No Fear!

Syndicated cartoonist Moore (In the Bleachers) introduces a self-described benchwarmer in this first installment in the King of the Bench series, profusely illustrated with scribbly b&w cartoons. Steve is happy to spend most of his time “on the pine” as his coach puts it: “Benchwarmers like me observe life from just the right angle,” Steve explains. “I’m not sitting too high up, where I look down on the rest of the world.” After one of Steve’s teammates is struck while at bat (“Way too gory to show!!” crows the black-box-censored cartoon accompanying the incident), Steve has developed a bad case of Bean-O-Phobia. Still, he would rather not end his first season as one of Spiro T. Agnew Middle School’s Mighty Plumbers with a batting average of zero. Smart advice from Steve’s father finally gives him the courage he needs to confront his fear. Populated with colorful characters and gross-out gags (Coach Earwax has a habit of cleaning out his ears with car keys), this offbeat sports story will satisfy Timmy Failure and Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alan Nevins, Renaissance Literary. (Mar.)