SOS!! Think it would be fun to get stuck on a deserted island with the guy you sort of like? Well, try adding the girl who gets on your nerves big-time (and who's crushing on the same guy), the bossiest kid in school, your annoying little brother, and a bunch of other people. Oh, and have I mentioned that there's no way off this island, and no one knows where you are? Still sound great? Didn't think so. Now all I have to worry about is getting elected island leader while keeping my crush away from Little Miss Priss. Oh, and one other teeny-tiny little thing: surviving. Get me outta here!

Filled with on-the-field soccer scenes, black-and-white artwork, and sports statistics throughout, this short novel--ideal for newly independent readers, athletes, and all sports fans--follows nine-year-old Ben and his fourth-grade team, the Bobcats, as they race to the Kickers League playoffs. Ben knows he's one of the team's strongest players, but he's been struggling with the jitters. He's just freezing up on the field. Can he pull through for his teammates now that they "really" need him?

"From the Hardcover edition."

KICKERS: a young middle grade soccer series
Book 3
It's a race to the Kickers soccer league play-offs. Nine-year-old Ben is pretty sure that if the Bobcats win two of their last three games, they'll earn a tournament spot. But in their game against the Tigers, the Bobcats are a mess on the field--they're not passing well at all--and Ben decides to take control. Someone has to win this thing, and his teammates just aren't measuring up.
Then the whistle blasts, the red card waves, and Ben is out--benched for dangerous moves. Not only that, he's barred from the next game, too--a key bout against the Rabbits. How can he possibly help his team to the play-offs from the "sidelines"?
The Kickers series, from award-winning sports novelist Rich Wallace, features nonstop soccer action, black-and-white art, and league statistics and soccer tips throughout.
Also available:
KICKERS #1: THE BALL HOGS
KICKERS #2: FAKE OUT
KICKERS #4: GAME-DAY JITTERS

"From the Hardcover edition."

"Introducing a soccer series for new readers"
Kickers #2
The Kickers soccer league is heating up, and Ben's team, the Bobcats, has two losses, one win, and one tie. Ben knows he can pull his team out of its slump and right into the league play-offs with his new move: the fake-out. He practices the tricky footwork every chance he gets. But every time he tries it on the field, he flubs up, loses the ball, and hurts his team. Meanwhile, everyone else is faking him out. Is Ben out of his league?
In his Kickers series, award-winning author Rich Wallace offers action-filled novels about the Bobcats, a fourth-grade coed soccer team, and their bid for the league play-offs.

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"From the Hardcover edition."

"Introducing a soccer series for new readers"
Kickers #1
Nine-year-old Ben is brand-new to soccer, but he's a good athlete and knows he'll do well on the Bobcats, his team in the local Kickers soccer league. If he can only work around his obnoxious teammate Mark, the ball hog, Ben is sure he'll score his first goal. But Coach Patty, and Ben's own teammates, show him a little something about teamwork. And suddenly it dawns on him: "he's" a ball hog, too. Can he change his ways before the Bobcats lose their shot at the Kickers play-offs?
Award-winning sports novelist Rich Wallace introduces the Kickers soccer series, filled with lively black-and-white art and fast-paced, on-the-field action.

"From the Hardcover edition."