Books with author Rich Wallace

A story of the summer of '69 for fans of John Ritter and Mike Lupica Brody Winslow is having a summer typical for most twelve-year-old boys--hanging out at the pool, listening to music, and hitting on girls. But the year is 1969: we've just landed on the moon, the Vietnam War is heating up, the Mets are beginning their famous World Series run, and Woodstock is rocking upstate New York. Down in New Jersey, twelve-year-old Brody is mostly concerned with the top ten hits on the radio and how much playing time he'll get on the football team. But when he goes along for the ride to Woodstock with his older brother, who is getting closer to the draft age, he starts to wake up to the world that is changing around him.

Jimmy Fleming throws left, hits right and left, and is hoping to become Hudson City’s newest pitcher.Having moved from Pennsylvania, he’s looking forward to making some new friends and playing the sport he loves. But while he makes the team, things don’t go the way he’d hoped. His teammates aren’t too welcoming and his time on the mound is less than stellar. It doesn’t help that his dad is applying more and more pressure to be a star pitcher. Before long, Jimmy is wishing he’d never left Pennsylvania. But Jimmy isn’t one to give up, and just when the season hits a low point, Jimmy’s pitches—and his attitude—begin to find their mark.

Ron is watcher, it seems. He watches his pick-up basketball team–five guys trying to fit together on the court. He watches Dawn on the dance floor, and that tiny star tattoo on her shoulder. He watches Darby run, her short legs all sweat and muscle. He watches his friends veer off–and up–into popularity. He watches his dad move in with his grandmother and make do. But he’s more than a watcher: He’s a hustler on the court, a free-thrower, a poet, a poker player, a rule breaker, a loving grandson, a runner, and a ruthless competitor in those eight laps around the track–the 3200 meter. In nine interwoven stories, award-winning author Rich Wallace brings a small-town high school to life through the sharp, spare voice–and the heart-pounding defeats and triumphs–of an athlete.

Eddie Ventura is the first baseman for the Hudson City Hornets seventhgrade baseball team. The team is off to a rough start, but finally begins to win some games. Not exactly thanks to Eddie. He’s a good enough player, but he’s a better writer, and soon he’s recruited by the sports editor of the school newspaper to write about the team’s games. Thing is, he’s more of a storyteller than a truthteller, and before long the rest of the team isn’t sure that they like what Eddie is writing about them! PRAISE FOR WINNING SEASON: “Wallace should be commended for endeavoring to keep boys of this age reading.” —VOYA “Fast-moving sports stories with soul.” —Children’s Literature

Some might think Jay was cheated. By his mother, who walked out when he was 9. By his dad, who took a job a couple thousand miles away and let him stay above a bar in a one-room apartment. By the basketball coach, who saw his talent but chose youth over determination. And even Jay’s not sure whether this last year of high school in the small town of Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, will add up to anything. But just when senior year seems a waste–kissing the wrong girls, offending the right ones, playing basketball on a church league with other “rejects”–life begins to click again. The church league gives him some of the best basketball he’s ever played, and the right girl gives him a second chance. Jay may not know what he wants next out of life, but he’s beginning to get a clue about how to play the game.

Have you ever heard an urban legend? In this trio of terrifying tales, three boys have a close brush with the unknown as they encounter ghostly horses who run the streets at night, phantom farm children whispering in their ears, and a deceased former classmate who may be less dead than everyone thought. . . . Eerie, thought-provoking, and perfect for Halloween, these scary stories are sure to delight readers who grew up on Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark looking for a good spine-tingler!

Some might think Jay was cheated. By his mother, who walked out when he was 9. By his dad, who took a job a couple thousand miles away and let him stay above a bar in a one-room apartment. By the basketball coach, who saw his talent but chose youth over determination. And even Jay’s not sure whether this last year of high school in the small town of Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, will add up to anything. But just when senior year seems a waste–kissing the wrong girls, offending the right ones, playing basketball on a church league with other “rejects”–life begins to click again. The church league gives him some of the best basketball he’s ever played, and the right girl gives him a second chance. Jay may not know what he wants next out of life, but he’s beginning to get a clue about how to play the game.