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STA
Animal Rescue Team Series (age 8-11)
by Sue Stauffacher
humor ... realistic ... animals
Publisher comments: The squirrels at Mt. Mercy College are getting too friendly—they're frightening the students, making the nuns jumpy . . . and they're super messy. It's time to call the Animal Rescue Team! Meanwhile, Keisha's got a problem of her own. The Grand River Steppers jump rope team has a chance to win first place in their school district this year, but Keisha's so nervous, she keeps messing up! When she and Daddy go to the Veteran's Facility to check out their squirrel situation, Keisha meets Sergeant Pinkham, who's learning how to use his new prosthetic leg. Could Sarge be just the person to help Keisha stay calm, do well, and have fun at the competition?
title: Show Time
title: Special Delivery!
Trixie Belden Mysteries (age 8-11)
realistic ... mystery
Trixie and her friends team up to investigate.
title: The Marshland Mystery by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Mystery at Bob-White Cave by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Mystery of the Blinking Eye by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Mystery of the Emeralds by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Mystery on Cobbett's Island by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Mystery on the Mississippi by Kathryn Kenney F KEN
title: The Gatehouse Mystery by Julie Campbell F CAM
title: The Mysterious Visitor by Julie Campbell F CAM
title: The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell F CAM
title: The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell F CAM
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ORR
Rainbow Street Shelter Series (age 8-11)
by Wendy Orr
realistic ... adventure ... animals
Publisher comments: Logan is moving from the farm to the city. He'll miss all the things he's leaving behind, but at least he has Bear. He loves Bear more than anything else in the world, because Bear is his dog. Hannah lives in the city. What she wants, more than anything else in the world, is a dog of her own. At the Rainbow Street Shelter, Logan and Hannah find a talking parrot, an old black Labrador, a three-legged goat, a puppy that looks like a peanut, and a Surprise that just might be the best thing in the world.
title: Lost! a Dog Called Bear
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PEN
Clementine and the Family Meeting (age 8-11)
by Sara Pennypacker
realistic ... humor ... growing up ... family
Publisher comments: Clementine's having a nervous breakdown. The FAMILY MEETING! sign is up in her house, and she just knows she's in trouble for something. Has she been too mean to her little brother? Too sloppy? Eating too much junk food? Try as she might to find out what's on the agenda, her parents won't reveal anything before the meeting. As far as Clementine is concerned, the agenda should be something like: "We're getting a gorilla." But no, it's something entirely different. "We're talking about a new baby," says her father. "A brother or sister for you two. What do you think about that?" NO THANKS! is what Clementine thinks. After all, four is the perfect number for a family. There are four sides to a table, not five. Will Clementine learn to make room for one more?
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KOR
Island Series (age 8-11)
by Gordon Korman
realistic ... survival ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: Luke, J.J. Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian. They didn't want to be on the boat in the first place. They didn't want to be stuck at sea with a bunch of strangers. But when you're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there's no easy way out. And when a terrifying storm hits, there's no way to fully prepare. It's all about survival.
sequel: Shipwreck
sequel: Survival
sequel: Escape
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KOR
The Deep Series (age 8-11)
by Gordon Korman
realistic ... survival ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: Four kids are on a marine expedition for the summer, diving to explore an underwater habitat that's just been altered by a seismic event. What they find, though, is much more than fish - it's sunken treasure. Can they salvage it without anyone else getting to it first? Will the prospect of wealth set them against one another? And what about those sharks? Dive is another action-packed trilogy from Gordon Korman.
title: The Discovery
title: The Deep
title: The Danger
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KOR
Everest Series (age 8-11)
by Gordon Korman
realistic ... survival ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: Four kids. One mountain. They come from all across America to be the youngest kid ever to climb Everest. But only one will reach the top first. The competition is fierce. The preparation is intense. The challenge is breathtaking. When the final four reach the higher peaks, disaster strikes—and all that separates the living from the dead is chance, bravery, and action.
title: The Contest
title: The Climb
title: The Summit
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OCO
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (age 8-11)
by Barbara Oconnor
realistic ... adventure ... humor
Publisher comments: Nothing ever happens in Fayette, South Carolina. That's what Popeye thinks, anyway. His whole life, everything has just been boring, boring, boring. But things start to look up when the Jewell's Holiday Rambler makes a wrong turn and gets stuck in the mud, trapping Elvis and his five rowdy siblings in Fayette for who knows how long. Popeye has never met anyone like Elvis Jewell. Hes so good at swearing he makes Uncle Dooley look like a harp-strumming angel, and he says "So what?" like he really means it. Then something curious comes floating down the creek, a series of boats with secret messages, and it sends Popeye and Elvis into the big world on the hunt for a small adventure.
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CAB
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls Series (age 8-11)
by Meg Cabot
realistic ... family ... humor ... friendship
Publisher comments: When nine-year-old Allie Finkle's parents announce that they are moving her and her brothers from their suburban split-level into an ancient Victorian in town, Allie's sure her life is over. She's not at all happy about having to give up her pretty pink wall-to-wall carpeting for creaky floorboards and creepy secret passageways-not to mention leaving her modern, state-of-the-art suburban school for a rundown, old-fashioned school just two blocks from her new house. With a room she's half-scared to go into, the burden of being "the new girl," and her old friends all a half-hour car ride away, how will Allie ever learn to fit in?
title: Moving Day
title: New Girl
title: Best Friends and Drama Queens
title: Stage Fright
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GRA
The Thing About Georgie: A Novel (age 8-11)
by Lisa Graff
realistic ... humor ... identity ... school ... friendship
Publisher comments: The thing about poodles is that Georgie Bishop hates to walk them. The thing about Jeanie the Meanie is that she would rather write on her shoe than help Georgie with their Abraham Lincoln project. The thing about Georgie's mom is that she's having a baby, a baby who will probably be taller than Georgie very, very soon. The thing about Georgie . . . well, what is the thing about Georgie? In this poignant story peppered with comedy, newcomer Lisa Graff creates an unforgettable character in nine-year-old Georgie Bishop, who struggles to grow up when he isn't getting any taller.
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YEP
Cockroach Cooties (age 8-11)
by Laurence Yep
school ... humor ... action ... realistic
Teddy and his little brother Bobby devise strategies using bugs to defeat the school bully.
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LIN
Dumpling Days (age 8-11)
by Grace Lin
realistic ... growing up ... humor ... identity
Publisher comments: This summer, Pacy's family is going to Taiwan for an entire month to visit family and prepare for their grandmother's 60th birthday celebration. Pacy's parents have signed her up for a Chinese painting class, and at first she's excited. This is a new way to explore her art talent! But everything about the trip is harder than she thought it would be--she looks like everyone else but can't speak the language, she has trouble following the art teacher's instructions, and it's difficult to make friends in her class. At least the dumplings are delicious. As the month passes by, Pacy eats chicken feet (by accident!), gets blessed by a fortune teller, searches for her true identity, and grows closer to those who matter most.
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LIN
The Year of the Dog (age 8-11)
by Grace Lin
realistic ... growing up ... humor ... identity
This funny and profound novel tells the story of young Pacy who, as she celebrates the Chinese New Year with her family, discovers this is the year she is supposed to "find herself."
sequel: The Year of the Rat
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CLE
No Talking (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
friendship ... realistic ... humor ... school
The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea ... a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls. How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she's losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos? This funny and surprising book is about language and thought, about words unspoken, words spoken in anger, and especially about the power of words spoken in kindness...with or without a bullhorn.
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MCK
Fourth Grade Is a Jinx (age 8-11)
by Colleen O'Shaughnessy McKenna
realistic ... school ... family
When fourth grader Collette sees her own mother take over the job of teaching her class, life becomes more embarrassing and chaotic than she can stand.
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CUT
Family Dinner (age 8-11)
by Jane Cutler
realistic ... growing up ... family
Great-Uncle Benson prepares exotic food dishes in order to lure Rachel's family to eat meals together.
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HIL
The McGurk Mystery Series (age 8-11)
by E.W. Hildick
realistic ... mystery
The McGurk Detective Organization is on the case! It's up to Willie, Wanda, and Joey to step in, and when they do, you can be sure that trouble is just around the corner.
title: The Case of the Condemned Cat
title: The Case of the Bashful Bank Robber
title: The Case of the Four Flying Fingers
title: The Case of the Invisible Dog
title: The Case of the Nervous Newsboy
title: The Case of the Phantom Frog
title: The Case of the Purloined Parrot
title: The Case of the Secret Scribbler
title: The Case of the Slingshot Sniper
title: The Case of the Snowbound Spy
title: The Case of the Treetop Treasure
title: The Case of the Vanishing Ventriloquist
title: Deadline for McGurk
title: The Great Rabbit Rip-Off
title: The Nose Knows
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SPI
Fourth Grade Rats (age 8-11)
by Jerry Spinelli
school ... humor ... realistic ... friendship
Suds faces the transition to fourth grade with a bit of uncertainty, but soon finds that he has what it takes in this funny and touching school story.
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LIS
The Great Dimpole Oak (age 8-11)
by Janet Taylor Lisle
realistic ... friendship ... nature
The citizens of Dimpole rally together to save an historic oak tree from being cut down, an oak that is as much a part of the town as the citizens themselves.
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KON
Altogether, One at a Time (age 8-11)
by E. L. Konigsburg
realistic ... growing up ... short stories
What do you do when your mother makes you invite the most obnoxious kid in your class to your birthday party? Or when you have to wait another thirty-three and a third years to see a shower of stars? Or your parents ship you off to fat camp? Or you have to share your private lunch hour with a girl who's mean to you just because of the color of your skin? In E. L. Konigsburg's funny and perceptive short stories, four young people cope with difficult situations and, in doing so, learn something that changes their lives.
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CLE
Socks (age 8-11)
by Beverly Cleary
humor ... realistic ... friendship ... family ... animals
Socks is one happy cat. He lives with a nice young couple called Brickers who play with him, pet him, feed him treats, and always have a warm lap for him to sit in. Then a new baby joins the family Suddenly, the Brickers are sharing their laps and love with Charles William, and Socks is getting into trouble. He runs from a phantom dog, wrestles with Nana's best wig, and fights Old Taylor the tomcat for his territory. But as Charles William grows, Socks discovers that he has a new friend and a new way to be a part of the family.
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CLE
Otis Spofford (age 8-11)
by Beverly Cleary
humor ... school ... realistic ... friendship
There was nothing Otis Spofford liked better than stirring up a little excitement, particularly at school. A less resourceful teacher than Mrs. Gitler would have found him pretty hard to take. But even Mrs. Gitler did not entirely relish the bullfight at the fiesta arranged for the P.T.A. meeting. Otis was disappointed at not being the toreador, but as the front half of the bull he managed to steal the whole show, to the annoyance of his classmates and his teacher. It was then that Mrs. Gitler suggested that Otis might someday get his comeuppance.
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CLE
Ellen Tebbits (age 8-11)
by Beverly Cleary
the arts ... school ... realistic ... friendship
Ellen was eight years old and wore bands on her teeth. Her best friend had just moved away and she missed her. Still, as she walked to the Spofford School of the Dance one Saturday, she was almost glad she had no best friend. Best friends do not have secrets from each other, and Ellen had a secret she did not want to share with anyone. But by the time the dancing lesson was over (surely the most devastating dancing lesson on record), Ellen had found a best friend and shared her secret. The best friend was Austine, and the secret was that Ellen was wearing woolen underwear. So was Austine!
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BLU
Blubber (age 8-11)
by Judy Blume
realistic ... friendship ... school
Blubber is a good name for her, the note said about Linda. Jill crumpled it up and left it on her desk. But Robby grabbed the note and before long it had gone halfway around the room. That's where it all started.
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FEI
A Room With a Zoo (age 8-11)
by Jules Feiffer
humor ... realistic ... animals
Nine-year-old Julie loves animals, and she's assembling a zoo in her bedroom. She collects a sick cat, a hamster, a big, ugly fish, six smaller fish that start to disappear, a turtle, a strong-minded kitten, an unresponsive hermit crab, and a borrowed classroom rabbit who appears to be dying. Julie's passion takes over her life and her family's life. The more she gets, the more she desires; but what she wants most of all, she can't have.
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WIL
Scooter (age 8-11)
by Vera B. Williams
realistic ... family ... friendship
Elana is thrilled to be living all the way up on the eighth floor of 514 Melon Hill Avenue, an apartment building in New York City. But with her new life come changes--and challenges. Anything can happen as Elana coasts toward discoveries and surprises in her new home.
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LOW
Sam Krupnik Series (age 8-11)
by Lois Lowry
growing up ... realistic ... humor ... family
Sam Krupnik enters school with some very strong ideas about what he wants to be and how. Fans of this series will enjoy the same author's books about Anastasia, his big sister, as well.
title: All About Sam
title: Attaboy, Sam!
title: See You Around, Sam!
title: Zooman Sam
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SPI
Loser (age 8-11)
by Jerry Spinelli
identity ... realistic ... school ... family
Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like ``Jabip.'' Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become ``hero.''
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MOS
The Amelia Series (age 8-11)
by Marissa Moss
realistic ... humor ... letters/journal ... growing up
Like spending recess with your best friend, Marissa Moss keeps us up to date with everything that's going on in Amelia's life.
title: The All-New Amelia
title: Amelia Hits the Road
title: Amelia Lends a Hand
title: Amelia Takes Command
title: Amelia Works it Out
title: Amelia Writes Again
title: Amelia's Family Ties
title: Amelia's Notebook
title: Amelia's Boredom Survival Guide: First Aid for Rainy Days, Boring Errands, Waiting Rooms, Whatever!
title: Amelia's Bully Survival Guide
title: Madame Amelia Tells All
title: Oh Boy, Amelia!
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KVA
One Lucky Summer (age 8-11)
by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
realistic ... friendship ... sports
Moving from Santa Cruz, California, to Sacramento, Steven, a ten-year-old baseball player, spends the summer trying to make friends with his next-door neighbor, ballet-loving Lucinda. Will this unlikely pair find common ground? The outcome will surprise them both.
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JAR
Slump (age 8-11)
by Dave Jarzyna
growing up ... realistic ... family ... school
When thirteen-year-old Mitch finds himself at odds with everyone in his life: brother, sister, friends, teachers, and coach, he worries that the situation will never change.
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HES
Just Juice (age 8-11)
by Karen Hesse
realistic ... school ... family
Letters and numbers still don't make sense to Juice Faulstich. She'd rather skip school and spend the day at home in the North Carolina hills. But when the bank threatens to repossess her family's home, Juice faces her first life-sized problem.
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KON
The View From Saturday (age 8-11)
by E. L. Konigsburg
realistic ... identity ... friendship ... brilliant protagonist
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
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ROC
How to Eat Fried Worms (age 8-11)
by Thomas Rockwell
realistic ... friendship ... school ... humor
Billy makes a bet, then has to make good on it...fifteen worms in fifteen days. As hilarious as it is disgusting, Billy stands up for what's right in his own way.
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GAR
Follow My Leader (age 8-11)
by James Garfield
realistic ... animals ... school
After being accidentally blinded by a firecracker, Jimmy learns to live a normal life with the help of Leader, his seeing eye dog.
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DAN
Amber Brown Series (age 8-11)
by Paula Danziger
realistic ... family ... friendship ... growing up
Amber Brown faces complications at school, with her friends, and with her family.
title: Amber Brown Goes Fourth
title: Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue
title: Amber Brown Is Green With Envy
title: Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon
title: Amber Brown Sees Red
title: Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit
title: Forever Amber Brown
title: I, Amber Brown
title: You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown
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CLE
The Landry News (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
authorship ... realistic ... school ... brilliant protagonist
Publisher comments: Cara Landry is a budding journalist. When she posts a scathing editorial about her burned-out teacher on the bulletin board one afternoon, everything changes. Prodded into action for the first time in years, Mr. Larson challenges his fifth-grade students to create a real newspaper. Soon The Landry News gets more attention than either Cara or her teacher bargained for.
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CLE
Frindle (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
brilliant protagonist ... realistic ... school
Catalog: When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
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CLE
Henry Huggins (age 8-11)
by Beverly Cleary
adventure ... animals ... realistic
Publisher comments: Henry Huggins feels that nothing very interesting ever happens to him. But from the moment a stray dog in the drugstore begs for a taste of his ice-cream cone and downs it in one gulp, everything is different. Henry names the dog Ribsy and decides to keep him. Before Henry even reaches home with Ribsy he spends all of his money, gets kicked off three buses, and enjoys a hair-raising ride in a police car. And that's only the beginning of Henry's exciting new life! See also the rest of the Henry Huggins series.
sequel: Henry and Beezus
sequel: Henry and Ribsy
sequel: Ribsy
sequel: Henry and the Paper Route
sequel: Henry and the Clubhouse
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CLE
Beezus and Ramona (age 8-11)
by Beverly Cleary
humor ... realistic ... family
Publisher comments: It is not that Ramona deliberately sets out to make trouble for other people. She simply has more imagination than is healthy for any one person. In this first book of the Ramona series, our heroine establishes herself as one of the strongest and funniest characters in print.
sequel: Ramona the Pest
sequel: Ramona the Brave
sequel: Ramona and Her Father
sequel: Ramona and Her Mother
sequel: Ramona Forever
sequel: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
sequel: Ramona's World
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PET
Matt Christopher's Sports Series (age 8-11)
by Stephanie Peters
realistic ... friendship ... sports
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the importance of good sportsmanship and playing as part of a team. You'll find all this and more in Matt Christopher's exciting books.
title: Soccer Hero
title: Lacrosse Firestorm
title: Comeback of the Home Run Kid
title: Football Double Threat
title: Lacrosse Face-Off
title: On Thin Ice
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CHR
Matt Christopher's Sports Series (age 8-11)
by Matt Christopher
realistic ... friendship ... sports
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the importance of good sportsmanship and playing as part of a team. You'll find all this and more in Matt Christopher's exciting books.
title: The Lucky Baseball Bat
title: Baseball Pals
title: Baseball Turnaround
title: The Basket Counts
title: Catch That Pass!
title: Catcher With a Glass Arm
title: Center Court Sting
title: Centerfield Ballhawk
title: Challenge at Second Base
title: The Comeback Challenge
title: Comeback of the Home Run Kid
title: Cool As Ice
title: The Counterfeit Tackle
title: Crackerjack Halfback
title: The Diamond Champs
title: Dirt Bike Racer
title: Dirt Bike Runaway
title: Double Play at Short
title: Face-Off
title: Football Nightmare
title: The Fox Steals Home
title: Glue Fingers
title: Goalkeeper in Charge
title: Hard Drive to Short
title: Ice Magic
title: Inline Skater
title: Johnny Long Legs
title: Johhny No Hit
title: The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
title: Making the Save
title: Man Out at First
title: Mountain Bike Mania
title: No Arm in Left Field
title: Nothin' But Net
title: Olympic Dream
title: Pressure Play
title: Prime Time Pitcher
title: Red-Hot Hightops
title: The Reluctant Pitcher
title: Roller Hockey Radicals
title: Skateboard Renegade
title: Skateboard Tough
title: Slam Dunk
title: Snowboard Maverick
title: Soccer Duel
title: Soccer Halfback
title: Soccer Scoop
title: Spike It!
title: The Spy on Third Base
title: Stealing Home
title: Takedown
title: Top Wing
title: Touchdown for Tommy
title: Tough to Tackle
title: Wheel Wizards
title: Wild Pitch
title: Wingman on Ice
title: The Winning Stroke
title: The Submarine Pitch
title: Shoot for the Hoop
title: Lacrosse Face-Off
title: Master of Disaster
title: Long-Arm Quarterback
title: Football Fugitive

Sat Aug 25 11:55:25 2012
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