New Releases by Matt Christopher

Eleven-year-old Garry, embarrassed when his unathletic brother joins his lacrosse team, faces a bigger problem when the team bully turns on both of them.

Identical twins learn to accept the fact that they have different interests and abilities.

When hydrotherapy for an injured leg takes him to the pool on a regular basis, twelve-year-old Jerry finds himself fascinated and challenged by the rigors of competitive swimming.

Dennis O''Malley is a master on his skateboard. Although everyone else he knows skis all winter, a bad skiing accident has left him afraid to try it again. But when his friend Tasha gets a new snowboard, Dennis begins to wonder if he can turn his skateboarding abilities into snowboarding abilities. As he tries to develop his skills, he is challenged by rival snowboarders who make him doubt himself on his board. Can Dennis overcome his fears on the slopes in time to prove them wrong?

A poor throwing arm and prejudice from one white boy keep a black junior high student from completely enjoying his position on the baseball team.

Cap Wadell loves football; unfortunately, living in a rural town of 1,223 people makes putting together a team a little difficult. His grandfather suggests that Cap organize a local six-man team and play with other surrounding small towns. Recruiting players, finding uniforms, locating a field to play on, and securing a rule book are all easily done, but one major problem remains -- who is going to coach this team? Cap thinks his grandfather is perfect for the job, but trouble strikes when another grandfather thinks Cap''s grandfather is playing favorites by putting Cap at quarterback. An old-time rivalry is about to heat up again as the grandfathers battle it out off the field and Cap and the other grandson battle it out on field. As the generations clash, nobody is exactly sure who will succeed and play the coveted quarterback position. Who in the end will prevail?

Mark Conway is staying with his grandparents while his parents fight over whom he''ll live with after they divorce. He''s become a valued member of the school soccer team and seems to be coping with the changes in his life. Or is he?

CHALLENGE AT SECOND BASE Stan Martin''s chances of playing second base seem next to zero at the start of the season. His rival for the position, Gary Newman, looks tough to beat. Stan loves baseball-maybe even more than his brother, Phil, who played pro ball until quitting suddenly the year before-but after experiencing a few setbacks, Stan is tempted to quit too. Then Stan receives a mysterious note telling him to stick it out-and soon Stan finds himself face-to-face with the challenge at second base.

After a hiatus from the ice to get his grades back up to eligibility level, Jeff Connors returns to get the cold shoulder treatment from his teammates. During Jeff''s absence, a threatening note was discovered in his best friend''s locker--written in Jeff''s hand. His protests of innocence fall on deaf ears, so Jeff is on his own to discover who''s behind the sabotage.

The #1 sports writer for kids offers a read as exciting as a fast ball. Pitcher Koby Caplin is the best thing to happen to the Monticello Cardinals in years--but is he ready for prime time?

After playing the sport he loved in his home country of Japan for 17 years, Ichiro left in 2000 and joined the Seattle Mariners. Would Ichiro succeed in the world''s most challenging baseball league? Includes black-and-white photos and players'' statistics.

It''s early summer, and things are really heating up between Garry Wallis, star of Lacrosse Face-Off, and his nemesis, Michael Donofrio. At the end of last season, Garry sabotaged Michael''s chances of becoming the league''s top scorer. Now Michael is taking his revenge. He''s got plenty of opportunity, too, for the Rockets are taking part in a week-long lacrosse tournament held at an overnight camp. Garry tries to ignore Michael, but the bullying finally gets to him-and what happens next sets off a string of near-disasters that finds Garry in the heart of a firestorm . . . This latest installment in Matt Christopher''s bestselling series combines all the lacrosse action and mystery his fans crave.

A collection of wacky jokes, riddles, puns, and anecdotes about America''s favorite pastime is gathered by a favorite young sports fiction writer and is guaranteed to liven up locker rooms and baseball diamonds alike.

Matt Christopher is the writer young readers turn to when they are looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. This book is no exception. He is the author of a number of titles, including Tackle Without A Team, Face-Off, and many more.

Delving into the life of skateboarding sensation Tony Hawk, this biography examines how he began skateboarding at age nine and his performance at the 1999 ESPN X Games, where he astonished viewers by performing a trick thought impossible to do. Illustrations.

This beloved sports classic tells the story of an ordinary boy who loves his friends and teammates—and suddenly becomes a hero after a single afternoon turns his life upside down. Rob Lasher is just an ordinary soccer player, good at the game, but not great. Then one afternoon, he saves his coach''s life in front of all his teammates. Suddenly, he''s the team''s hero. As some members of his team and the rest of the town continue to laud Rob''s heroic act, Rob realizes he doesn''t want the attention and any unearned accolades that come with it. Kids will learn that doing what is right should be the norm, not the exception.

With remarks about his small stature and poor swimming skills ringing in his ears, the son of Hungarian immigrants begins to train for the 21-mile swim across a nearby lake.

Malik Edwards has 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 sport of golf help him overcome these obstacles, but the biggest obstacle-the ridicule of his friends-still sits in his path.

Sandy Comstock once made a mistake - a bad one - but he''s paid the price and now he just wants to get on with his life. Only one person stands in his way:Perry Warden, the boy who tempted Sandy to break the law in the first place. Convinced that Perry is spreading rumors about him to his new baseball teammates, Sandy face a tough decision. Should he run from the rumors, or come out with the truth about his past.

An aura of intrigue surrounds a baseball coach obsessed with the idea of turning a bunch of handpicked beginners into champions in one season.

Parker Nolan likes to tell tall tales, so why should anyone believe him when he says he saw a mysterious figure stealing plays out of the coach''s playbook?

When he learns why his best friend taught him an unbeatable pitch instead of using it himself, Bernie learns a sad lesson about friendship.

Steve wishes he had as much drive to win at tennis as his older sister, Ginny. He knows 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 and harder. Will brother and sister finally get up the courage to tell him how they feel?

At the start of the 1998 major league baseball season, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire hit a home run. In the games that followed, he did it again. And again. And again. And again. By the end of the season, in late September, he had done the hardest thing in baseball an earth-shattering seventy times. He didn''t just break the decades-old single-season home-run record set by Roger Maris in 1961-he shattered it. And by doing so, he not only set a new benchmark for players to strive for, but also reminded people that baseball is fun, a game to be enjoyed, with heroes who play for the love of the sport, not for the love of money. In this powerful biography of the most talked-about man in baseball, Matt Christopher, the number one sports series for kids, explores the slugger''s childhood days on the diamond as well as the ups and downs of his college and professional career. For more information on the Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf, please see the last pages of this book.

Tod is sure his new hockey stick will improve his game. But when his team loses, he realizes that good stickhandling needs practice as well as good equipment. He vows not to use the stick until he deserves it, but will he earn that right this season?

Throughout the 1998 baseball season, two names made the headlines more than any others: Mark McGwire, the eventual home run king, and Sammy Sosa, the runner-up in a race that won the hearts of baseball fans worldwide. Yet at the end of the day, it was Sosa who walked away with the National League''s MVP award, not McGwire. Why? Because Sosa had dug the dismal 1997 Chicago Cubs out of the cellar not just with his home runs, but also with his spectacular all-around play. Yet Sosa''s contributions off the field, both in the States and in his native land, the Dominican Republic, are even more impressive. In this powerful biography of one of the most admired sluggers in baseball, Matt Christopher, the number one sports series for kids, traces Sosa''s life from his poverty-stricken childhood-when shining shoes put food on the table-to his professional career. For more information on the Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf, please see the last pages of this book.

Jose Mendez wants to be a great batter just like his father was when he played in the minor leagues. But every time Jose picks up the bat, disaster strikes. Will Jose ever be able to match his dad''s .375 batting average?

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. first broke onto the racing scene in 1979, when he was named Rookie of the Year. In the more than 20 years that followed, his daring driving style earned him several top honors, including his proudest moment, a victory at Daytona. On February 18th, 2001, Earnhardt had been racing in the Daytona 500, when in the final lap, he had a fatal crash. While other drivers have come and gone, the face of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., with his handlebar moustache and wide grin, will always be the face of NACAR. Get to know a legend.

A biography of the enthusiastic cyclist whose racing career was interrupted by a battle with cancer before getting back on track with a Tour de France win.

Superstar running back Terrell Davis helped his team, the Denver Broncos, to two consecutive Super Bowl titles, first in 1998, then again in 1999. He holds multiple records, including those for postseason rushing average, consecutive 100-yard rushing games in the postseason, and best per-game rushing average. A unanimous Pro Bowl selection for 1999 -- his third straight year of playing in that game -- Davis was also named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press for 1999.