Half-Pipe Prize

By Jake Maddox and Tuesday Mourning

When Tess moved away from Winterfall, she left her two best friends, Ana and Sofie, behind. She's traveling back to surprise them and to take part in the yearly snowboarding competition. Ana is glad to see her, but Sofie acts strange as soon as Tess returns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: May 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781434289124

Jake Maddox

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler – or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps – literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers.

Book preview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1:Winterfall

CHAPTER 2:Reunion

CHAPTER 3:Left Out

CHAPTER 4:Quick Run

CHAPTER 5:Lunch

CHAPTER 6:Sitting Out

CHAPTER 7:Sign Up

CHAPTER 8:Downhill Race

CHAPTER 9:The Pipe

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Glossary

More About Snowboarding Gear

Discussion Questions

Writing Prompts

Other Books By Jake Maddox

Copyright

Back Cover

Chapter 1

WINTERFALL

For the last fifty miles, I don’t think I stopped smiling for even one second. That’s because my mom and dad and I were driving up to Winterfall.

How much longer? I asked my dad.

He smiled. Didn’t you just ask me that, Tess? he said.

That was a long time ago, I replied. At least ten minutes.

We’ve still got a while to go, Dad said. At least another hour.

I hope we don’t hit any traffic, my mom added.

We live down in River City, but we’re not from there. To us, River City is too crowded, too busy, and too dirty. I guess that’s because until this past summer, my family lived in Winterfall.

Winterfall is a tiny town. It only has one diner and one grocery store. It’s pretty cold all year round. The first snow is usually in October. My dad says that’s why it’s called Winterfall, because winter starts in fall!

In fact, there’s only one reason most people ever go to Winterfall. That reason is Grizzly Mountain, the best skiing and snowboarding mountain in the state.

Growing up in Winterfall, I learned to snowboard almost before I could walk. Snowboarding is my favorite thing in the world.