Hut! Hut! Hike!: A Branches Book (Sports Zone! #1) -- Andrew Maraniss, Paperback

Best friends Jasper, Mo, and Ruby try out for the flag football team and learn what it means to be a part of a team in the first installment of this action-packed, fully illustrated early chapter book series!

Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

Nine-year-old Jasper is the best football player ever... when he's playing in his living room with his dad. But when he tries out for his town's flag football team, along with his friends Mo and Ruby, he realizes he might not be as skilled as he thought he was. Will Jasper help lead his team to victory in their first game? Or will Coach Sanders keep him on the sideline?

Engaging black-and-white artwork appears on every page, and game-time scenes are told through fully-illustrated, graphic novel-style panels. Nonfiction sidebars are also scattered throughout, introducing young readers to sports legends and other fun facts. Kids will learn all about flag football as they read this book, and they won't be able to put it down because of its action-packed, relatable story!

Author: Andrew Maraniss
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 09/02/2025
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781546120056
Audience: Ages 4-8

About the Author

Andrew Maraniss is a New York Times bestselling author of sports nonfiction for teens and adults. The Scholastic Branches series Sports Zone!, illustrated by Aishwarya Tandon, is his first fiction early chapter book series. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and two young children.

Aishwarya Tandon is an illustrator and cartoonist from India. She holds a B.Sc and Hons degree in Animation and Multimedia. When not working, you can find her drawing in her sketchbook, drinking chai, catching up on shows and movies, and watching art-haul videos online. The Scholastic Branches series Sports Zone!, written by Andrew Maraniss, is her first early chapter book series.