Lupica scores with unlikely heroes who encounter challenges on and off the field. Nick, who's adopted, finds that moving up to varsity baseball has its downsides. Pedro wants to please his hard-working father, but basketball and a class election could spell failure, not fame. Believable characters, distinctive voices, and effective dialogue make for appealing novels.

Gr 3-6 Pedro Morales loves to play basketball, and as the point guard on his schools team, he knows that being successful on the court means being a good teammate. However, when Pedro decides to run for class president against the most popular boy in his grade, who also happens to be the school's star basketball player, he has to learn the hard way that not everyone is a team player. Drawing on his knowledge of the sport, Mike Lupica's novel ((Philomel, 2008) sends kids a message about the importance of cooperation and teamwork both on and off the court, without being preachy and didactic. Keith Nobbs's narration engages listeners and brings the characters to life. For fans of the series as well as reluctant readers. Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY