Blastin' the Blues


Book Description

#1 New York Times Best Seller LOREN LONG’s illustrations have received two gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and his first picture book, Angela Johnson’s I Dream of Trains, won the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for Illustrations and his inspired interpretation of Walt Whitman’s When I Heard Learn’d Astronomer was a Golden Kite Honor. A much sought after editorial artist whose work has appeared in Times, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Atlantic Monthly, Loren is widely known for the illustrations in Madonna’s #1 New York Times Best Seller Mr. Peabody’s Apples. And Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could. He lives in West Chester, Ohio, with his wife, Tracy, and two young sons, Griffith and Graham.




Home of the Brave


Book Description

The Paynes are down at the bottom of their last inning, but are they out? The final book in Loren Long and Phil Bildner's Sluggers!




Tournament of Champions


Book Description

Rip, Red, and their friends on the Clifton United basketball team travel to a spring sleep-away tournament.




Get Those Guys Reading!


Book Description

Want to identify fiction books that boys in grades three through nine will find irresistible? This guide reveals dozens of worthwhile recommendations in categories ranging from adventure stories and sports novels to horror, humorous, and science fiction books. In Get Those Guys Reading!: Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love, authors Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia A. Kochel provide compelling and current reading suggestions for younger boys—information that educators, librarians, and parents alike are desperate for. Comprising titles that are almost all well-reviewed in at least one major professional journal, or that are such big hits with kids that they've received the "stamp of approval" from the most important reviewers, this book will be invaluable to anyone whose goal is to help boys develop a healthy enthusiasm for reading. It includes chapters on adventure books; animal stories; graphic novels; historical fiction; humorous books; mystery, horror, and suspense titles; science fiction and fantasy; and sports novels. Within each chapter, the selections are further divided into books for younger readers (grades 3–6) and titles for older boys in grades 5–8. Elementary and middle school librarians and teachers, public librarians, Title One teachers, and parents of boys in grades 3–9 will all benefit greatly from having this book at hand.




Home of the Brave


Book Description

In Blastin’the Blues, still fearing they are being followed and even more worried they have a traitor in their midst, the team travels to New Orleans, where the magic of their ball and the music of the city create one memorable game. But like always, trouble is right around the corner and the hits keep on coming for the Payne family and all of the Travelin’Nine! In Home of the Brave, after the rousing success in New Orleans, Griffith, Ruby, and Graham are determined to beat the Chancellor at his own game and save their family as well as the game of baseball. Pulling into their hometown of Baltimore, the Paynes are reunited with a familiar face, and the Travelin’Nine are tested on the field once again. Can they win without the help of their baseball? Prepare for fireworks in this final inning to the grand slam series, Sluggers!




Magic in the Outfield


Book Description

Griffith, Graham, and Ruby's father passed away in the war. And now they must join their mother and their father's wartime traveling baseball team, The Travelin' Nine, on a tour of America to raise money. No one will tell the kids why the team needs money so badly. Their only clue is a baseball with a hole the size of an acorn in it that their Uncle Owen gave to them the night of their father's funeral. They know very little about its significance except that their father made it with his own two hands and carried it with him throughout the war. And when all three kids hold the ball, strange things begin to happen...




Beautiful Redemption


Book Description

The stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling series, perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Maggie Stiefvater! Is death the end . . . or only the beginning? Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves. Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect. Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.




Ed McKean


Book Description

The exemplar of the major league slugging shortstop before either Honus Wagner or Lou Boudreau, Ed McKean spent a dozen seasons as a high-profile contributor to the Cleveland Spiders, leading his team to three playoff berths and the 1895 Temple Cup championship. He played in no fewer than four of the Society for American Baseball Research's "100 greatest games of the 19th century." This first McKean biography returns the charismatic Irishman to the spotlight, recounting his efforts to reimagine himself as one of Cleveland's original sports heroes, his struggle to win a significant place in fin de siecle America, and his leading role in the Emerald Age of baseball. Appendices provide his major league career batting record, his year-by-year offensive rankings, and even lines from a poem attributed to him.




Most Valuable Players


Book Description

Fifth grade comes to a buzzer beater worthy end for two best friends in this illustrated middle grade novel—the fourth and final book in the funny and engaging Rip and Red series. It’s fifth-grade graduation time for Rip and Red, and as part of the celebration, an exhibition basketball team is paying a visit. There are other surprises in store, but before the boys and their classmates can participate, they need to finish their schoolwork, which includes taking a newly required standardized test. As the students of Room 208 begin to question the need to take the test, a mini opt-out campaign gains momentum, putting all sorts of things in jeopardy for the kids and their teacher Mr. Acevedo. But luckily for Rip, Red, and their friends, when you stand up for what you believe in, the people you’ve touched along the way will rally to your corner—in ways that will surprise you. With an energetic and authentic story from author Phil Bildner and dynamic black-and-white illustrations from Tim Probert, Most Valuable Players is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and an array of kid-friendly discussable topics, this series is perfect for reluctant readers and in-class or independent reading. Don’t miss any of Rip and Red’s adventures for elementary and middle school readers ages 8-12: ● A Whole New Ballgame ● Rookie of the Year ● Tournament of Champions ● Most Valuable Players




Water, Water Everywhere


Book Description

The Travelin' Nine are in trouble. No only have they missed their train to Minneapolis, but the team has lot its pitcher and no one except Ruby is happy about the replacement. Illustrations.