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Fast Man on a Pivot
by Duane DeckerAt last Second Baseman Bud Walker was back again with the Blue Sox-this time, he profoundly hoped, to stay. He was not a spectacular player, just a reliable one. But he could make that double play. He had figured out to a split second just how to make the pivot and get off the throw in the absolute minimum of time. His teammates liked him, particularly the pitchers, for whom he saved game after game by his expert handling of the double play. But the fans insisted on flashy young Devlin, their choice for the second-base spot. From their hot partisanship sprang an almost unbearable situation for Bud. The manager rightly refused to take him out of the line-up while the Sox were still winning, and the incredible result was that the fans rooted violently for the defeat of their own team-and the banishment of Bud for good. In this, his finest book, Mr. Decker has built up the suspense, from the first page to the last, with a craftsmanship only matched by the skill of his expert baseball reporting.
The Big Stretch
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 6. Ex-bat-boy, Buster Stookey, has a chance to play 1st base for the Blue Sox. He's replacing Marty Blake and it won't be easy even if Blake has become a human sieve. Blake can still hit the long ball and the fans still love him--so does the front office.
Junior, Class of '88 (Class of '88 #3)
by Linda A. CooneyFive friends. Nick the golden boy, Celia the beautiful, Sean the thinker, Allie the wild, Meg the brave. Nick's wasting his time with girls who don't care, and cutting himself off from other people. Sean's about to do the same ...if Celia has her way. Allie just came back from a semester in New York City, and she can't talk to anybody; maybe it's time for her to get out of Redwood Hills. And Meg's going out with the catch of the school.... Too bad she thinks he's second best. They're supposed to know where they're heading by junior year. But what if where they're heading isn't where they want to go?
A Crack in the Sidewalk
by Ruth Wolff"I love you," Ted tells Linsey. "You are the other side of my song. You are the words and I am the music or you are the music and I am the words. In my mind, I can't separate us." Ted Newland has discovered Linsey and brought her to a career in singing. He threads her life with laughter and love and then drifts away like smoke, with never a letter or phone call to let her know where he is or when he will be back. And in the meantime there is Peter ... kind, loving Peter. But Linsey's wayward heart keeps yearning after indifferent, faraway Ted.
The Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie PopeIn 1558, while exiled by Queen Mary Tudor to a remote castle known as Perilous Gard, young Kate Sutton becomes involved in a series of mysterious events that lead her to an underground world peopled by Fairy Folk-whose customs are even older than the Druids' and include human sacrifice.<P><P> Newbery Medal Honor book
The Perfect Man
by Jenny MarkasThe perfect plan for the perfect man . . . Teenager Holly Hamilton is tired of moving every time her single mom, Jean, has another personal meltdown, involving yet another second-rate guy. To distract her mother from her latest bad match, Holly conceives the perfect plan for the perfect man-an imaginary secret admirer who will romance her mom and boost her shaky self-esteem. But when the virtual relationship takes off, Holly finds herself having to produce the suitor, borrowing her friend's charming and handsome uncle Ben as the face behind the e-mails, notes, and gifts. As time passes, Holly must resort to increasingly desperate measures to keep the ruse alive and protect her mom's newfound happiness. But will her dedication to the hoax cause her to miss the real perfect man when he does come along?
E, My Name Is Emily
by Norma Fox MazerThere's nothing like having a best friend to share your innermost thoughts with. In each of these novels Norma Fox Mazer explores the special ties between best friends-from worrying about boys, to studying for tests, to dealing with divorced parents, to just plain growing up.
Mister Shortstop
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 8. Andy Pearson had come up through the Blue Sox chain, but when he was ready for the big league, the Blue Sox had no place for him; their regular shortstop was at his dazzling best. Andy was too valuable to ride the bench and too good to be handed over to a serious competitor. So he was sold to a seventh-place club and, as he failed to shine in that depressing atmosphere, shifted from one second-division club to another. Then, just as he had decided to give up baseball, he found that the Blue Sox had purchased him, to replace their once brilliant shortstop for the last month of the season. Next year, when their newest star came up from the farm, Andy was back on the bench. To win the job of shortstop took even more than ability and determination. Andy had to discover the Blue Sox' secret-the intangible something which, against all likelihood, kept them winning World Series year after year.
The Hidden Treasure of Glaston
by Eleanore M. JewettFrom the book jacket:<P><P> This is a glowing, intimate story of medieval England, absorbing for all who love adventure, beauty, authentic details of the period and, above all, books themselves.<P> Young Hugh, a cripple with a love of ancient manuscripts inherited from his dead mother, is left by his mysterious father one stormy night in the sanctuary of the great Abbey of Glastonbury. Assisted by the good Brother John, librarian of the monastery, by his delightful friend, Dickon, and by the half-crazy songs and stories of a strange hermit, Hugh pieces together clues from partly destroyed documents which lead him on an exciting trail to a thrilling discovery, to recovered health, and to a glimpse of the Holy Grail itself.<P> A Newbery Honor book.
Ghosts of the White House
by Cheryl HarnessGeorge Washington's ghost pulls a girl out of her school White House tour and takes her on a personal tour of the building, introducing her to the ghosts of previous presidents and to the history of the White House and the United States.
New Kids On The Block
by Scott NanceIn this introduction to the New Kids on the Block, you will learn where all the "kids" grew up, in Boston, how the band was formed, what the kids like to do when they are not on the road, and what their plans are for the future.
Pictures In The Dark
by Gillian CrossIt begins with a photo that Charlie takes for school, a striking black-and-orange shot of a wild otter swimming in the river. But wild otters haven't lived there for years. As Charlie tries to figure out where the animal came from, he keeps crossing paths with Peter Luttrell, the younger brother of one of his classmates. Why is Peter so interested in the photograph? Why do the other kids call him "Evil Eye"? And why do the otter tracks lead directly to the Luttrells' yard?
Trouble in the Gym (The Gymnasts #5)
by Elizabeth A. LevyIt's a nasty trick. Some things never change. Becky still loves to see the Pinecones lose. That's been happening a lot since Ti An joined the team. The former Atomic Amazon is a good gymnast, but she always messes up at meets. What's really strange, though, is that one of the girls on the Atomic Amazon team always does exactly the same vault as Lauren. It's got to be more than a coincidence. Lauren thinks there's a spy in the gym.
Nobody's Perfect (The Gymnasts #3)
by Elizabeth A. LevyThis time Jodi's in real trouble. Jodi has the chance to star in an important gymnastics demonstration. But if her schoolwork doesn't improve, she won't be allowed to perform. It seems so unfair! Jodi knows she's a good gymnast, but when it comes to school. . . she just feels dumb. She just can't do it! Can the rest of the team convince her not to give up?
The Complete Canasta
by Ralph Michaels Charles H. Goren Josefina Artayeta De VielThis book teaches the reader how to play Canasta with 2, 4 or 6 people, and how to have a Canasta tournament.
While The Cat's Away (Sabrina The Teenage Witch #25)
by Margot BatraeNatural Disaster! When an inter-realm hurricane traps Drell on the wrong side of the linen closet, his powers are temporarily on the blitz. While he waits for them to return, Sabrina covers for him in exchange for a Heart's Desire chip. But when Salem swallows it and morphs into a human form, it's good-bye Mystery Meat Mix, hello teenage boy! Now Sabrina must hide Salem until she figures out how to return him to his feline form. She takes him to the only place a teenage boy can go unnoticed-high school. But the failed despot in Salem soon takes over the school! Sabrina can't stand Salem like this. But can she turn him back before the inter-realm hurricane clears and Drell returns to the Other Realm?
Third-Base Rookie
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 10. At last the years had taken their toll of Johnny Madigan, the Blue Sox' pint-sized third baseman. The originally derisive label, good-field-no-hit, had long ago become his badge of honor; but now his never too robust batting average had dropped to .243 and he was a full step slower going to his left. The front office had acquired the best third-base prospect in the league to take his place, giving up a fine veteran pitcher to get the prize rookie. But Madigan was not the man to accept his sentence without protest, and when he discovered that the new boy was Vic Scalzi, from his own home town, he found himself suddenly in possession of a secret weapon. Scalzi had served a jail term for robbery, although his older brother was the guilty man. The core of this story is the vivid baseball action. The human interest is young Scalzi's emotional problem, which Mr. Decker presents with great skill and insight.
Rebel In Right Field
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 12. The ball shot on a sinking line over second base into right field, and Danny Redd watched it as he charged. It was a treacherous line drive, and it was his or nobody's. Danny saw that he should dive for it; instead he stretched his glove to his shoe tops. He felt the ball hit the glove, but he knew it had hit the turf a fraction of a second before. The umpire didn't see Danny trap the ball and called the play an out. Danny had apparently saved the inning, and he couldn't understand why manager Jug Slavin was angry about it. Danny Redd was the new right fielder for the Blue Sox, and he was on his way. He did everything right, but he wouldn't take a dive or crash into a fence for anyone. His older brother had finished his baseball career before it began by always getting hurt, and Danny wasn't going to make the same mistake. Great ballplayers aren't made that way, however, and how Danny slowly arrived at this painful conclusion is the climax of one of. Mr. Decker's finest baseball stories.
Showboat Southpaw
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 11. Sam Sloat was a nineteen-year-old pitcher, and for a left-hander he had good control. He had a good curve, too, but he seldom used it. He figured he didn't need it, not when he could just blow his fast ball past the hitters. The Blue Sox called him up from Triple-A at the end of the season and when he got a chance to pitch, with the game still wide open in the last inning, he shook off his catcher until he got the signal for the fast ball. Then he blew three batters in succession back to the bench, and that was the game. His next performance was even more startling-a complete game using nothing but the fast ball. But back home, in the fall, a frightening thing happened. Showboat Sloat felt the first ominous twinge in his left arm. How he dealt with the situation makes a wonderfully satisfying story, which provides not only plenty of baseball action, but also the picture of a man in the making.
The Grand-Slam Kid
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 13. Fame came to Bucky O'Brian with a pinch-hit home run during his first game with the Blue Sox. Suddenly his chance of replacing fading catcher Pete Gibbs became excellent, for Manager Jug Slavin needed a catcher who could hit. There was nothing to warn any of them that he would be batting .209 the following season and getting boos from the fans. Bucky hated to bunt and never more so than the day his roommate Oklahoma had a no-hitter going. Coming toward Bucky was a pitch too high to bunt, but easy to hit out of the lot. Here was an opportunity to get the Sox in the scoring column, to save the day for Oklahoma, and to redeem himself. What happened then, surprised every player on the field. It also brought Bucky to his senses so that his education as a complete ballplayer could begin in earnest. This warm-hearted installment of the Blue Sox saga is sure to be a favorite with the team's many fans.
Abby--Secret at Cutter Grove (South Seas Adventures #4)
by Pamela WallsFROM BACK COVER "When the Kendalls lose their ranch, Abby's family and friends decide to check out the sugarcane business on Kauai. Upon arriving, they're welcomed by the wealthy Reese Cutter, who offers them jobs and a place to live. But things soon turn sour in this sugar business. Why is the infamous Cap'n Jim hanging around the plantation, and can the bad things the workers say about the charming Reese Cutter really be true? As she explores these mysteries, Abby finds that she cannot always trust outward appearances and that actions often speak louder than words."
Bridge to Freedom
by Isabel R. MarvinSynopsis: It is March 1945, the last days of World War II, just inside the German front. Kurt, a German army deserter, and Rachel, a 15-year-old Jew who has escaped from the terrors of Nazi Berlin, meet. The two must trust each other in order to survive and escape. For ages 10 and up.
The Specter from the Magician's Museum (A Lewis Barnevelt Mystery)
by Brad StricklandCaught in a Web of Doom.. It all begins with a school talent show. Lewis and Rose Rita visit a magician's museum to do some research for their magic act. But when Rose Rita cuts her finger on an enchanted scroll, unsettling things begin to happen. Rose Rita becomes spellbound by a tomb in a sorcerer's graveyard. Soon Lewis realizes that his friend is caught in a literal web of evil magic from beyond the grave... and if he doesn't save her, he may never see her again.
Long Ball to Left Field
by Duane DeckerBlue Sox 9. The Blue Sox had a problem. After nearly ten years in left field, the famous Kennie Willard had retired, and someone was needed to take his place and bat in the clean-up slot. They had Mike Jaffe, a bonus boy, who had proved during his two years with the Sox that he could do just what was wanted: hit that long ball to left. But Mike didn't want to be an outfielder; he was convinced that he should be a pitcher, as his father had been. Feeling like this, Mike just naturally was sympathetic toward pitchers, even when they weren't on his own team. Since this proved to be an unsatisfactory state of mind for a potential slugger, Mike began to spend more and more time on a Sox farm club instead of with the Sox themselves. Because Mr. Decker is a strictly major-league baseball writer, he resolves this situation in a true-to-life way. Boys will enjoy this sports novel both for its excitement and its authenticity.