Thirteen year-old Carlos Cooper is used to being the star of the team. Back in his old basketball league, he took every shot he possibly could--even if he had to steal it from a teammate--and he made every single one of them. But on his new wheelchair basketball team, he's back to being just one of the players--nothing special, nothing talented. But when his team's gym is closed down by the city, Carlos soon finds himself even more adrift. Without the gym, they can't practice, and if they can't practice, they might as well kiss their dreams of the State Championship goodbye. It's only by learning to work together--as a team--that Carlos and the Rollin' Rats will be able to save their gym. And it's only by learning what it takes to be a member of that team that Carlos will be able to fully embrace his new friends. With action-packed basketball scenes, plenty of humour, and lots of heart, this debut novel from a beloved sports writer is perfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green.

Endorsed by Netball Australia. Rachel is 15 years old and loves netball she has her sights set on playing for Australia. Just when a Club scout visits looking for promising players to upgrade, she twists her ankle. to make matters worse, the coach has just announced that their team will have to merge with another club. Rachel tries out and makes the new team, but is finding a couple of the more experienced players hard to get along with. Will Rachel be able to overcome her difficulties and become part of the team? Ages 9+

Mel Jensen is new to the Titans basketball team, but he knows he could be a vital part of the starting lineup—if only two other plays would give him a chance to show his stuff. But Caskie and Stoney seem bent on ignoring him, and Mel knows it's because he's black. Should Mel fight fire with fire, or should he try to get along, if only for the sake of the team?

Freddie and his brother Dondi have always been competitive. Dondi has a job, money to spend, and girls chasing after him, and now he can even drive! But Freddie knows that he has something his brother does not: better snowboarding moves, more daring runs, and overall more advanced techniques. When Dondi challenges his brother to a run down the very dangerous Devil's Ravine, Freddie knows his brother has raised the stakes of their competition too high. Yet he is left with a problem: does he accept Dondi's challenge and potentially hurt himself, or does he back away? If Freddie is leery of Devil's Ravine, then how will Dondi fare on the slopes? The run is very risky, and Freddie must now decide if this brotherly competition, and opportunity to outshine his brother, is really worth it.

Two weeks of intense competition remain to decide the final teams for the Little League (R) World Series. This year, the anticipation is high as it's possible that both of the previous final two teams will return, a very rare occurrence. And those are the teams Carter and Liam now play for! These two players, one from each team, are thinking the same thought: How can I play against my best friend? This is the fourth book in a five-book series that follows Liam and Carter as they work their way to the Little League (R) World Series. The final book in the series will coincide with the Little League (R) 75th Anniversary in 2014.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. Ruby adores playing football, but it’s 1921 and the Football Association has decided that football isn’t suitable for girls – and Ruby’s father is in complete agreement. Can Ruby’s ingenious solution save the day? Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Peppa and her friends can't wait to be shown how to play rugby by Mummy Rabbit and Miss Rabbit. They're ready to catch, pass and kick the ball! Will Daddy Pig and Daddy Rabbit's rugby match on television finish in time for them to cheer on Peppa and her friends outside?

Gordon is back for more mayhem and mischief in the second book in the laugh-out-loud Gordon's Game series! __________ Gordon D'Arcy - the only kid at school with a Six Nations medal hidden under his pillow! Though helping Ireland to win the Grand Slam feels like it was just a dream. Now, he's been given a brand new challenge - the chance to play for Leinster. After learning so many lessons playing for Ireland - including how to make a complete eejit of himself in front of millions of people - fitting in at Leinster should be a breeze. Right? Unfortunately, not. After his first training session, he sees why the team is mocked for being 'soft' (those stories about players wearing fake tan? All true!). Now he knows why so many people from Leinster support Munster. But Gordon settles down to work under an inspiring coach named Joe Schmidt. Joe promises that, with hard work, discipline and a bit of self-belief, Leinster can win the European Cup. Maybe another dream can come true!

From New York Times bestselling author and former NFL defensive end Tim Green comes a football story about a boy who is given a chance to prove that wealth and privilege don't matter on the football field, as long as he has the skills to compete. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica! Cory has always been passionate about football. But life for him and his single mom has been hard, making it difficult for Cory to play. And though Cory is a good kid, he's constantly surrounded by negative influences. But when the coach from an elite private school with one of the best football programs in the country recognizes his talents on the field, Cory is presented with an unbelievable opportunity. Cory knows that football could be his ticket out. But leaving to attend private school also means struggling to fit into a world where most people look at him and just see a scholarship kid from the wrong side of town. Cory knows that if he can fight hard enough--both on and off the field--he may be able to secure a bright future that looks different from his unpromising past.

Daphne doesn't want to be stuck in Oakland with her dad. She wants to get on the first plane to Prague, where her mom is shooting a movie. Armed with her grandparents' phone number and strict instructions from her mom to call them if her dad starts drinking again, Daphne has no problem being cold to him. But there's one thing Daphne can't keep herself from doing: joining her dad and her new friend Arlo at a weekly skate session. When her dad promises to teach her how to ollie and she lands the trick, Daphne starts to believe in him again. He starts to show up for her, and Daphne learns things are not as black and white with her dad as she used to think. The way Daphne's dad tells it, skating is all about accepting failure and moving on. But can Daphne really let go of her dad's past mistakes? Either way life is a lot like skating: it's all about getting back up after you fall.

What would you do if you knew there was going to be a terrible accident?

When Stosh travels into the past to meet Roberto Clemente, a legendary ballplayer and a beloved humanitarian, he's got only one goal: warning Roberto not to get on the doomed plane that will end his life in a terrible crash. In the sixties, Stosh meets free-spirited Sunrise, and together they travel across the country to a ball game that leaves them breathless--and face-to-face with Roberto. But when the time comes for Stosh to return to the future, he finds that the adventure has only just begun. . . .

Five kids with one dream: to become the greatest sports stars in the world! Joe knows he has no chance of catching the mysterious scout's eye - he loves football, but he's by far the worst player in his club. Despite this, he's whisked away to a remote island and teamed up with four other kids: Kim, Craig, Ajit and Jess. But there's more to this island than meets the eye, as Joe learns it is home to the world's greatest Sports Academy. With the help of eccentric, genius coaches, he and his new friends are gradually transformed into serious players in their own sports. But the Academy's secrets are wanted by many others ... Is someone tracking them? Will Joe and Atlantis United escape the clutches of their mysterious pursuers? And can they possibly win their first big game deep in the jungles of Brazil?

Dana and the rest of the Raiders gymnastics team must learn how to deal with their biggest rivals, the Superiors. When the Superiors don't play fair, the Raiders learn a valuable lesson in sportsmanship.

Standing at the summit of Coopers Hill in England, Stephanie Chiocci prepares to barrel down a slope steeper than the MCG grandstands. But winning the annual Gloucester Cheese-Rolling Race is just one of her objectives. The Collingwood AFLW captain has also taken it upon herself to save the family cheese-making business of one of her biggest fans. To do so Stephanie must defeat local to Neville OShea in one of the worlds most dangerous foot races. Full of footy skills and references this hilarious book sees Stephanie Chiocci jetting to England to take on a local bully in the world-famous Gloucester Cheese-Rolling Race. Tasked with winning the race to save a family cheese-making business, Stephanie must call upon her elite football abilities and also utilise the help of an inventive fan.

A rugby-mad boy. A huge game. And a chance for an epic win . . . or an epic fail! Gordon D'Arcy is an ordinary boy, but he's not so ordinary once he gets a rugby ball in his hands. He's the star player for Wexford Wanderers and dreams of one day wearing the Ireland jersey. A dream like that means hard work, raw talent and never losing sight of your goals. But Gordon has a wild streak that often lands him in trouble. Mum and Dad think that if he can just channel his energy, all will be well. Then something utterly mad happens and he gets a chance to live his biggest dream. Can he stay on his game and do everyone proud? Or will trouble follow him . . . like it usually does? Gordon's Game is a funny and inspiring adventure for rugby lovers of all ages! 'A cracking read . . . which will appeal to all the family' Irish Country Magazine

Blizzard is based on John Rocco's childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the bookopens with a boy's excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood's immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. John uses an increasing amount of white space in his playful images, which include a gatefold spread of the boy's expedition to the store. This book about the wonder of a winter storm is as delicious as a mug of hot cocoa by the fire on a snowy day.
Praise for Super Hair-o and the Barber of Doom
With a light, humorous touch, Rocco reveals that sometimes the Kryptonite is all in your head.
--Publishers Weekly
Bold, colorful pen-and-ink illustrations burst with power from each spread in comic-book style. This story will make a feel-good impression on budding comic book/superhero fans.
--School Library Journal
Praise for Blackout
The plot line, conveyed with just a few sentences, is simple enough, but the dramatic illustrations illuminate the story...Not all young readers will have experienced a blackout, but this engaging snapshot could easily have them wishing for one.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The colorful pictures work beautifully with the book's design. Rocco uses comic-strip panels and a brief text to convey the atmosphere of a lively and almost magical urban landscape. Great bedtime reading for a soft summer night.
--School Library Journal (starred review)
2012 Caldecott Honor BookNew York Times Notable BookWall Street Journal Best Book of the YearPublisher's Weekly Best Book of the YearSchool Library Journal Best Book of the YearKirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
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Praise for Fu Finds the Way
Rocco's story flows smoothly and his illustrations are rich and appealing...
--Kirkus Reviews

When she hurts her paw on the fourth day of the race, Akiak can no longer compete in the Iditarod?the famed dogsledding race through 1,151 miles of Alaskan terrain. Her musher has no choice but to leave her behind. The rules say once a dog is dropped from the race, it may not rejoin the team. But ten-year-old lead dog Akiak doesn't know the rules, and nothing will stop her from catching up to her team. Akiak has never won the race before. Will she be able to help her team win this time?

In Laguna Beach, California, sixteen-year-old Kendra Dimes is preparing for the 2010 USA Surfing Prime West. She'll be competing this year in honor of her brother, who was a surfer too, but who died from a drug overdose. Kendra has suffered anxiety attacks ever since her brother's death, and surfing is what's been helping her heal. Brock Parker is the new bad boy at school; he deals drugs to the high school clientele for his parents, who work for a Mexican drug lord. Though Brock and Kendra come from two different worlds, sparks fly when they meet at the homecoming dance-their attraction is magnetic. When they start a game of 21 Questions one night, they begin to learn more about each other-and, surprisingly, about themselves too. But some questions aren't answered with the whole truth; after all, Brock can't tell Kendra what his parents do for a living. As Kendra and Brock experience all of life's most exciting firsts, they prove that even when life throws you the perfect storm, you can make it through and come out stronger than before. 21 Questions is a coming-of-age journey packed with passion and heartbreak, risk and romance.

An action-packed basketball series from author LJ Alonge set on the courts of Oakland, CA. Justin has a list of goals stashed under his mattress. Number 1 is "figure out life plans." Number 5 is "earn Zen Master rating in WoW." Nowhere on that list is "play the crew from Ghosttown," but that's the type of trouble that always seems to finds him. The debut title from LJ Alonge's new basketball series pulses with action on and off the court. With wit, humor, and honesty, Justin unfolds over one hot summer.