Fred Bowen

There’s “plenty of soccer action” in this story of a middle schooler who has to figure out how to balance good sportsmanship with the goal of winning (Booklist).
Eighth-grader Nate Osborne is a forward on his U-14 soccer team, the Strikers. He and the rest of his teammates are very competitive—especially when it comes to their rivals, the Monarchs. They want the Monarchs to lose so badly that they’ll...

The Franklin High Panthers need a new quarterback. Freshman Jesse Wagner knows the plays, but he feels he is too small to be QB material. Jesse’s brother Jay has a problem of his own: his college coach wants him to switch from quarterback to safety. The brothers agree on a deal: Jesse will try out for quarterback, and Jay will try playing safety. Meanwhile, Jesse and his teammates recruit an unlikely kicker for their team—a girl named...

Another exciting, fast-paced sports story from Fred Bowen featuring lots of play-by-play action
Matt Monroe is a shoo-in for starting quarterback for the Parkside Middle School football team this year.
Or is he?
Devro, a new seventh grader, looks pretty impressive. He's consistent and can run the plays almost as well as Matt. And he's got speed.
As the fall football season unfolds, the team has more than its share of surprises and...

The Reds and the Cubs are battling for the first place in the Rising Stars League. The Reds need a victory in today's game to push ahead in the standings.
Kyle, the Reds center fielder, wants to win so much that he secretly cheats—just a little—to clinch the game for his team. His teammates go wild with victory. His parents beam with pride.
Suddenly Kyle feels uneasy. But what can he do? He's a winner—and he can't turn...

Jamie has the perfect glove. No matter the play, he can make the catch. He's oiled the glove all winter and, as the season approaches, he—and his glove—are in top form.
But when the golden glove mysteriously disappears, so do Jamie's confidence and his baseball skills.
Will Jamie find his glove in time for the big game? Was the golden glove really the secret of his success?

Tyler is angry when his best friend Zack, their team's hotshot midfielder, leaves to play for the Panthers, an elite travel team. He's sure the Cougars' season will tank—before it even begins.
The Cougars lose their season opener—and their next game, too. Tyler blames Zack, but it's clear his team needs a new attitude—and a lot more practice.
Can Tyler help make a difference before it's too late?

Chris desperately wants to be more than a benchwarmer on his basketball team. Hoping he can get more playing time, he asks his friend Greta, the high-scoring star of the girls' team, for help with his shooting skills.
But it is Greta's mom—a former basketball star who never even scored a basket—who teaches Chris how to change his strategy and become a success on the court.

Marcus is tall, strong, and the best basketball player on his team—except at the foul line.
At the end of an important game, Marcus misses crucial free throws and his team loses. Afraid of being fouled and failing again, he stops playing aggressively and beings passing up chances to score.
But when he learns a silly-looking technique that works, Marcus must decide if he is willing to put his pride on the line in order to succeed.

An eighth-grade basketball player has amazing shooting talent but could use a little team spirit in this novel. Richie Mallon is known as "the shooter"-the one on the team who scores most of the baskets. Every day he practices at his driveway hoop, perfecting his technique. Richie never plays any other roles on the court, leaving it to his teammates to do the assisting and rebounding. Under a new coach, Richie makes the team, but isn't given a starting...

A baseball star's luck is tested in this action-packed story-perfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green-from the author of The Kid Coach. Like many athletes, Trey is superstitious. How could he not be when he just made the Ravens travel baseball team thanks to his lucky charm, a piece of rare sea glass he found on his grandmother's beach? This stroke of good fortune reinforces Trey's superstitions, and his rituals only become more important to...