CHAPTER 1
THE SUPER BROTHERS
âThatâs it. Nobody move,â Austinâs mother said. âPerfect! Now smile!â She was busy snapping another photo of Austinâs twin brothers, Josh and Matt. The boys stood next to each other in the living room, proudly holding their basketball trophy between them.
It was easy for the boys to smile. Josh and Matt were great athletes, and tonight their team had won again.
Austin sighed. It wasnât the first time his older brothers had brought home a trophy. It wasnât even the second or third time. They won all the time. Austin was proud of his brothers, but he couldnât help feeling a little jealous. Heâd never won a trophy for any sport.
âI thought for sure weâd run out of time before you made that last shot,â Josh admitted to Matt.
âAll I was thinking about was sinking that basket,â Matt said. âI never even thought about the clock.â
âWell, you were the only one,â their dad said. âThe rest of us were holding our breath!â
Austin knew he should congratulate his brothers. âReally great game, guys,â he said.
âOkay, everyone to the table for pizza,â Mom said. âTime to celebrate!â She turned and walked through the kitchen door.
Austinâs dad and brothers walked out of the room, still talking about the game. Austin stayed in the living room. He looked up at the awards and trophies on the bookcase. None of them belonged to him. Matt and Josh had won them all.
Iâll never win a trophy like that , Austin thought. His brothers played almost every sport there was: football, baseball, basketball, hockey. Austin didnât play any of those. It wasnât that he wasnât athletic. He loved biking. He was even pretty fast, but nobody won trophies for that.
Austin sighed. He didnât feel much like celebrating. He walked quietly out of the living room and upstairs to his bedroom.
Iâll never be as good as they are , he thought, flopping down on his bed.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. The door opened, and his mom poked her head in.
âAre you okay, Austin?â she asked. She came in and sat down next to him. âDonât you want pizza? Youâd better hurry up before your brothers eat it all.â
âIâm not hungry, I guess,â Austin said.
His mother pretended to look shocked. She reached over and felt his forehead. âYou donât have a fever,â she said with a smile. âBut Iâve never known you to pass up pizza before. Whatâs the matter?â
Austin shrugged. âThereâs no reason for me to celebrate,â he said. âI didnât win the trophy. Matt and Josh did.â
Austinâs mom patted his shoulder and nodded. âSo, thatâs it, huh?â she asked. âYour dad and I are very proud of all of you boys. You know that, right?â
âBut Iâve never won anything,â Austin said.
âWinning isnât the only thing thatâs important,â his mom said. âArenât you the kid who started his own lawn-cutting business this summer?â
âYeah. So?â Austin said. He shrugged. He didnât get what his mom was trying to say. What did cutting lawns have to do with winning a trophy?
âSo,â his mom explained, âit shows what a hard worker you are. You kept at it and never gave up. Weâre all proud of you for that.â
âIt wasnât that hard,â Austin muttered. He knew his mom was just trying to make him feel better.
âGive yourself some credit,â his mom said. âYou know what? Thereâs something I want to show you.â
Mom stood up and walked out of the room. When she returned, she was carrying a newspaper. She lightly tossed it on Austinâs lap.
âCheck this out,â she said. âThe article about halfway down the page.â
Austin was confused, but he