It's soccer season, and sophomore Bones Austin and his team are struggling to make it to the district play-offs--against all odds. To make matters worse, Bones has a crush on the girlfriend of his best friend, Joey. Bones and Joey are forced to learn a little something about teamwork, even when hard times seem to be tearing them apart. Rich Wallace returns to Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, in his stunning follow-up to Wreslting Strubirdge, in Knopf Paperback for the first time. From the Hardcover edition.

Everyone's heard an urban legend before. They're stories that get passed from kid to kid, and nobody can quite remember where the story originated. Sometimes the story changes. Sometimes details are added, or dropped. But one thing's for sure: nobody can ever prove whether the story is true. These three stories--all set in the same New England town--address that very question: How much of an urban legend is rumor, and how much is fact? In one story, sixth grader Jordan's former classmate--a target of bullying before his family moved away--has died. Did he die from injuries he got while in school? And if he's really dead, why does Jordan keep seeing him? In another, Danny, an out-of-place loner, is fixated on the local legend of horses who died in a flood. Creepy and perfect for Halloween, these stories are sure to delight anyone looking for a good spine-tingler.

Introducing a soccer series for new readersKickers #1Nine-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.

Introducing a soccer series for new readersKickers #2The 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. From the Hardcover edition.