Böcker av Carl Deuker

In this riveting story about baseball and brotherhood, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks finds himself pitching his way out of poverty?one strike at a time. By ?a premier author of provocative YA sports novels? (The Bulletin).Lazarus ?Laz? Weathers has always been shy, and his issue with stuttering when he speaks hasn't helped. Stuck in a Seattle trailer park, Laz finds baseball helps him escape from the world of poverty and drugs. When he gets an opportunity to pitch for the rich kids across town, he has a chance to get drafted by the major leagues.But playing for the other team means leaving behind his family, including Antonio, Laz's younger brother, who more and more, seems to be drawn to the dark world of the Jet City's drug ring. Now Laz will have to choose between being the star pitcher he always dreamed of becoming and the team player his family needs.

For the first time ever, comes a paperback boxed set containing Gym Candy, Payback Time, Night Hoops, and Runner, four books from award-winning sportswriter Carl Deuker. From award-winning sportswriter Carl Deuker, comes this paperback boxed set of Gym Candy, Payback Time, Night Hoops, and Runner, four riveting, action-packed sportsbooks all together now for the first time. In Gym Candy, self-acceptance, peer pressure, and a heart-wrenching story about high school football take center field as running back Mick Johnson struggles for success under the always glaring-and often unforgiving-stadium lights, even if it costs him everything. In Payback Time, a thrilling mystery lurks beneath the backdrop of high school football and the criminal underworld as high school journalist Mitch True uncovers the secret past of the football team's new cornerback. In Night Hoops, loyalty, friendship, and family are tested when an unlikely friendship forms between two boys who seem to have nothing in common but basketball. In Runner, a high school runner finds himself at the center of a sinister conspiracy when he takes up a gig picking up strange packages on a daily route and delivering them to a mysterious man at the marina.

"The sports may hook readers, but the bullying will land them."-Kirkus The wide receiver best able to hang on to his quarterback's passes, Brock Ripley would be a star for the varsity team-if he could just bring himself to put his body on the line. But he can't. Just like he can't bring himself to stand up for his friend Richie Fang, who has been targeted by the quarterback, known for his bullying. As events spiral out of control, Brock is faced with a true test of character. Can he find the courage to step up and do what is right?

From award-winning novelist Carl Deuker comes a gritty, heart-wrenching story about high school football, self-acceptance, and the pressures that come with being the best at any cost. "Look, Mick," he said, "you're going to find out from somebody in the gym, so you might as well find out from me. Those supplements you're taking? They might get you a little bigger, but just a little. If you're after serious results, there's other stuff that produces better results much faster, stuff that a lot of guys in the gym use." "What other stuff?" "You know what I'm talking about-gym candy." Running back Mick Johnson has dreams: dreams of cutting back, finding the hole, breaking into the open, and running free with nothing but green grass ahead. He has dreams of winning and of being the best. But football is a cruel sport. It requires power, grace, speed, quickness, and knowledge of the game. It takes luck, too. One crazy bounce can turn a likely victory into sudden defeat. What elite athlete wouldn't look for an edge? A way to make him bigger, stronger, faster? This novel explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he struggles for success under the always glaring-and often unforgiving-stadium lights.