New Releases by Paul Mantell

At the first practice of the season, Derek takes note of who is on the team. They have some good players, for sure--but also some weaker ones. There's still one kid missing, and Derek hopes it's a really good ballplayer to round out the roster. But when the kid arrives, everyone is shocked: she's a girl! Can Derek's team come together to have a winning season?

Derek questions his friendship with Dave when Dave unexpectedly turns hostile, and the distraction begins to affect both players on the field.

"Young Derek Jeter is excited when his father becomes coach of his baseball team, but things don''t go as he had planned"--

Young Derek Jeter''s friendship with a new student puts him at odds with his friends and seems to be hurting his baseball swing, plus he gets in trouble for confronting a student who is bullying his sister, in violation of the contract with his parents.

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, eight-year-old Derek Jeter, who dreams of playing for the New York Yankees, learns what it takes to be a champion on and off the field.

Sixth-grader Will is looking for an after-school activity, but when he joins the mountain biking club, his old friendships and values are challenged.

The Hidden Valley Eagles have high hopes for the football championship in this middle grade novel from NFL superstars and bestselling authors Tiki and Ronde Barber. Tiki and Ronde are ready to end junior high with a win—a big win! Their dream is to see their team in the championship, and with the Hidden Valley Eagles’ undefeated season, their chances are strong. But when Manny, the star quarterback, starts having headaches, the doctor says he has a minor concussion, and he is out for two weeks. The whole school is counting on the team, but with pressure building, Tiki and Ronde are starting to lose their confidence. More than that, they think their good luck is going to run out. Will the team let an injury keep them from the championship? Or can they learn to work together to bring home a win? From real-life NFL superstar brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, this is an inspiring story of teamwork and triumph.

Through the course of a difficult season, Ronde learns that his coach is right about football being a mental game, as he tries to fill in as kicker while he and his identical twin, Tiki, help Adam improve his grades.

Get to know three-time Grand Slam singles winner Arthur Ashe in this middle grade nonfiction biography of his early years! As a kid, Arthur Ashe was so small his father said he wasn’t allowed to play football, so he played tennis instead. He went on to become a professional tennis player—the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. After contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, Arthur fought to educate people about HIV and AIDS and to fund treatment for the disease until his death in 1993. This book is laced with numerous illustrations, and the back of the book includes a timeline, questions, activities, and a glossary, making it the perfect addition to a classroom or home school setting. Perfect for emerging readers, the Childhood of Famous Americans series illustrates the incredible true stories of great Americans.

In fun and fresh language, this guide helps young chess players imagine themselves as generals of their own armies, warriors geared for the fight. At the same time, it conveys all the basic rules and strategies of the chess game in a clear, straightforward way.

When Coach Spangler leaves at the start of their second year of junior high school, thirteen-year-old twins Tiki and Ronde wonder if his replacement, history teacher Mr. Wheeler, can coach the Eagles to another winning football season.

A biography of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

A simple retelling of the four Musketeers' final adventure during which they plot to replace King Louis XIV of France with the mysterious, masked prisoner in the Bastille believed to be Louis' falsely imprisoned twin brother and the true king.

When Matt Harper steps off the plane, he knows his life is about to change. For one thing, he''ll be living with his uncle for a year. For another, compared to Chicago, Dragon Valley is tiny. But so long as Matt can hit the slopes with his snowboard, he figures he''ll get along okay.

After seeing a young black golfer on TV, Malik Edwards becomes interested in golf and inspired to learn the game, but he must first overcome tough challenges to realize his dream.

Thirteen-year-old Kelly, softball star, has to face new challenges in her life, including assignment to a different softball team and her mother's new boyfriend.

Fi is a computer whiz with an obsession for all things weird. Together with her brother, Jack, and their rock star mom, Molly, they crisscross the United States while mom jams with her band. Along the way Fi tries to solve all kinds of supernatural mysteries -- everything from ghosts to UFOs -- even the legend of Bigfoot. So Weird is Disney Channel's new #1 series airing weekly on Friday through Sunday nights starring Mackenzie Phillips from TV's One Day at a Time. Everyone knows the legend of Bigfoot, but they don't really believe in a huge, hairy monster wandering around a forest. But when Fi gets lost in the woods and is rescued by a mysterious creature, she relies on her motto that nothing is too weird to be true.

Rivalry flares between twelve-year-old Freddie and his fourteen-year-old brother Dondi, both on and off the snowboarding slopes, nearly leading to disaster.

"Based on the blockbuster TV series"--P. 1 of Cover.

Megan''s life takes a sharp turn when her father''s new job forces her to transfer from private school to the public junior high school halfway through ninth grade.

When the new boy from Tokyo takes over Stogie Crane's position as shortstop, the two boys encounter the first of several barriers to their friendship.