Football Champ by Tim Green

Posted By Kirk on August 17, 2010

Football ChampWhen Troy White proved his remarkable “football genius” to the Atlanta Falcons, they brought him on board as a team consultant. Now, thanks to Troy’s ability to predict winning plays, the Falcons are pulling in victories. Troy loves his starring role behind the scenes and the thrill of having NFL star linebacker Seth Halloway (who’s dating Troy’s mom) to coach his own Duluth Tigers team on their way to a state championship.

Then Troy’s perfect world comes crashing down. Reporter Brent Peele is out to smear as much mud on the Falcons as he can, and that means going after Troy. The vicious media storm that descends on the football genius threatens not only his job with the Falcons and the Tigers’ run at a championship but his mother’s career—and Seth’s—as well.

Together with his best friends, loyal Nathan and feisty Tate, Troy sets out to unmask the dishonest Peele—and save Seth’s reputation—no matter what the risk.

Fish by Gregory Mone

Posted By Kirk on July 14, 2010

FishFish—nicknamed for his incredible swimming abilities—is a twelve-year-old boy from a poor farming family. After taking a job as a courier for his uncle, Fish is waylaid by pirates, who steal the package he’s carrying. He soon learns that it’s the key to locating the Chain of Chuacar, a legendary treasure. As he works to earn the trust of Cobb, the fortune-hunting captain of the Scurvy Mistress, Fish learns of a mutiny headed by a nasty pirate called Scab. With time running out to find the Chain, Fish and some fellow shipmates still loyal to Cobb must thwart Scab’s dastardly plan.

National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley

Posted By Kirk on July 5, 2010

NERDSCombining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last.

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

Posted By Kirk on June 6, 2010

Brooklyn NineBaseball is in the Schneider family blood. Each member of this family, from family founder Felix Schneider in the 1800s to Snider Flint in the present day, has a strong tie to the game and to Brooklyn. Through the years this family has dodged bullets on a battlefield, pitched perfect games, and dealt with the devastating loss of family and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nine innings—nine generations. One game—one family. Through it all, one thing remains true: the bonds of family are as strong as a love of the game.

Baseball Great by Tim Green

Posted By Kirk on May 29, 2010

Baseball GreatJosh feels like he’s starting to make it big! Jaden, the school reporter, says he’s going to take the baseball team to number one. Then his dad pulls him off the field and signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine’s youth championship team, the Titans. He says Josh has what it takes to be a baseball great—and the Titans will help him get there.

Now Josh is gulping down Rocky’s “Super Stax” milkshakes to build muscle and trying to fit in with his new teammates—older, tougher kids who can suddenly become violent. All Josh really wants to do is play ball, but as he gets in deeper with the Titans, there are questions he’s just got to ask. As Josh and his new friend Jaden investigate their suspicions, they find themselves in a dangerous struggle with a desperate man who doesn’t want them to expose the nasty secrets they uncover.

Pulsing with action, baseball great offers a baseball story attuned to today’s headlines, a totally involving, character-driven, sports-centered thriller.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

Posted By Kirk on May 22, 2010

Joey PigzaTo the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, hyperactive Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts feeling wired. One mishap after another leads Joey first from his regular classroom to special education classes and then to a special education school. Finally, with medication, counseling, and positive reinforcement, Joey triumphs, in this comic, compassionate, and compelling tale.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis

Posted By Kirk on May 15, 2010

Secret Science AllianceSuper-smart Julian Calendar thinks starting junior high at a new school will mean he can shed his nerdy image–but then he meets Ben and Greta, two secret scientists like himself! The three form a secret club, complete with a high-tech lair. There, they can work to their hearts content on projects like the Stink-O-Meter, the Kablovsky Copter, and the Nightsneak Goggles.

All that tinkering comes in handy when the trio discovers an evil scientist’s dastardly plan to rob a museum. Can three inventors, armed with their wacky creations, hope to defeat this criminal mastermind?

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

Posted By Kirk on May 8, 2010

The name of this book is secretThis is the story about a secret. but it also contains a secret story.

When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician’s diary and the hunt for immortality.

Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won’t stay secret for long.

The Hero Revealed (Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy Series #1) by William Boniface

Posted By Kirk on May 1, 2010

Ordinary boyYIKES!

Professor Brain-Drain is on the loose! This supervillain menaces the fine supercitizens of Superopolis, concocting evil-genius schemes and draining everyone’s brainpower! (And in this town, there’s not a whole lot of that to begin with.)

NEVER FEAR!

The AMAZING INDESTRUCTO will save the day! He is indestructible! He cannot be harmed by anything! He is the town’s greatest superhero! Collect all sixty-four of his trading cards!

BUT WAIT!

A mystery is afoot in Superopolis. Why is it so hard to get a complete set of the collectible cards? Where is the last card hiding? Who is the real mastermind behind this sinister plot, and what is he planning?

Forget the regular superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this might just be a job for . . . ORDINARY BOY.

Free ebooks and audiobooks

Posted By Kirk on April 29, 2010

Ok everyone, I have added a couple of links, over on the right there, to LibraVox and Project Gutenberg.  Each on offers free editions of books in the public domain.  LibraVox specializes in the audio formats, and Project Gutenberg has mostly text ebooks, along with some audio ebooks as well.

Have fun finding some of your favorites!