The Secret Play

A newly illustrated edition with reader's notes for tricky words. Complete and unabridged.

Can a boy who has never played football lead a team to victory? Dick Lovering knows the game from the sidelines—but Clearfield may soon need more from him than cheering.

Dick Lovering watches the Clearfield gridiron, crutches close at hand and autumn leaves skittering over the white lines. The high-school team is suddenly without a coach, and its captain, Lanny, is struggling to guide three squads at once. With a tough rival waiting on the schedule and Morris Brent’s injured leg adding another worry, the Coachless Wonders can’t afford to waste a practice. Dick has already proved he can manage a winning baseball club—but can sharp thinking and steady leadership make up for never having played? And as Dick and his friends quietly plan a birthday surprise for their principal, how will they keep their secret under wraps?

This complete and unabridged edition includes reader’s notes for tricky words, so young readers can enjoy William Heyliger’s lively school-and-football story.

At Wise Minds Press we believe the years between childhood and the teenage leap are a golden window: curiosity runs high, vocabulary explodes and a single page can spark a lifetime of possibility. We were those wide‑eyed readers once—hungry for challenge, eager to roam far‑flung worlds, and guided by parents and teachers who knew the right story could light the path ahead. Today we honor that legacy by bringing time‑tested classics to young readers complete and unabridged, with reader's notes for the tricky words, and original illustrations for Grades 4‑7 (Ages 9‑12).

Our mission is simple: to place in every young reader's hands a bridge to literature's greatest adventures, turning boundless imagination into confidence, empathy, and the readiness to write their own remarkable futures.