Shawn gets to be a junior team member on Johnny Pride's stock car team. But when he arrives at the racetrack, it turns out he'll be helping Johnny's biggest competition, "Mean" Gene Pederson. Shawn realizes that appearances aren't everything. Maybe there's more to Mean Gene than a bad reputation.
When his Aunt Lucy introduces Sheldon to the world of kart racing he is quickly hooked; the challenge of building a winning kart is irresistible, and so is the opportunity to take "Coal Roller," the local champion (and bully) down--and maybe he can even make his often-absent father proud.
For as long as he can remember, Ethan has envied his dad's hunting trips. His dad has always promised to bring Ethan along when he's old enough, and finally, this year is the year! But on their hunt, Ethan discovers some dead deer left in the woods. A poacher is killing the animals for fun. Ethan knows that's against the Hunter's Code, after all, he broke that rule himself.
High interest, low reading level books for reluctant readers with compelling, easy-to-follow text and satisfying endings that show character growth and the spirit and sportsmanship of playing sports.
Sadie Townsend is known by all as The Ice Princess, and she’s worked hard to earn her reputation. Her father, a now-incarcerated Drug Lord, has kept her under his thumb her whole life, and she’s learned enough from living in his world to give everyone the cold shoulder. But one inebriated night, she shows Hector the Real Sadie, and he knows he’ll stop at nothing to have her. Hector Chavez makes one (huge) mistake: he waits for Sadie to come to him. Tragedy strikes and Sadie’s got a choice. She can retreat behind her Ice Fortress, or she can embrace the Rock Chick/Hot Bunch World. Guided by Hector, the Rock Chicks, the Hot Bunch and her new roommates, Buddy and Ralphie, Sadie negotiates a life out from under her father’s thumb. A life that includes poison, arson and learning how to make s’mores.
"Caleb has always used the same wood bat. But this year, his new team's coach wants him to use an aluminum one. When his coach sees what Caleb can do with a wood bat, he agrees to let him use it--until the other team accuses Caleb of tampering with his prized Slugger! With his favorite bat out of commission, Caleb's forced to use the aluminum bat. How is he supposed to help his team win when he keeps striking out?" -- page 4 of cover.
The undisputed master of the tough thriller, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Hunter delivers an “exciting and intelligent” (The Wall Street Journal) masterpiece set in 1940s Arkansas, where law and corruption ricochet like slugs from a .45 automatic. Earl Swagger is tough as hell. But even tough guys have their secrets. Plagued by the memory of his abusive father, apprehensive about his own impending parenthood, Earl is a decorated ex-Marine of absolute integrity—and overwhelming melancholy. Now he’s about to face his biggest, bloodiest challenge yet. It is the summer of 1946, organized crime’s garish golden age, when American justice seems to have gone to seed for good. Nowhere is this truer than in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the reigning capital of corruption. When the district attorney vows to bring down the mob, Earl is recruited to run the show. As casino raids erupt into nerve-shattering combat amid screaming prostitutes and fleeing johns, the body count mounts—along with the suspense in this “riveting” (Los Angeles Times), “richly told tale” (The San Francisco Examiner).
Abby Abernathy is re-inventing herself as the good girl as she begins her freshman year at college, which is why she must resist lean, cut, and tattooed Travis Maddox, a classic bad boy.
Jason never turns down a dare, which has gotten him in trouble more than once. After he gives some classmates a hard time, they challenge him to a BMX competition. Jason can't say no. But BMX is way harder than he thought. If he can't learn to ride before the competition, this dare will be his last.
Four stories set around racing focus on becoming a member of a pit crew, building stock cars, working for famous drivers, and solving a mystery of who is sabotaging other drivers.