delacorte Press) Fiction. Smart, hard-working Laura Mellon longs to go to an Ivy League college, but the house-cleaning business that she shares with her mom will hardly pay for such an education. Willa Pogue, who constantly disappoints her wealthy parents, feels as though she's living a life that's wrong for her (and she has a record of boarding-school expulsions to prove it). When Laura is hired to clean Willa's mansion, the two girls are astonished by how much they look alike...and they agree to trade lives for a while. So, where does NASCAR fit into this modern take on The Prince and the Pauper? You'll never guess until you read the book, but trust us, it does.

Fast Women: The Legendary Ladies of Racing, by Todd McCarthy (Miramax Books/Hyperion) Adult Nonfiction. If you think of Danica Patrick or even Janet Guthrie as the first serious female auto racer, well, guess again. This fun and fascinating book reveals that as long as there have been cars, there have been women who like and are quite talented at driving them--fast. Auto racing's earliest female enthusiasts ran the gamut from moms and socialites to mechanics, beauty queens, journalists, and more, and Fast Women includes stories of not only their triumphs and tragedies on the track, but also of their everyday lives.

Football (and other sports) for kids

Looking for books on sports for kids can be frustrating during the fall months. Football takes center-stage in most schools (and stores) -- here are some other fiction and non-fiction sports books for young fans of tennis, wrestling, and soccer, as well as some new football fiction novels. Look for these titles using the World Catalog and Amazon.com search boxes here on BookBag.

National Geographic Extreme Sports Kids' Series: Bike! / Climb! / Dive! / Skate! / Skateboard! / Ski! / Snowboard! / Surf! These high-speed introductions to extreme sports showcase the skills and share the secrets of these sports. These are ideal books to have on hand for any youngster with an interest in sports. Showcasing safety tips and proper equipment, these books are informative and action-packed.

The Wrestling Drill Book, by Bill Welker (Human Kinetics).A wrestler’s ability to execute his moves quickly and instinctively is often the difference between winning and losing a match. Drills are the most effective practice activities to use to ingrain the instinctive actions and reactions essential for wrestling success. The Wrestling Drill Book includes match-tested drills, carefully chosen by coaches who are experts in the specific techniques and tactics they cover.

When No One Was Looking, by Rosemary Wells (Puffin) Kathy is a young tennis player with enough drive, attitude, and talent to go right to the top. And it seems that everyone around her has a stake in her success. So, when Kathy is presented with an opponent she can't beat, and a tragedy occurs, everyone's motives are questioned. They all want victory badly-but would anyone really kill for it?

Venus and Serena Williams: Grand Slam Sisters, by Terry Morgan (LernerSports).Venus and Serena Williams are talented athletes who challenge the traditions of professional tennis. The African-American sisters turned pro at only fourteen years of age. With their braided hair, muscular physiques, and unapologetic attitudes, the two raised a racket in the world of women's tennis.

Football Genius, by Tim Green. (Harper Teen) Green takes the idea of football analysis as the science of patterns and grants the gift of “seeing” those patterns to 12-year-old Troy White. Although Troy has a unique talent and is usually a good kid, frustration and peer pressure force him to make some not-so-smart choices that land him in trouble but also exactly where he has always wanted to be --- on the sidelines of a National Football League team.

Raiders Night, by Robert Lipsyte (Harper Teen) The Nearmont High School football team and the adultswho support it see winning as the ultimate goal, even if it means resorting to illegal steroids. The players are the toast of the town, enjoying wild parties, drugs and alcohol, and girls who offer casual sex. Matt Rydek, one of the team's popular stars and a cocaptain, is torn between two girls and deals with a pushy father who lives vicariously through him.

Deadline, by Chris Crutcher (Harper Teen). After being

diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, 18-year-old Ben Wolf elects to forgo treatment and keep his illness secret from his family and friends in an attempt to have a "normal" senior year at his small Idaho high school. Free from long-term consequences, he connects with his crush, frustrates his biased U.S. Government teacher, and tries out for football.

Tennis Ace, by Matt Christopher. (Little, Brown) Steve wishes he had as much drive to win at tennis as his older sister, Ginny. He knows that nothing would please his father more. But the truth is, Ginny is the real tennis ace in the family. It's frustrating for both children that their father ignores Ginny's talents while pushing a reluctant Steve harder. Will brother and sister finally get up the courage to tell him how they feel?

Fairway Phenom, by Matt Christopher. (Little, Brown) Malik Edwards never had any intention of playing golf. In his mind, golf is a game played by old, flabby men wearing funny pants and hats. Then one day while channel surfing he sees a young black golfer being cheered on by a crowd of adoring fans. Suddenly golf's image changes for Malik. Yet, even if he wanted to play, where would he get the gear or the money? And where is a kid living in Brooklyn, New York, supposed to play golf? Malik's growing desire to learn the game of golf helps him overcome these obstacles-but the biggest obstacle, the ridicule of his friends, still sits in his path.

Tangerine, by Edward Bloor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Living in surreal Tangerine County, Fla., a legally blind boy begins to uncover the ugly truth about his football-hero brother. Publishers Weekly praised Bloor for "wedding athletic heroics to American gothic with a fluid touch and flair for dialogue."

Everything Kids Soccer Book, by Deborah W. Crisfield (Adams). Soccer player and coach Deborah W. Crisfield gives you lots of advice on stretching, endurance building, and strength training. Along the way, she includes some amazing facts on the World Cup and American soccer stars, such as Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm, and offers dozens of puzzles and games.