New Releases by Terry Trueman

An aspiring author hopes that he''ll learn how to write like his favorite poet before accidentally becoming "The Kid Who Killed Cole Hardt"

Purely fiction, these stories tell the tales of athletes in a variety of sports, including track, football, martial arts, Ping Pong, fishing, and dirt bike riding.

This anthology of short, autobiographical stories has kids’ book authors telling tales of their own real-life athletic incidents. Some are funny, some are serious, and some put their own twist on the whole “sports” concept. Eight stories from both “boys” and “girls” include tales of dodgeball, wrestling, track, softball, and ballet. Kids will relate to the struggling non-jocks as well as the athletes who take the trophy home.

Stuck in Neutral, a Printz Honor Book, introduced the world to Shawn McDaniel, a fourteen-year-old kid with cerebral palsy. But what happens next? Shawn''s got a new perspective on life. But no one has a clue. That''s because they can see only his wheelchair, his limp body, his drool. What they don''t see? His brain, with perfect auditory memory. And his heart, which is in love with a girl. And his fierce belief that someday someone will realize there''s way more to him than his appearance. How do you connect with others when you can''t talk, walk, or even wave hello? In the sequel to Stuck in Neutral, which ALA Booklist called "an intense reading experience," Shawn McDaniel discovers a new definition of "normal" and finds that life happens next for everyone.

This "intense reading experience"* is a Printz Honor Book. Shawn McDaniel''s life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can''t even move his eyes. For all Shawn''s father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn''s life is in danger. To the world, Shawn''s senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen—a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life. *Booklist starred review

I heard the gunshot and I knew what had happened. Even before I made it downstairs to Dad''s office, I knew what he''d done. How do you live your life after catastrophe hits your family? How do you go back to football practice, or take a girl out on a date, or talk to your friends about normal stuff when nothing is normal anymore? Three years after his father''s death, Jordan is still wondering. But then, salvation comes—in the form of a ''76 Corvette. It''s gorgeous, it''s beautiful, it''s incredibly sexy. And so is the girl who suddenly takes notice of him. Slowly Jordan realizes that maybe, just maybe, he can start living again. But the real question is: Does he want to?

The powerful story of a boy''s fear and courage in the face of a force of nature too huge to even imagine. Based on Hurricane Mitch''s devastation of Honduras in 1998, Terry Trueman''s acclaimed Hurricane is a gripping, realistic story told from the perspective of a hurricane survivor. After hours of cowering in the dark with no lights, no warmth, and the terrible noises of the rain and wind pounding on the walls, José walks out his front door and steps into a nightmare. Everything is gone. Everything except for the desperate courage of those who survived that terrifying night. But his nightmare has only begun as he and the few who are left in his small village dig for survivors, search for food and water, and try to start pulling their lives back together.

How sick is this: I''m the major jock-stud in high school, but my brother has the brain of a badminton birdie and a body to match. I''ve got everything and he''s got nothing. I''m a three-year, three-sport letterman and Shawn can''t even stand up! Like I said, sick, huh? It''s hard to be a brother to someone who doesn''t even know you''re there. How can you talk to him when he can''t understand a thing you say? How can you listen to him when he can''t speak a word? How can you love him when he''s so messed up, he can''t love you back? And how can you have a life of your own when your father bailed on the family, leaving you to be the "man of the house"? Fueled by rage at what has happened to his family, Paul is ready to explode. And he is haunted by something even worse—something he can never tell anyone. It is something he will have to face if he is to have any hope of a future at all. While Cruise Control is a companion to Terry Trueman''s Printz Honor book, Stuck in Neutral, it is the completely independent story of a family''s "other" son—the one who is healthy, gifted, normal. It is a courageously hopeful story told with power, compassion, and humor.

Yesterday, Jose thought about music, girls and sport. But then a hurricane hits his little town and his world abruptly changes. A story of a young boy''s struggle to survive, to provide hope and leadership in a Honduran village buried in a mudslide.