• Age: 10 to 13
• Grade: 3
• Reading age: 8 to 9

"...the in-depth game play will attract sports fans." — School Library Journal

Westlock is an hour north of Edmonton, a prairie town with a long baseball history. But registrations are down, and there are only enough kids in town to fill one team. So Mo Montpetit's team is entered into the Baseball Alberta AA league. All the kids registered will be playing rep ball. No tryouts needed.

Mo's dad is a baseball legend in Westlock. And that's Mo's problem. Mo isn't very good. He can't hit a rep-level fastball. And as the season starts, the strikeouts and errors mount. The Westlock team loses game after game. How can these kids, not ready for rep ball, compete in a league well above their heads? And how can Mo step out of his dad's long shadow?

Steven Sandor is a veteran and somewhat grumpy sports and music journalist. He spent seven years working with the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club. The former editor-in-chief of Edmonton's Vue Weekly, Steve is now a senior editor with 24 Hours in Toronto. His work has appeared in magazines and newspapers in Canada, the US, the UK, Hungary and the Czech Republic. He enjoys writing about sports that have goals—hockey and soccer. Steve enjoys spending as much time as he can with his wife and son, and making strange electronic music. He supports Arsenal. For more on Steve please visit www.stevensandor.com or read his blog at www.blog.canoe.ca/thefull90.

Steven Sandor's profile page

"Accessible for most readers."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"... the in-depth game play will attract sports fans."

School Library Journal

"Reflects the diverse characters and personalities who would live in rural Alberta."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials