Toby Wheeler: Eighth Grade Benchwarmer

But practice doesn’t go quite as Toby has planned, and when the coach announces the lineup, Toby’s hopes of playing ball with JJ are history: he’s an eighth-grade benchwarmer! "A truly great basketball story. Every hoops fan will love this book.”—Phil Jackson, former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and member of the NBA Hall of Fame "This novel will appeal to readers who are looking for something one step beyond Matt Christopher's books."—SLJ "This engaging sports story gains depth from subplots involving Toby's tricky relationships with his former best friend and with the coach's daughter."–The Horn Book "Looking for something to do during halftime of the March Madness basketball games? Read this book.”-The Washington Post "With so much written about the friction between girl friends, it's good to have a book that acknowledges that left-out feeling happens to boys, too."–Booklist