It’s basketball season in the fourth book of this highly illustrated middle grade series from the nationally syndicated cartoonist of “In the Bleachers,” starring a kid who plays the same position in every sport: benchwarmer.
Steve is King of the Bench. No brag. It’s just a fact. And in this hilarious sports story, Steve and his athletically challenged best friends Joey and Carlos—along with super athlete Becky O’Callahan—are joining the Mighty Plumbers basketball team. But instead of playing on the court, Steve is waiting on the sidelines to perform his top-secret ritual that turns the tide of every game in an instant.
Why is it a secret? Well, big, drooly duh, everyone knows it’s a strict rule when selling a book not to blurt out the whole juicy plot!
Perfect for reluctant readers and fans of Timmy Failure and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, King of the Bench: Comeback Kid is an ode to teammates, underdogs, and benchwarmers everywhere.
Can a benchwarmer’s secret ritual really save the season?
- An Unlikely Hero: Steve is the self-proclaimed King of the Bench. He may never score a point, but his secret sideline ritual—the Rally Slide—could be the key to a championship season.
- Laugh-Out-Loud Middle School Humor: Join the Mighty Plumbers as they navigate a gym full of vermin, a coach with a serious earwax problem, and the entitled Big Jock on Campus, Jimmy Jimerino.
- Heartwarming Friendship Story: It’s Steve, his athletically challenged pals Joey and Carlos, and super-athlete Becky against the world in this funny ode to teammates and underdogs everywhere.
- Fast-Paced and Illustrated: With short, action-packed chapters and hilarious cartoons on every page, this sports story is a slam dunk for all young readers.
Steve Moore is a syndicated cartoonist, children's book author and creator and writer of animated feature films.
In 1985, Moore created In the Bleachers, a comic distributed worldwide by Andrews McMeel Syndication. In 2016, Moore reluctantly handed off his Bleachers comic due to Essential Tremor, a neurological disability that causes shaking in the hands.
Moore also is author and illustrator of King of the Bench, a series of middle-grade novels published by HarperCollins.
In film, he teamed up with Oscar-winning Rango producer John Carls to create, write the original story and serve as Exec.Producer for Open Season, Sony Pictures Animation's first feature film. Moore also was creator, writer and producer of the animated movie Alpha & Omega for Lionsgate Films.
He is a former Exec. News Editor for the Los Angeles Times. Moore graduated from Oregon State University and received a Masters degree in Journalism & Communications from the University of Oregon.
Moore grew up in La Canada Flintridge, California. He has three grown children - Jakob, Lauren and Chris - and lives in Idaho with his wife, Melaine, a parrot named Ulu and a hilarious snake named Tiny Fey.
