Best of the Best

Gr 5—8—As this installment opens, Josh LeBlanc's father is in the process of abandoning his family for femme fatale Diane Cross. It is eventually revealed that he has also become involved in her sketchy gas-drilling lease operation, endangering future earnings from a lucrative Nike contract he secured in a previous book. Phenomenally talented Josh, meanwhile, has been chosen to join an all-star Little League team that he hopes to lead to the national championship. In a transparently artificial plot device, the 12-year-old is assigned Diane's son, Marcus Zamboni Cross, as a roommate. Zamboni is a nasty piece of work who taunts Josh, smokes cigarettes on the sly, and flicks boogers to express his disdain for the world at large. He undergoes a change of heart (and personality), however, when Josh gives him some tips on improving his game. Incredibly, Zamboni agrees to help unmask his divorced parents' plan to cheat Josh's father. While fans will enjoy the sports action and the interaction between Josh and series characters Jaden and Benji, they may well be put off by the adult themes.—Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT