Phil Bildner Books In Order

Game 1

Griffith, Graham, and Ruby’s father passed away in the war. And now they must join their mother and their father’s wartime traveling baseball team, The Travelin’ Nine, on a tour of America to raise money. No one will tell the kids why the team needs money so badly. Their only clue is a baseball with a hole the size of an acorn in it that their Uncle Owen gave to them the night of their father’s funeral. They know very little about its significance except that their father made it with his own two hands and carried it with him throughout the war. And when all three kids hold the ball, strange things begin to happen…

Game 2

The year is 1899, and the Travelin’ Nine are crisscrossing the good ol’ U.S. of A., raising money to pay off the Payne family’s big league debt!

As the team heads into the River City, Griffith is beginning to realize that there’s more at risk than meets the eye, something beyond the need to raise money something involving the ball that could put his entire family in danger.

Ruby is eager to help solve the mystery of the ball and plans on keeping her eyes and ears wide open and writing everything down. She knows the answer is out there. All she has to do is see the things that others don’t. And figure out what those things mean.

Then there’s Graham, who usually only thinks about how to get more time on the baseball field. Even he’s beginning to notice that there are strange and shady characters at just about every turn.

Finally there’s the Chancellor, one of the wealthiest and greediest businessmen in the entire world. And it looks like he’s got his eye on the ball!

Game 3

PREGAME RECAP

As the Travelin’ Nine head to Chicago, the team is filled with hope and optimism. After a disappointing loss in Cincinnati at the start of their baseball tour, the heroes of the Spanish American War bounced back in Louisville. Doc and Woody came through with timely fielding, Crazy Feet and Tales smacked clutch hits, and champion horses provided that extra kick, helping the barnstormers to their come from behind victory.

By the end of the thrilling contest, there was no doubt in the minds of Griffith, Ruby, and Graham that the baseball their Uncle Owen had given to them on the night of their father’s funeral was magical.

Indeed, the mysteries surrounding their baseball, which their uncle had urged them to keep secret, were deepening. And as excited as they were by the barnstormers’ win, the Payne siblings’ fears and worries continued to grow. Uncle Owen’s tattered, bloody letter had warned them about the Chancellor. What’s more, they’d seen the Chancellor’s men lurking at the Louisville game. Griffith and Ruby now realized that their adventure was about far more than raising money to pay off a family debt. But what exactly was it about?

After the Louisville match, Griffith confronted his mother. She denied that the Chancellor could be involved, but she promised to answer all of Griffith’s questions on the train to Chicago…

Magic in the Outfield

Griffith, Graham, and Ruby’s father passed away in the war. And now they must join their mother and their father’s wartime traveling baseball team, The Travelin’ Nine, on a tour of America to raise money. No one will tell the kids why the team needs money so badly. Their only clue is a baseball with a hole the size of an acorn in it that their Uncle Owen gave to them the night of their father’s funeral. They know very little about its significance except that their father made it with his own two hands and carried it with him throughout the war. And when all three kids hold the ball, strange things begin to happen…

Horsin’ Around

The year is 1899, and the Travelin’ Nine are crisscrossing the good ol’ U.S. of A., raising money to pay off the Payne family’s big league debt! As the team heads into the River City, Griffith is beginning to realize that there’s more at risk than meets the eye, something beyond the need to raise money something involving the ball that could put his entire family in danger. Ruby is eager to help solve the mystery of the ball and plans on keeping her eyes and ears wide open and writing everything down. She knows the answer is out there. All she has to do is see the things that others don’t. And figure out what those things mean. Then there’s Graham, who usually only thinks about how to get more time on the baseball field. Even he’s beginning to notice that there are strange and shady characters at just about every turn. Finally there’s the Chancellor, one of the wealthiest and greediest businessmen in the entire world. And it looks like he’s got his eye on the ball!

Great Balls of Fire

Where there’s smoke…
The year is 1899 and the Travelin’ Nine are barnstorming their way across the good ol’ U. S. of A., trying to raise money to pay off the Payne family’s big league debt. Pulling into Chicago, Griffith has a run in with an enormous thug and is more convinced than ever that the nefarious robber baron called ‘The Chancellor’ knows about their magic baseball. Ruby also has an encounter with a mysterious stranger, and even though she doesn’t know why, she knows that he will change the Travelin’ Nine. And Graham launches a towering shot out of the park when he thinks no one is looking. Unfortunately, the wrong eyes may have seen what the youngest Payne can do with a baseball. Chicago is a hot town, so the Paynes better keep their cool. The Travelin’ Nine still have more money to make! 1 New York Times bestseller Loren Long and Texas Bluebonnet winner Phil Bildner create a memorable modern day parable where three siblings embark on the adventure of a lifetime and discover the strength in family, the power of faith, and the true magic of baseball. New York Times bestselling series!

Water, Water Everywhere

In over their heads?

THE YEAR IS 1899, and the Travelin’ Nine are barnstorming their way across the good ol’ U.S. of A., trying to raise money to pay off the Payne family’s big league debt.

Griffith has a run in with the Chancellor and learns that the baseball isn’t the only item the infamous industrialist is after. Even more mysteriously, the Chancellor claims to have something that the Paynes want.

And Ruby. Where in the world has she vanished to? Does her disappearance have anything to do with the Chancellor’s threats? Or is there some other plan in play?

And finally, Graham makes a heartfelt birthday wish and somehow gets exactly what he asks for. But questions still remain: Was it real? Can it possibly be true? Or is it all just a dream?

If they don’t watch out, Griffith, Ruby, Graham, and the Travelin’ Nine may find themselves in deep water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

Blastin’ the Blues

The Travelin’ Nine are headed to St. Louis and New Orleans as they continue to raise money to pay off their big league debt!

Home of the Brave

The Paynes are down at the bottom of their last inning, but are they out? The final book in Loren Long and Phil Bildner’s Sluggers!

Twenty-One Elephants

Step right up, ladies and gents.

Believe the unbelievable and dream the impossible because Hannah, the little girl with big dreams, is coming your way.

Come and see for yourself her bold acts of bravery, her courageous conviction as she proves to the world that the Brooklyn Bridge is safe to cross.

But she can’t do it alone.

P. T. Barnum and his parade of twenty one elephants provide a spectacular show that will save the day!

Impossible, you say?

Then you’ll have to look inside.

You won’t want to miss this, the greatest show on earth.

The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

If you lived in Brooklyn in 1951, your life revolved around the Brooklyn Dodgers. Come summertime you bled Dodger blue. And it was in that summer of ’51 that ‘Dem Bums’ what we lovingly called our Dodgers caused their biggest stir of all. Ages 7 10 years.

Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy

No one knew better than Shoeless Joe Jackson what was needed to become the best baseball player ever: a good bat. And no one knew more about bats than Ol’ Charlie Ferguson of South Carolina, a good friend of Joe’s. With love, nurture, and a lot of hard work, the two friends created Black Betsy the finest bat in all the land. And with a bat the likes of her by his side, you can bet Joe went all the way to the major leagues!

The Greatest Game Ever Played

The 1958 NFL championship game is known to football fans as the ‘Greatest Game Ever Played.’ Featuring gridiron legends like Johnny Unitas, Frank Gifford, and Vince Lombardi, the Game marked the beginning of America’s infatuation with professional football.

Now, Phil Bildner tells a heartwarming father and son story against the backdrop of this historic moment. When the New York Giants baseball team moves to San Francisco, young Sam discovers the other New York Giants the football Giants. He convinces his skeptical Pop to come with him to the Game, and as Johnny Unitas engineers Baltimore s legendary comeback, Sam and Pop rediscover the joy of rooting on their heroes together.

Busted

In high school, anyone can get Busted. It could be the senior class ski trip, or maybe it’s the way you cope with the school bully, or how you entertain yourself in the world’s most boring class. Every kid has some secret crime, something that they are afraid they’ll get in trouble for. In Busted, four different stories take place throughout one year at Coldwater Creek High School and intertwine to show that no one, whether you are an honors student or the best athlete in school, is safe from getting Busted.

Turkey Bowl

It’s Thanksgiving, and that means it’s time for…
football! Ethan has waited his whole nine year old life to be old enough to play in the annual family Turkey Bowl football game. This is his year. He wakes up Thanksgiving Day, dresses in all of his football finest, and runs downstairs to greet the team his whole family. But the kitchen isn’t full of aunts and cousins and uncles a blizzard has snowed them out. And it looks like the Turkey Bowl just isn’t meant to be this year. After all, who could play football in a blizzard? Ethan, that’s who!

The Hallelujah Flight

The extraordinary story of James Banning, the first African American pilot to fly across country During the Great Depression, the ace black pilot James Banning decided to fly from coast to coast to serve as an inspiration to people everywhere. So with a little ingenuity and a whole lot of heart, he fixed up the dilapidated OXX6 Eagle Rock plane with his co pilot and mechanic, Thomas Allen, earning them the derisive nickname, The Flying Hobos. But with the help of friends and family along the way who signed their names on the wings of the plane in exchange for food, fuel and supplies, Banning and Allen made it through treacherous weather and overcame ruthless prejudice to receive a heroes welcome upon landing in New York on October 9, 1932. This exceptional story of determination and pride, shown through John Holyfield’s energetic flight scenes and sweeping landscapes, will put you in the cockpit right alongside Banning and Allen as they complete the journey of a lifetime.

The Unforgettable Season

At the start of the 1941 baseball season, neither Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees nor Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox were beloved by baseball fans. But that all changed when Joe started a 56 game hitting streak and Ted’s batting average rose to over . 400. Despite numerous challenges along the way Joe had his bat stolen by an overeager fan and Ted’s batting average dipped to . 3995 on the last day of the season the records set by ‘Joltin’ Joe’ and ‘The Splendid Splinter’ have yet to be broken. New York Times bestselling author of the Sluggers series with Loren Long, Phil Bildner has written an accessible tribute to two of baseball’s greatest heroes. Packed with fun facts and statistics for eager fans to pore over, this book is sure to be a home run!