(3) YA Travel Team series. The Roadrunners travel baseball team encounters daunting opponents on the field while tensions off the field threaten the team's solidarity. Dustin's father blackmails the coach; Sammy loses his power hitting when forced to switch from aluminum to wood bats; Trip alienates his father when he considers pursuing music instead of the major leagues. Crisp dialogue and personal challenges keep this series alive for baseball fans. Review covers these Travel Team titles: Forced Out, Power Hitter, and Out of Control.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) 4-6 Kate's devout Christian family is challenged when her mother is diagnosed with incurable cancer. As Kate wrestles with her feelings, she takes comfort in writing poetry. The text, including sports metaphors, can be awkward ("We blame God for the bad things, just as we blame umpires for the bad things in ball games"), but some readers may sympathize with Kate's plight.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Donald Wu. These poems take Little Leaguers from February's dismal, snow-covered fields through the rusty days of spring into the heart of baseball season and out to winter again, all shown in Wu's seasonally appropriate acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations. Fehler writes of the paradoxical vastness--or constriction--of the outfield (depends whether you're fielding or batting) and other common experiences of ballplayers with a knowledgeable, accessible voice.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) YA More than two dozen narrators contribute their perspectives to this moving high school baseball story. After talented center fielder Luke "Wizard" Wallace is put in a coma by a star pitcher's wild throw, Luke's friends, family, teammates, and opponents weigh in on the event. Moments of genuine tension anchor Fehler's insights into sports, competition, and ambition in this deftly handled free-verse novel.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl