• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 2 to 5
• Reading age: 6 to 9

Can Matt win first prize in the town's bike race? He thinks so. Not only is he fast, but he deserves the 18-speed mountain bike being given away. His own bike is falling apart! But Matt has a problem. His friends Mike, David, and Amanda all think they can win, too and practising for the race seems to bring out the worst in everyone. Soon Matt and Mike are barely speaking. Can Matt stay friends with the others after the race is over? If he loses, will he want to?
"An air of determined competition surrounded the racers. Matt leaned over his handlebars, ready for the 'Go'. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. He reached up to wipe it away. Bang!" [Fry Reading Level - 3.3

Kathy Stinson is a familiar name in children’s literature. She wrote the award-winning Red is Best and Big or Little?—two of the first picture books for preschoolers in Canada. Both were a huge success and have since achieved international acclaim. Red is Best 25th Anniversary Edition was released in 2006 a newly illustrated Big or Little? was published in 2009. Kathy’s latest book, The Man with the Violin (2013), was greeted with rave reviews, including starred reviews in Kirkus and uill & uire. Illustrated by Duan Petricic, this beautifully evocative picture book tells the true story of world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, who conducted an experiment by anonymously playing his priceless violin in the Washington D.C. subway station. Kathy grew up in Toronto. “My love affair with books began as a child,” she says. “I remember regular visits to the library, getting stacks of books to read.” She still has a notebook of stories that she wrote when she was in grade four. She believes that reading a lot is the key to becoming a good writer. In the early 1970s Kathy attended university while teaching elementary school. In 1981, she took a course called “How to write and get published.” The titles she has published in the years since range from picture books to young adult novels, from historical fiction chapter books to short stories in the horror genre. 2008 sees the publication of her first brand-new picture book in sixteen years! Kathy enjoys visiting schools across Canada, and especially talking with fellow writers. In 1987 she traveled to England as part of an exchange of Canadian and British children’s authors. She has helped students across Canada pursue their own creative projects through the Writers in Electronic Residence program, and in many communities has conducted writing workshops for children and for adults. When she’s not busy writing or reading, Kathy is a self-proclaimed jigsaw puzzle addict. Her children now grown, she lives with her partner, editor Peter Carver, in a hamlet not far from Guelph, Ontario.

Kathy Stinson's profile page

This book in one in a trilogy called Pebble Creek. Matt's best friend goes to visit a relative. While he is away, he becomes friends with David. When Lennox comes back, Matt is torn between his two friends who do not seem to get along together. When the opportunity comes up for a bike race with a grand prize being a new bike, Matt jumps at the idea since his bike is old and falling apart. But then, the tension between his two friends mounts up. A new girl moves in who is deaf. She decides to join the bike race too. In the meantime, Matt has made friends with an older man called Mr. Grubb. Who will win the race and get the new, fancy bike? How will the friends work out their differences? This is a good book about friendship along with the theme of a bike race.
Didi Kearsley (Mercer Island) - W
Recommended Buy

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Media

"Stinson does a superb job in allowing readers to observe a wide range of feelings as experienced through her characters. ...Throughout the narrative, Stinson allows readers to observe demonstrations of loyalty and friendship as well as fun and competitiveness. Stinson beautifully captures the excitement and enthusiasm that takes place at a small town celebration and everyone's involvement."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials