New Releases by Rich Wallace

Ron is watcher, it seems. He watches his pick-up basketball team–five guys trying to fit together on the court. He watches Dawn on the dance floor, and that tiny star tattoo on her shoulder. He watches Darby run, her short legs all sweat and muscle. He watches his friends veer off–and up–into popularity. He watches his dad move in with his grandmother and make do. But he’s more than a watcher: He’s a hustler on the court, a free-thrower, a poet, a poker player, a rule breaker, a loving grandson, a runner, and a ruthless competitor in those eight laps around the track–the 3200 meter. In nine interwoven stories, award-winning author Rich Wallace brings a small-town high school to life through the sharp, spare voice–and the heart-pounding defeats and triumphs–of an athlete.

Eigtheen-year-old Michael Kerrigan, writer of obituaries for the Scranton Observer and captain of the track team, is ready for the most important season of his life--until the police find four joints in his school locker, and he is faced with a choice that could change everything.

Welcome to Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, a small, dead-end town with nothing to do and no way out. At least that''s how Ben, a high school senior and the second-best 135-pound wrestler in school, sees it. But Ben''s fed up with being stuck on the bench, watching as his friend Al, the state champion, gets all the glory. If Ben doesn''t get his life in gear, he could end up like his father and the other men in Sturbridge--working on the line in the cinder block factory. Spurred on partly by a wise, intense young woman, and partly by a strength found deep within himself, Ben looks for a way out--his whole life depends on it. In the words of Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli, "Wrestling Sturbridge isn''t just an outstanding first novel; it''s an outstanding novel, period."

Slimmed down and in great shape, Dunk is thrilled to make the school basketball team as a secondstring center. Jared, the starting center, is the best player on the team. But when Jared begins missing practice as well as the shots he used to make, Dunk is on the court more than he expected. He’s playing better than ever, but will that jeopardize his friendship with Jared?

The pressures of being an undercover reporter are getting to Eddie Ventura. No one on his baseball team has realized that he is the anonymous writer behind all the great new coverage their team has been getting from their school newspaper. The only problem is—not everyone is thrilled with the stories, or the uncanny way their secrets are being leaked to the press. Should Eddie quit writing for the school newspaper before his secret is uncovered?

Nineteen-year-old Danny spends an eventful summer in Maine, looking for romance, working as a "straight" dishwasher in a gay bar, and trying to reconnect with his estranged father.

Strong, wiry, and lightweight, Donald seems to have the perfect combination of physical attributes for wrestling. And after seeing a high school wrestling match, he''s excited to join Hudson City''s middle-school team. The workouts are grueling, and he loses his first few matches, but Donald''s most difficult obstacle is his temper. Can he channel it to work for him instead of against him? Packed with action and drama, this newest Winning Season book from accomplished author Rich Wallace won''t disappoint.

the guys call him Dunk, but Cornell Duncan couldn’t dunk from a six-foot ladder. He’s flat-footed and slow and can jump only about two inches off the ground. but put him at the foul line and he’s a star—a free-throw magician. that’s the main reason he made the Hudson City all-star basketball team, which, if the team keeps winning, is headed to the state tournament. but just when Hudson City seems to have a good chance at going all the way, Dunk gets a wake-up call. Following a few disastrous minutes off the bench, he realizes that it’ll take more than free throws to make him a real all-star.

Friends Calvin Tait and Zero Rollison look forward to a season of soccer with the YMCA summer league. Soon Calvin finds himself leading his team to the finals, where they''ll compete against the toughest players in the league, twin sisters with Mia Hamm-inspired shots on goal.

As his own self-confidence grows, seventh-grader Dunk learns to be supportive both on and off the basketball court when his friend Jared goes through a difficult time, even though Jared''s failure would provide Dunk more opportunities to prove himself.

Jason Fiorelli is having a great year as wingback on the Hudson City Hornets. Twenty-seven receptions, six touchdowns, and fifty points for the season! Now with only three games left, the league title is within reach, until -- disaster -- the Hornets'' star quarterback has a season-ending injury. And Wade, the replacement quarterback doesn''t have the talent to take charge. In a surprise move, Coach sends Jason in as emergency quarterback. It''s an opportunity to save the season, but it also feeds the rivalry between Wade and Jason. With the championship game drawing near, can the Hornets pull it together in time to work as a team?

Get ready for some amazing soccer action in Winning Season 4! It’s summer in Hudson City. And for Calvin Tait and Zero Rollison, it’s time to give soccer a shot. The YMCA soccer league looks like an easy way to get their feet wet and learn some technique, and once Calvin gets his foot on a ball and the taste of a winning game, he’s totally hooked. Soon Calvin is leading his team to the finals, where they’ll be up against the toughest players in the league—twin sisters with Mia Hamm–inspired shots on goal. Calvin knows he’s good, but are the twins better?

Jason has twenty-seven receptions, six touchdowns and fifty points for the season as a wingback, but after the star quarterback is injured, Coach sends Jason in at emergency quarterback. Includes table of contents, book preview and author profile. Chapter Book: 9 chapters.

Seventh-grader Donald, living with his parents in New Jersey, is determined to master wrestling but discovers that to win at the sport he must learn to control his temper.

When sixth-grader Manny Ramos, one of the fastest runners on the youth football team, joins the new track club, he hopes that his light weight will be a benefit in racing against more experienced guys. Reprint.

Frank, a teenaged ghost who has not been able to move on to a higher realm in the afterlife, tries to connect with his younger brother Herbie, a high school senior who was eight years old when Frank died.

Manny refuses to give up when he has a rough start to his first football season. He¿s got the whole season to prove that he can earn the roar of the crowd. Includes table of contents, book preview and author profile. Chapter Book: 14 chapters.