Everyone expected Leon Kline, anchor for the 4x100 sprint relay, to secure Gilburn High's spot in the record books. But a freak accident on the final stretch changes everything. Suddenly his future is gone. No more running, no scholarship, no college. But then he meets sassy and straight-talking Casey De Vries, and life doesn't look quite so bleak. She even gets him running again. He can't sprint anymore, but he can handle longer distances. As he gets to know Casey better, he realizes that something is not quite right. How can he help her if she won't tell him what’s going on?
The student body of Dawson High study hard, date, root for the home team, hold down part-time jobs, succeed and fail, just like most American teenagers. When opposing teams stay at the same motel, the coaches give the players strict rules to follow. Be polite and keep to yourselves. At first Rick appears to be cooperative, but Cole begins to question his actions. When Garrett goes missing, Rick acts strangely. What has he been up to?
Dan has worked hard for three years to earn the quarterback slot on the football team, but Clay, a new boy who has moved to the area, is better and threatens to take the slot from him. Coach asks Dan to help Clay learn plays. Dan faces the dilemma of doing what is best for him and doing what is best for the team.
The other night, Trace Brewster, Max’s best friend and star hockey player for the Hawks, scored on his own net and put the team’s chances of qualifying for an upcoming tournament in jeopardy. Since then Trace has gone silent and is shutting everyone out. But Max thinks there’s more going on with his friend than what happened on the ice. For one thing, there are bruises on Trace's face that he refuses to explain. Can Max find a way to get Trace to open up and help him in time for the big game?
Jack’s a star player on an elite soccer team along with his brother, Alex. The Lancers are on top of the league, even favored to win the National Championship. But the game’s about to change. A slick bookie wins Jack’s friendship and introduces him to illegal betting. Before long, Jack is hooked on the adrenaline rush, and early wins convince him that gambling could make him rich. Meanwhile, an ever-widening rift is forming between the two brothers. Suddenly, Jack’s “system” fails and his luck runs out. How could a few losses pile up to a gut-kicking ten grand? When he can’t pay, the bookie gives Jack one way out - throw the National Championship. But can he betray his brother, his team and himself?
Follow along with Josh as he practices day and night for the tournament.
Extreme Ice Cross Downhill presents the thrills and spills of this intriguing extreme sport. The carefully written, considerate text will hold the readers' interest and allow for successful mastery and comprehension. Written with a high interest level to appeal to a more mature audience, these books maintain a lower level of complexity with clear visuals to help struggling readers along. A table of contents, glossary with simplified pronunciations, and index all enhance achievement and comprehension.
Extreme Cave Diving presents the thrills and spills of this intriguing extreme sport. The carefully written, considerate text will hold the readers' interest and allow for successful mastery and comprehension. Written with a high interest level to appeal to a more mature audience, these books maintain a lower level of complexity with clear visuals to help struggling readers along. A table of contents, glossary with simplified pronunciations, and index all enhance achievement and comprehension.
Scott Schroeder dreams of a day when he and his father can have a home of their own. Following an accident that took his mother’s life eight years before, doctors discovered Scott was suddenly deaf. Blessed with being an accomplished gymnast, and even though he signs and reads lips, Scott’s biggest challenge is convincing others he is just as able in doing all things as those in the hearing world. Picking up on conversations he observes along the way, Scott figures out a big family secret concerning his father and uncle and makes his mind up to play a part in their reconciliation.
Eddie is a star diver with confidence issues. He wants to join the swim team--but does the team want him? With the help of an alien friend, Eddie makes a splash. This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of diving, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Natasha is a superstar scorer. She's good with a basketball, and she knows it. But she's not always a good teammate. With the help of an alien friend, will Natasha shoot and score, or miss before the buzzer? This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of basketball, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Rishi is a hockey player who skates with a chip on his shoulder. He has an anger problem that he needs to get under control. With the help of an alien friend, will Rishi get his shot at a goal, or be stuck in the penalty box? This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of hockey, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Jalen is the fastest kid on the football team. He'd be a great wide receiver--if he could catch! But he drops every pass thrown his way. With help from an alien friend, will Jalen dive for the end zone or be benched permanently? This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of football, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Sharice is a volleyball star just waiting to crush it on the court. Her busy schedule means she has some choices to make, though. With the help of an alien friend, will she be there in time to set and spike, or be stuck watching from the sidelines? This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of volleyball, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Ella could be a great goalie--if she could get past her fear of being different. With help from an alien friend, will Ella embrace her deafness and gain the confidence to stop her opponents in their tracks? This graphic novel includes educational sidebars such as a quick history of soccer, a social emotional tie-in, and a pro athlete biography. Backmatter includes an activity page and character information.
Sixteen-year-old Spencer loves his job at the local racing stable, but when he becomes convinced that someone is drugging the racehorse Lord of the Flies, no one believes him. In an effort to find out who is behind a dangerous race-fixing scheme, he takes on some of the most unsavory members of the track community. By refusing to turn a blind eye, Spencer risks losing those he cares most about, including Em, the stableowner's niece.
Jack Spencer has more to worry about than being kicked off his high school's basketball team. He uncovers suspicious circumstances surrounding the car crash that severely injured his mother and learns of his father's arrest for fraud. Jack's dad is tough on him, but he has learned to live with it. For the most part, he has it pretty good. Jack is a star player on his high school basketball team with everything going for him-scoring records, popularity and an easy path to a college scholarship. Almost as fast as the crash that put his mom in the hospital, everything Jack believes in starts to crumble. His only hope is to discover what's really going on, and quickly. If he doesn't, Jack may lose much more than a basketball career.
Ray Hockaday plays center for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League. He's spent his hockey career hiding something from the world. When his new Russian room-mate shows up, Ray is assigned to help Vlad get used to life in Canada. What Ray doesn't know is that Vlad is also hiding something. And that secret could get both of them killed.
Hockey stars Mike "Crazy" Keats and his new friend, Dakota, are caught in a web of violence which makes winning a championship the least of their concerns. Dakota Smith is in trouble. But Mike "Crazy" Keats doesn't care. He is new to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Dakota seems like a good guy to have for a friend. Unfortunately, not everyone accepts Dakota's Native North American heritage so easily.
Byron is psyched when his older brother Jesse invites him on a weekend caving trip—even if it means spending time with Cole, Jesse's obnoxious college roommate. With Jesse's girlfriend Michelle rounding out the group, Byron is sure the excursion will be a success. Things get tense when they near the cave, only to find that the way in is blocked. Byron stumbles on the entrance to a new cave, but the thrill of his discovery is overshadowed by Cole's increasingly strange behavior. Exploring a wild cave is always dangerous, but it becomes deadly as tempers fray and the water level inside the cave starts to rise. When an underground confrontation leaves his brother seriously injured, Byron has to make some life-or-death decisions—and every second counts.
Sixteen-year-old Salvador "Slam" Amaro thinks being the assistant coach of the Brookfield High School girls' basketball team will be an easy gig. Show up, run a few drills and pad his resumé so he can win a spot on the Ontario Provincial Under-17 team. But Slam's job suddenly gets a lot harder when the girls' coach and her daughter, the star point-guard, vanish after being threatened. Getting to the bottom of their disappearance puts Slam in confrontation with a mysterious stalker. But that's not his only problem. With the girls facing playoff elimination, Slam has to come up with some new coaching strategies while he battles some tough competitors for a place on the Ontario squad.
Trenton Hiser is trying to walk in the footsteps of his uncle, Mike Hiser, a successful Hollywood director. During Trenton's summer vacation, he goes with his uncle to film the inside story of Scarlet Thunder, a top-level stock-car racing team. As they film the action, too many things go wrong, deadly mistakes are made and Trenton finds out that much more than the race is at stake.
At 17, star defenseman Craig McElhaney likes his chances of making it as a pro hockey player. Yet, a string of recent "accidents" threatens to knock his team out of the playoffs and ruin his promising career. Craig has begun to question how many "accidents" can happen before they become more than a coincidence. But it's not a good time for questions. Not in the spotlight of high-pressure hockey. Not when the team needs him most. And not when he has some important lessons to learn about life. For Craig, however, there is no choice. Unless the questions are answered, the team's season and his promising career will surely end.
Travis and his best friends Ryan and Jasper live for the thrill of watching their horses race. When a thief starts hacking off the tails of Standardbred horses stabled at Blackdown Park, suddenly the track isn't such a great place to hang out. Things get even more unpleasant when a troubled girl comes between Travis and his friends. Travis has to make some tough choices, but how can he stand by his friends when he no longer trusts them?
Izzy and Julia have been on the same team for years. Izzy is frustrated that Julia spends too much time cherry-picking and getting all the credit when they score. But when someone starts threatening the team and their home field is sabotaged, the friends must work together to find the answers. Why would someone threaten their star player? And what is the connection to a century-old train robbery and the rumor of buried treasure? Trying to solve the mystery and keep the team in the playoff race, Izzy and Julia find themselves in deeper than they thought, and in more danger than they imagined.
