Showing results by author "Jake Maddox" in All Categories

Nick hates running, but when his gym teacher gives him an ultimatum—join the relay-race team or fail the class—he knows he has no choice. He'll have to suck it up and run. Will he learn to run or let down his team?

Sam is the best swimmer on his school swim team. When Julien, a new exchange student at school, joins the team near the end of the season, Sam offers to help him practice. But when Sam and Julien have to race against each other in the final meet, only one swimmer can win the gold.

When Kenny's anger problem gets out of control, his father signs him up for karate lessons. But even in karate class, Kenny can't get a grip on his temper. He's getting a reputation for being angry. With help from his karate teacher, will Kenny be able to calm down long enough to focus and win?

Austin may be new to town, but he's not new to go-kart racing. Unfortunately, he had to leave his kart behind when he moved. When he races against Ryan Stone, Austin quickly learns that Ryan's the guy to beat. But how can Austin's rental kart compete with Ryan's shiny red kart? Austin will have to learn that the driver, not the kart, wins the race.

Isaac Roth's big brother was a forward for the Wildcats, and Isaac wants to be one too. His dream is to be the highest-scoring forward ever. The problem is that Isaac is short. Coach Turnbull thinks he'd be a better point guard than a forward, since he's fast and small. Will Isaac be able to change his dream and play for the team, or will he give up on the sport he loves?

Jeff has an anger problem. He doesn't know how to control his temper. One day, when his anger has almost gotten out of hand, he meets Logan, one of the captains of his school's wrestling team. Logan thinks Jeff would be a great wrestler. But can Jeff control his anger long enough to win a match?

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.

The only fun thing to do in Amir's neighborhood is climb buildings. Of course, no one will let him do that. When a police officer offers to bring Amir to a climbing wall outside of the city, Amir is thrilled. He meets William, who also loves climbing. But William doesn't want to learn the right way to climb, and before long, he is in serious danger.

Trey Smith, the captain of the Wildcats, knows he's one of the best players on the team. He doesn't worry about anything when he's on the court. But then he finds out that he knows someone on a rival team. It's his cousin, Pete. And to make matters worse, they're assigned to guard each other. How can Trey play when he'll have to beat his cousin to win?

Everyone says that Crooked Hill has a curse. But it's the only good place to go mountain biking in Flatte County. When Jonah's brother goes down it during a storm, can Jonah beat the Crooked Hill curse?

Nick has always loved camping, but his cousins, Andy and Devin, aren't outdoors guys - they're jocks. Nick isn't even sure why his cousins wanted to go on the camping trip. They don't listen to his warnings about campfires and bears, and they make fun of everything Nick does. When Devin finds himself in real danger, can Nick save him in time?

Can the Wildcats' quarterback lead his team to victory against their football rivals? The Huskies are the biggest and best team in the conference. The Wildcats lose to them every year. But with their new quarterback, Carlos, the coach thinks they have a chance this year.

Can a speedy football receiver outrun his all-star brother's footsteps? Andrew's been improving his speed at the wide receiver position. But he'll need to work overtime to lead his team to victory and impress his older brother.

Malcolm loves two things—baseball and science. He’s always studying the stats and coming up with ideas to help his team gain an advantage over the competition. But when Malcolm’s homemade glove oil causes a major blowup with his teammates, he must find a way to win back their trust.

Jae Cho isn’t very good at games. Whether it’s board games, card games, or anything else, she usually doesn’t have much luck. But when she watches her brother, Dal, playing Castle Crusaders 5, she’s fascinated by the strategy of destroying the opponent’s forces and taking out the enemy’s castle. When Dal rushes off and leaves the game running on his computer, Jae can’t resist the temptation to try playing for herself. Before long she’s hooked on the game and secretly playing against others on her brother’s computer whenever she can.

Tobias Wilson has a secret. For the past two years, since attending a Choctaw Nation powwow with his family, he's been teaching himself how to hoop dance. But when his best buddy Declan discovers him dancing, it isn't long before his whole class knows. Once the secret is out, Tobias has the opportunity to share his dancing at the spring talent show, but he's not sure he wants that. Is he ready to share his Native dance with others or will he stop dancing altogether?

Grace loves being on her school’s swim team. She enjoys hanging out with her teammates and making new friends. But when Chloe joins the relay team, she and Grace clash. Grace tries several ways to be friends with Chloe but fails every time. Then at a big swim meet, Chloe blames Grace for getting their team disqualified. Grace can’t believe it. She doesn’t understand why Chloe is so hostile toward her. Will the two girls learn to look past their differences and work together for the good of the whole team?

In the wake of great loss, Aisha has found comfort in sailing. And it seems the rest of her family has found comfort in pretending nothing’s changed. Frustrated with their silence, Aisha escapes one night on her family’s sail boat. Her brother, Sai, catches up to her, but before he can convince her to come back, a storm rolls in.

Karate is the most important thing in Aliyah’s life. It allows her to fight–and she’s good at that. It also makes her feel like a winner. Nothing is more important to Aliyah than taking down an opponent, especially if it’s her main rival, Suma. Things soon change with the arrival of a new student, Zoya, who also happens to be Suma’s little sister. Aliyah sees something familiar in Zoya–an anger and aggression that reminds Aliyah of herself. Upon the request of Suma, and with the approval of the sensei, Aliyah agrees to train Zoya.

Hank Watson enjoys helping his basketball team win big games. However, his true passion is cooking. Hank doesn't tell his team that he likes to cook because he's afraid they'll make fun of him. When an opportunity arises to meet celebrity chef Brenton Spooner, Hank jumps at the chance. But while practicing a difficult dish to impress his idol, he accidentally burns his hand. The injury isn't serious, but it affects his performance both on the court and in the kitchen.