How can any player . . . or any team be bigger rivals than the Danielson brothers from Pine Bluff? Impossible? Maybe not . . . Rob Mathews has his life turned upside down both on and off the basketball court in New Normal , the story of Rob’s basketball season in his junior year at Hillsdale High. After winning the League Championship a year ago and nearly winning a Sectional Title, Hillsdale High has set their sights on grabbing that championship this year . . . but they know they have new nemesis Valley Christian standing in their way. Not only are the Knight’s archrivals . . . but their three-sport star Tony Russo has become Rob Mathews and Trip McHenry’s personal adversary. The bitter feelings stem from Tony’s actions on the court . . . but off the court as well . . . and they run deep. Can the Pirates overcome history and finally beat Valley Christian . . . or does Trip McHenry’s guarantee of victory fall flat? Off the court, Rob and nerdy-next-door-neighbor turned beauty queen Allison Pierce, struggle to find a way to stay friends, even as both embark on new relationships. Rob and his family group welcome Kate Murphy whole-heartedly . . . even Allison Pierce! Kate captivates everyone with her personality and athletic skill . . . and her maturity for seeing the relationship for what it is . . . and coming up with an arrangement to make it work now . . . and in the future. As the basketball season screams toward the final game, Kate and Allison become close friends and both girls root hard in their own way for Rob . . . Trip . . . and the rest of the Hillsdale squad to bring down Valley Christian . . . if they can! ABOUT THE SERIES . . . New Normal is the eighth in a completed series of twelve books by Mac McGowan. Written with a light narrative hand, riveting sports action, and a sprinkling of humor, the stories flow along briskly. The series follows Rob chronologically through his high school career, in either a football, basketball, or baseball season. Rob will face bitter rivals in all three sports and questions of morals, ethics, integrity, and social interaction, on and off the field of play. Through Rob, his mother, the girl-next-door, his best friend, a special girlfriend, and his two mentor coaches, the reader will learn life lessons along with Rob. The series matures as Rob does, slowly working his way toward adulthood as the conflicts go from bullies to bad coaches to girl problems and work their way up to relationships, where to go to college, and how to look at long-term life goals. It takes a while, but we watch as Rob goes from caring only about what a girl looks like to a guy who understands what’s inside that matters. But make no mistake . . . action-packed sports are at the heart of all 12 books. The series offers an excellent opportunity for readers to enjoy thrilling wins and losses against bitter rivals on the field or court . . . and experience the joy and heartbreak of teenage romance, learn life lessons, make better choices, learn a little coaching philosophy, and become better people. More importantly, it offers an enjoyable, easy, fun, thrilling, and satisfying read.