The Hurricanes of Weakerville

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

From Chris Rylander, author of The Fourth Stall, comes a hilarious story about a down-on-its-luck Midwestern minor-league baseball team—and the one awkward kid who has to lead them to victory.

All his life, Alex Weakerman has had one passion: baseball. Specifically, the Hurricanes of Weakerville, Iowa—the scrappy independent-league team owned by his Grandpa Ira. Even as team and the town have fallen on tough times, there's no place Alex would rather be than at the ballpark—a hot dog in one hand, a pencil and scorebook in the other, keeping track of each and every statistic. Alex has never been all that great at playing baseball, but that doesn’t matter. For someone as painfully awkward as Alex, being a fan—and a wiz with baseball statistics—is all he needs.When Grandpa Ira passes away, though, Alex is crushed. He's lost his best friend, and he doesn’t see any way that the team will survive. But Ira, it seems, has one last trick up his sleeve: his will names Alex the new manager of the Hurricanes. Alex is as excited as he is terrified at the chance to finally put some of his fantasy baseball genius to use. But as he sets to work trying to win over the players, he soon learns that leading them to victory is about more than just stats. Will he be able to save his team, his hometown, and his family legacy?Chris Rylander, author of The Fourth Stall, returns with a baseball comedy about overcoming one's insecurities to learn what it truly takes to be part of a team.

About the Author

Chris Rylander is the author of the Fourth Stall saga as well as Countdown Zero and its sequels. A fan of chocolate, chips, and chocolate chips, he lives with his family in Chicago. You can visit him online at chrisrylander.com.