"Batter up!" "It's a home run!" "Striiike threeee!" "Yer outta there!" Cheering fans! The race for home plate! Double plays! Triple plays! All American Little League baseball! Nicholas loves to play it. His dad loves to coach it. What they don't love is getting clobbered every year by the Dodgers. This year, it's payback time. The Eastfield Braves are going to get even-because this year they have a secret weapon: Thurman Miller! Twelve-year-old Thurman-a miniature Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Godzilla all rolled into one-can pitch like lightning and hit a ball so hard it goes into orbit! So look out, Dodgers! Nick and his dad are determined the Braves will win. After all, with Thurman on their team, they can't lose! Welcome to the world of Nicholas-a completely normal kid who happens to find himself in some not-so-normal situations-and his animated best friend, McGee. Fortunately, Nicholas and his best friend, McGee, always seem to learn valuable lessons from their wild adventures. Unfortunately, when you're eleven years old (or, for that, matter, if you're a cartoon character) there are lots of lessons to be learned. In Take Me Out of the Ball Game, Nicholas and McGee-with the help of special guest Orel Hershiser-learn about the importance of keeping things in the right perspective and putting faith in God, not people. In The Blunder Years Nick is just like every other kid . . . as he makes choices and hopefully discovers what is really important in the process. In Beauty in the Least, a pint-sized pen-pal travels 6,000 miles, jumps 2 cultures, and turns Nick's world upside-down. It's a heart-changing experience for the whole Martin family as they discover the importance of caring for others and "loving your neighbor as yourself."