Board Battle

By Jake Maddox and Jesus Aburto

When a group of bullies decide they own the local skatepark, Conner and his best friend, Hannah, are forced to practice elsewhere. Conner and Hannah have to outsmart the bullies if they want to practice for the upcoming competition. Because in the end, the fight for the skatepark will come down to the ultimate battle of the boards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781434298355

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

CHAPTER 1

NEW KIDS

Conner Klout was on his back. He could hear his skateboard rolling back and forth along the bottom of the half-pipe next to him.

Fail! his friend Hannah Lowery shouted. She stood at the top of the half-pipe, ten feet above him.

Conner waited for his board to roll to a stop against his thigh. Then he grabbed it and sat up.

You have to admit, he said, I came pretty close that time.

Close to ending up with a concussion? Hannah replied with a smirk.

Very funny, Conner said, climbing to his feet.

Watch out, Hannah said. I’ll show you how it’s done.

Conner dropped his board and rolled off the half-pipe to make room for Hannah. Before he’d even turned to watch, Hannah dropped in. She took a few passes back and forth to pick up speed.

On the third pass, Hannah got some air off the far side of the pipe. She flew straight up from the ramp, pulled up her knees, grabbed her skateboard, and spun around completely. A perfect Indy 360.

Yes! Conner shouted.

For pros, an Indy 360 was a basic trick. But for Conner and Hannah, it was a pretty big deal. Conner still couldn’t do it, which is why he had ended up flat on his back at the bottom of the ramp at the end of his turn.

Hannah took another pass and then rolled to a stop at the bottom. She pulled off her helmet, and Conner gave her a high five.

Not bad, huh? Hannah said.

Amazing, Conner said. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that Hannah was better than he was on the half-pipe. I’ll get it eventually, though.

Definitely, Hannah agreed. "And for