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Heidi Heckelbeck Tries Out for the Team
Book #19 of Heidi Heckelbeck
By Wanda Coven
Illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Table of Contents
About The Book
In the nineteenth Heidi Heckelbeck adventure, Heidi looks for the perfect sport to play.
It’s time to sign up for sports at school and Heidi is excited (and a little nervous) to find the perfect fit. Lucy is great at soccer. Bruce is great at baseball. Heidi, well, the only thing she’s great at is being awful at every sport she plays! Can Heidi shake off her slump with a little magic or will Melanie’s teasing make her throw in the towel for good?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
It’s time to sign up for sports at school and Heidi is excited (and a little nervous) to find the perfect fit. Lucy is great at soccer. Bruce is great at baseball. Heidi, well, the only thing she’s great at is being awful at every sport she plays! Can Heidi shake off her slump with a little magic or will Melanie’s teasing make her throw in the towel for good?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Excerpt
GET MOVING!
Dribble!
Dribble!
Shoot!
Score!
Sporty cardboard signs dangled from the gym ceiling. Each one had something written on it in fat, colorful letters: RUN!, KICK!, JUMP!, and BATTER UP! There was even a banner on the wall behind the bleachers that said GET MOVING! Tables with ruffled skirts stood all around the gym. Each table had a poster with a different sport on it: SOCCER, BASEBALL, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, and CHEERLEADING.
“What’s up with all the sports stuff?” Heidi asked.
Lucy Lancaster shrugged and nudged Bruce Bickerson. “Do you know?”
“Looks like a sports fair,” Bruce said as they climbed the bleachers and sat with the rest of the students.
Principal Pennypacker stood in front of the school with a microphone. “Good morning, Brewster sports fans!” he said as he smoothed one of the tufts of hair on the side of his head.
“Good morning!” the students responded.
The principal motioned toward the tables. “Who likes sports?” he asked.
The students clapped and hooted their approval. Everyone except Heidi. She didn’t dislike sports, but they had never really been her thing. She waited to hear more.
“Today we kick off our new after-school sports program,” he explained. “Everyone gets to pick a sport and try it out.” Then he explained how to sign up at one of the tables.
The bleachers creaked and moaned as the kids hurried down to the tables to sign up.
“What sport are you going to play, Heidi?” asked Lucy.
Heidi nibbled the back of her thumb uncertainly. She had never played on a real sports team before other than in Coach Wardner’s gym class. “I dunno,” she said. “What about you?”
Lucy looked at the tables. “I’d like to try soccer,” she said. “I love to run, dribble the ball, and score goals. Sometimes I do it for fun in my backyard.”
Heidi nodded. “How about you, Bruce?” she asked.
“Baseball,” Bruce said, pretending to swing a bat. “I like the science of it.”
Lucy blinked in surprise. “Since when is baseball a science?” she questioned.
Bruce laughed. “Everything about baseball is scientific,” he said. “From how fast the ball goes when you hit it, to how much spin you get when the ball is pitched. Not to mention the math behind batting averages and on-base statistics!”
“Wow,” Lucy said. “I had no idea.”
Bruce and Lucy chatted away as they walked to the sign-up tables.
“Come on, Heidi!” called Lucy over her shoulder.
But Heidi stayed put. She had no idea what sport she wanted to try. She didn’t even know if she wanted to try one at all. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Principal Pennypacker.
“Need help picking a sport?” he asked cheerfully.
Heidi’s eyes looked away. “Nah, see, I’m not really the sporty type,” she muttered.
Principal Pennypacker laughed. “You can’t fool me, Heidi Heckelbeck!” he said. “I know you play a mean game of four square.”
Heidi sighed. “That’s different,” she said. “Besides, what if I stink at sports?”
The principal shrugged. “Then pick another!” he suggested.
Heidi raised an eyebrow. “You mean I can sign up for more than one?”
The principal smiled. “Why don’t you sign up for as many as you’d like?” he said. “That will be our special deal.”
Heidi liked special deals. So she got in line behind Lucy and signed up for soccer first. If Lucy liked it, then Heidi was sure she’d like it too.
Dribble!
Dribble!
Shoot!
Score!
Sporty cardboard signs dangled from the gym ceiling. Each one had something written on it in fat, colorful letters: RUN!, KICK!, JUMP!, and BATTER UP! There was even a banner on the wall behind the bleachers that said GET MOVING! Tables with ruffled skirts stood all around the gym. Each table had a poster with a different sport on it: SOCCER, BASEBALL, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, and CHEERLEADING.
“What’s up with all the sports stuff?” Heidi asked.
Lucy Lancaster shrugged and nudged Bruce Bickerson. “Do you know?”
“Looks like a sports fair,” Bruce said as they climbed the bleachers and sat with the rest of the students.
Principal Pennypacker stood in front of the school with a microphone. “Good morning, Brewster sports fans!” he said as he smoothed one of the tufts of hair on the side of his head.
“Good morning!” the students responded.
The principal motioned toward the tables. “Who likes sports?” he asked.
The students clapped and hooted their approval. Everyone except Heidi. She didn’t dislike sports, but they had never really been her thing. She waited to hear more.
“Today we kick off our new after-school sports program,” he explained. “Everyone gets to pick a sport and try it out.” Then he explained how to sign up at one of the tables.
The bleachers creaked and moaned as the kids hurried down to the tables to sign up.
“What sport are you going to play, Heidi?” asked Lucy.
Heidi nibbled the back of her thumb uncertainly. She had never played on a real sports team before other than in Coach Wardner’s gym class. “I dunno,” she said. “What about you?”
Lucy looked at the tables. “I’d like to try soccer,” she said. “I love to run, dribble the ball, and score goals. Sometimes I do it for fun in my backyard.”
Heidi nodded. “How about you, Bruce?” she asked.
“Baseball,” Bruce said, pretending to swing a bat. “I like the science of it.”
Lucy blinked in surprise. “Since when is baseball a science?” she questioned.
Bruce laughed. “Everything about baseball is scientific,” he said. “From how fast the ball goes when you hit it, to how much spin you get when the ball is pitched. Not to mention the math behind batting averages and on-base statistics!”
“Wow,” Lucy said. “I had no idea.”
Bruce and Lucy chatted away as they walked to the sign-up tables.
“Come on, Heidi!” called Lucy over her shoulder.
But Heidi stayed put. She had no idea what sport she wanted to try. She didn’t even know if she wanted to try one at all. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Principal Pennypacker.
“Need help picking a sport?” he asked cheerfully.
Heidi’s eyes looked away. “Nah, see, I’m not really the sporty type,” she muttered.
Principal Pennypacker laughed. “You can’t fool me, Heidi Heckelbeck!” he said. “I know you play a mean game of four square.”
Heidi sighed. “That’s different,” she said. “Besides, what if I stink at sports?”
The principal shrugged. “Then pick another!” he suggested.
Heidi raised an eyebrow. “You mean I can sign up for more than one?”
The principal smiled. “Why don’t you sign up for as many as you’d like?” he said. “That will be our special deal.”
Heidi liked special deals. So she got in line behind Lucy and signed up for soccer first. If Lucy liked it, then Heidi was sure she’d like it too.
About The Illustrator
(c) Priscilla Burris
Priscilla Burris is the illustrator and author-illustrator of many books for children. She attributes her love of children’s books and library visits to the East Los Angeles Library. Priscilla loves her role of creating characters and stories for readers everywhere. She lives in sunny Arizona, where she finds the sunrises and sunsets awe-inspiring.
Product Details
- Publisher: Little Simon (January 30, 2017)
- Length: 128 pages
- ISBN13: 9781481471725
- Ages: 5 - 9
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): Heidi Heckelbeck Tries Out for the Team Trade Paperback 9781481471725
