Scrappers

No Easy Out (Scrappers)

ADAM PFITZER: FIRST BASE/PITCHER

Adam plays first base more often than he pitches, so he's gotten through half the season without pitching to his cousin Stan, who plays for the rival Pit Bulls.

Now Adam is going to face Stan in a key game the Scrappers have to win to have a chance at the second-half championship. Stan's been in a slump lately, and part of Adam would like to go easy on him. But what will Adam's teammates think if he doesn't throw his best stuff to his cousin?

Home Run Hero (Scrappers)

WILSON LOVE: CATCHER

Wilson's long ball makes him the Scrappers' power hitter, except he misses as many pitches as he hits. So Coach Carlton offers him some pointers to improve his stance and his swing -- and now he can't hit anything. Soon everyone's offering Wilson advice, but his hitting just keeps getting worse and worse. Can Wilson figure out how to get back his groove before the team hero becomes the team goat?

THE SCRAPPERS:
nine kids fighting for a shot at the championship. Don't miss any of their stories or the exciting baseball action in this series, which is sure to hit a home run with baseball fans everywhere.

Take Your Base (Scrappers)

JEREMY LIM: CENTER FIELD

Jeremy is quiet, a loner, and the smallest member of the Scrappers. Sometimes it seems like the only thing his teammates think he's good for is getting a base on balls. If only he could get the big hit, or make the spectacular play, maybe they'd notice him.

The trouble is, every time Jeremy tries to be the hero, he messes up. Now his reckless attempt to steal second in a key game may have cost the Scrappers their chance at the championship. How can Jeremy win his teammates' respect -- and more importantly, their friendship?

Team Player (Scrappers)

TRENT LUBAK: LEFT FIELD

Trent knows he isn't as talented a player as his best friend, Robbie, or loudmouthed Gloria -- but he's content being a solid, reliable member of the team. So why does Robbie's and Gloria's constant bragging upset him so much? Is it really just because their hotdogging is beginning to undermine the team spirit the Scrappers have finally started to build -- or does he secretly wish he had something to brag about, too?

THE SCRAPPERS:
nine kids fighting for a shot at the championship. Don't miss any of their stories or the exciting baseball action in this series, which is sure to hit a home run with baseball fans everywhere.

The Grand Slam (Scrappers)

It's the Scrappers' last regular season game. If they beat the Mustangs today, they'll win the championship for the second half of the season. After that they'll get a second shot at the Mustangs to decide the championship for the entire year. But the Mustangs are really tough. Can the Scrappers expect to beat them twice in a row?

If Thurlow Coates has anything to do with it, the answer is yes!

Distant and uninterested earlier in the season, Thurlow has pulled himself together and finally come around as a solid member of the team. He has proven to be the Scrappers' most gifted player -- capable, it seems, of hitting the ball out of the park whenever he wants to. And the Scrappers have come around, too, from an unseasoned bunch of kids to a team that demands and deserves the respect of every opponent.

But can Thurlow carry the team by himself when everything the Scrappers have worked so hard to achieve is about to unravel? How could the team meet the challenges to come if Thurlow was injured? What would Thurlow himself do?

Grand Slam, the ninth book in the acclaimed Scrappers series, brings the Scrappers' dynamic, come-from-behind season to a white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat conclusion. In some ways, this conclusion does depend on one player -- but in other ways, it depends on everyone.

Play Ball (Scrappers)

Robbie Marquez is looking forward to nothing more than a summer full of his favorite sport -- baseball. He hopes especially to be the shortstop for one of his city's rec league teams, but when he and his friend Trent Lubak go to the league office for their team assignments, they find out their applications never arrived. Suddenly, they are looking at a summer with no baseball at all -- unless they can pull together enough players for a team, and a coach and a team sponser, in a very short amount of time.

Robbie and Trent indeed pull it off. (Even if Robbie does have to invent a cousin to round out the team.) So here come the Scrappers, an unusual mix of players but a team that has potential -- if they can just figure out how to get along. And that's a challenge, especially when Robbie loses out as shortstop to loudmouthed Gloria, who won't let him forget it!

This book, focusing on Robbie Marquez, is the first book in Dean Hughes's new Scrappers series about this unseasoned but determined baseball squad. Each new book in the series focuses on one of the members of the team during a summerlong season. Along the way, each person learns not only something about him or herself but also what it is that defines a team.

Scrappers 5: Bases Loaded

GLORIA GIBBS: SHORTSTOP

Gloria's really done it this time! Her blowup causes the Scrappers to forfeit a game that was a sure win. And it wasn't the umpire, or even the opposing team, that Gloria went after -- it was her own teammates!

Now, just when the Scrappers seem to have a chance at the second-half championship, Coach Carlton wants nothing to do with the team. Can the kids get him to change his mind? And if they do, can Gloria keep her temper in check and learn to be a team player?

No Fear (Scrappers)

TRACY MATLOCK: SECOND BASE

The Scrappers can't make any mistakes if they're to have a chance at playing their rivals, the Mustangs, for the second-half championship. The trouble is, ever since Tracy got struck in the face by a ball, she backs off if one is hit hard to her. Has Tracy become the weak link in the Scrappers' armor?

Maybe it's time for Tracy to give up baseball and move on with her life. Gloria's "winning is everything" attitude is starting to get to her, and quitting the game would certainly make Tracy's mother happy. But first, there's a game to win -- and being a part of that may just matter more to Tracy than she realizes.

Now We're Talking (Scrappers)

OLLIE ALLMAN: PITCHER

It's not only Ollie's pitches that are sometimes outside, Ollie himself feels like an outsider: His family's moved around so much Ollie's never lived anyplace long enough to make real friends.

It doesn't help that he's a little weird -- he's the Scrappers' best pitcher, but he relies on tricks and gimmicks like talking to himself on the mound. The trouble is, the opposing teams' batters can hear what he's saying, and they know exactly what he's going to throw. It's enough to make Ollie want to quit the team -- even if the Scrappers can't win without him.

Scrappers