Sports

Lone Stars by Mike Lupica

From the publisher's website: "Clay is a quarterback’s dream. When he zips across the field, arms outstretched, waiting for the ball to sail into his hands, there’s no denying him the catch. Like most Texans, Clay is never more at home than when playing football. And his coach, a former star player for the Dallas Cowboys, is just like a second father.

But as the football season kicks off, Clay begins to notice some odd behavior from his coach–lapses in his memory and strange mood swings. The conclusion is painful, but obvious: Coach Cooper is showing side effects of the many concussions he sustained during his playing days. As Clay’s season wears on, it becomes clear that the real victory will be to help his coach walk onto that famous star logo in the middle of Cowboys Field one last time–during a Thanksgiving day ceremony honoring him and his former Super Bowl-winning teammates."

Check out the author's website for many more sports books by this prominent sports writer and Daily News columnist.

Soar by Joan Bauer

From the publisher's website: "Jeremiah is not one to let anything keep him down. Starting with his adoption by computer genius Walt, Jeremiah has looked on his life as a series of lucky breaks. When a weak heart keeps him from playing his beloved baseball, Jeremiah appoints himself the team coach. When Walt has to move for another new assignment, Jeremiah sees it as a great chance to explore a new town. But no sooner do they arrive than a doping scandel is revealed and the town feels betrayed and disgraced. Jeremiah takes it as his personal mission to restore the town’s morale and help the teams bounce back and remember how to soar. "

Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson

From the publisher: "Inspired by the life of pioneering female baseball player Alta Weiss, and dramatized by Terry Widener’s bold illustrations, Girl Wonder tells the unforgettable story of a true American original.

Alta Weiss was born to play baseball, simple as that. From the age of two, when she hurls a corncob at a pesky tomcat, folks in her small Ohio town know one thing for sure: She may be a girl, but she’s got some arm.

When she’s seventeen, Alta hears about a semipro team, the Independents. Here’s her big chance! But one look at Alta’s long skirts tells Coach all he needs to know—girls can’t play baseball! But faster than you can say “strike out,” Alta proves him wrong: Girls can play baseball!"

Baseball Genius by Tim Green and Derek Jeter

From the publisher's website: "Jalen DeLuca loves baseball. Unfortunately his dad can’t afford to keep him on the travel team. His dad runs a diner and makes enough to cover the bills, but there isn’t anything for extras. So Jalen decides to take matters into his own hands and he sneaks into the home of the New York Yankee’s star second baseman, James Yager, and steals a couple of balls from his personal batting cage. He knows that if he can sell them, he’ll be able to keep himself on the team.

But like the best-laid plans—or in this case the worst!—Jalen’s scheme goes wrong when Yager catches him. But Jalen has a secret: his baseball genius. He can analyze and predict almost exactly what a pitcher is going to do with his next pitch. He can’t quite explain how he knows, he just knows. And after proving to Yager that he really can do this, using a televised game and predicting pitch after pitch with perfect accuracy, the two agree to a deal. Jalen will help Yager out of his batting slump and Yager won’t press charges.

However, when he begins to suspect that the team’s general manager has his own agenda, Jalen’s going to need his friends and his unusual baseball talent to save not only Yager’s career, but his own good name."

Be sure to check out Jeter's separate Contract series.

Plunked by Michael Northrop

From the publisher's website: "When a young slugger gets hit by a pitch, he needs more than practice to get back his game.

Sixth grader Jack Mogens has it all figured out: He's got his batting routine down, and his outfielding earns him a starting spot alongside his best friend Andy on their Little League team, the Tall Pines Braves. He even manages to have a not-totally-embarrassing conversation with Katie, the team's killer shortstop. But in the first game of the season, a powerful stray pitch brings everything Jack's worked so hard for crashing down around his ears. How can he explain to his parents and friends why he won't be playing?"

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Funny and realistic story of a girl named Astrid, whose former best friend, Nicole, is drifting away. They're just into different things. When Nicole goes to summer dance camp, Astrid is facing a long, boring, lonely summer. Then she discovers roller derby. Know what that is? It's a fun, violent, FAST sport, on roller skates. Played by women and girls. Tough women and girls! Astrid doesn't even know how to skate! Bruised and battered, she feels like giving up, like everything is against her. How will she find the strength? If you're a fan of Raina Telgemeier's books, you will love this one. Plus, the author is a Roller Derby player, herself!

Riding Chance by Christine Kendall

From the publisher's website: "Troy is a kid with a passion. And dreams. And a desire to do the right thing. But after taking a wrong turn in life, he is forced to endure something that's worse than any juvenile detention center he can imagine: He is sentenced to the local city stables, where he's made to take care of horses. The greatest punishment for Troy has been trying to make sense of things since his mom died. Then, through his work with the horses, he discovers a sport he's never even heard of before: polo!"

The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac

From the publisher's website: "When twelve-year-old Jake Forrest's mother gets a job in a new city, everything changes. He has to move away from the Iroquois reservation he's lived on his entire life―away from his aunt and uncle, and away from the friends he plays lacrosse with. The lacrosse coach and players at his new school in Washington, D.C., believe that winning is everything, and they don't know anything about the ways of his people. As Jake struggles to find a place where he truly belongs, tragedy strikes and he must find out who he really is. Can he find courage to face the warrior within―the warrior who values peace and leads other to more noble pursuits than outscoring the opposition?"

Basketball (or something like it) by Nora Raleigh Baskin

From the publisher's website: "Basketball clinics, a revolving door of coaches, incensed parents, and the importance of the right sneakers—is that what the game is about? Told from the perspective of four unlikely friends, Nora Raleigh Baskin's poignant novel focuses on the action, drama, and fun of playing ball and explores what it takes to be a winner of the game—both on the court and off."

Toby Wheeler Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

From the publisher's website: "When Toby Wheeler has a chance to join the junior high basketball team, he’s eager to prove he can keep up with his best friend, JJ. But practice doesn’t go quite as Toby has planned, and when the coach announces the lineup, Toby’s hopes of playing ball with JJ are history: he’s an eighth-grade benchwarmer! "

Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin

From the publisher's website: "From Newbery Honor–winning author Eugene Yelchin comes another glimpse into Soviet Russia. For twelve-year-old Arcady, soccer is more than just a game. Sent to live in a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state, it is a means of survival, securing extra rations, respect, and protection. Ultimately, it proves to be his chance to leave. But in Soviet Russia, second chances are few and far between. Will Arcady seize his opportunity and achieve his goal? Or will he miss his shot? "

The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman

First of a series. From the publisher's website: "Eddie Ball enters the poetry contest sponsored by Finkle Foods and wins. He must make a basket from the foul line at the NBA Finals to win a million dollars."

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander

A fictionalized biography of the GREATEST heavyweight boxing champion in the world! The story of Cassius Clay's childhood, how he got started boxing, and it's filled with Ali's famous rhyming boasts! If you can -- listen to the audiobook -- Kwame Alexander reads it and it's rap-tastic!

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw learned how to run the night his Dad tried to shoot him and his Mom. With his Dad in jail, his Mom working, and his raggedy clothes and poor neighborhood, the bullies have a lot of stuff to trash talk about him. The 'scream' in his head gets the better of him, one day, and he beats up a guy for making fun of him. Suspended, he walks by the park, and sees a bunch of kids training with a track coach. Unimpressed, confident he can run pretty fast, he runs beside the fastest runner and beats him, even without fancy running shoes. The coach invites him to join the team. For the first time in his life, Ghost is part of something pretty special. That doesn't mean he can run away from the 'scream' in his head, or his past. But maybe, if he doesn't blow it, just maybe, he can build a future. This is the first in the Track series by a GREAT author.

Crackback by John Coy

Miles Manning is feeling the pressure from everywhere! His football career is being watched by his really strict, sometimes cruel, dad, the assistant coach hates his guts, and his classmates are pressuring him to artificially gain strength to be a better player. Not to mention his need to find a date for the dance. Sports, girls, family!! Can life be any harder?

Nikki on the Line by Barbara Carroll Roberts

From the publisher's website: "Thirteen-year-old Nikki Doyle’s dreams of becoming a basketball great feel within reach when she’s selected to play on an elite-level club team. But in a league with taller, stronger, and faster girls, Nikki suddenly isn’t the best point guard. In fact, she’s no longer a point guard at all, which leaves her struggling to figure out who she is and how she fits in.

The stress piles on as Nikki’s best friend spends more and more time with another girl on the team, and when her science teacher assigns a family tree project that will be impossible to complete unless Nikki reveals her most embarrassing secret. As if that’s not enough to deal with, to cover the costs of her new team, Nikki has agreed to take care of her annoying younger brother after school to save money on childcare.

As the stakes rise on the basketball court, at school, and at home, Nikki’s confidence plummets. Can she learn to compete at this new, higher level? And how hard is she willing to work to find out? "

Football Genius by Tim Green

First in a series by the former NFL player. From the publisher's website: "Twelve-year-old Troy White has a phenomenal gift: He can predict football plays before they even happen. Any position. Any player. Any team.

When Troy's single mom gets a job working for the Atlanta Falcons, Troy sees this as an opportunity to show what he can do. But first he has to get to the Falcons—and with tight security and a notoriously mean coach, even his mom's field passes aren't much help.

Then Troy and his best friends devise a plan to get the attention of star linebacker Seth Halloway. With Seth's playing and Troy's genius, the Falcons could be unstoppable if they'll only listen. But if he can’t convince Seth he’s telling the truth, the Falcons’ championship and his mom’s job are at risk."

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

From the publisher's website: "Annie begins to experience changes: the birth of her baby brother, her friend Max's decision to join the track team, and her grandfather's memory loss. How will she come to understand these changes, and how will she react? "

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

From the same author who brought you all those great historical war stories. From the publisher's website: "Baseball is in the Schneider family blood. Each member of this family, from family founder Felix Schneider in the 1800s to Snider Flint in the present day, has a strong tie to the game and to Brooklyn. Through the years this family has dodged bullets on a battlefield, pitched perfect games, and dealt with the devastating loss of family and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nine innings — nine generations. One game — one family. Through it all, one thing remains true: the bonds of family are as strong as a love of the game." Also try Samurai Shortstop, by the same author.

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

Pete, a baseball pitcher, throws his arm out (well, his elbow). Since he can no longer play ball, he doesn't really know who he is, and also fears that his best friend (and fellow player) will abandon him -- so he doesn't tell him the truth about what the doctors said. On the plus side, smart & pretty Angelika is in his photography class, and they get to know each other as partners on various projects. Meanwhile, Pete's beloved grandfather, a professional photographer who taught him all about photography, is acting strange, 'blanking out' and forgetting things.

Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

From the publisher's website: "Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbing him “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey.

When he’s bullied and framed by the captain of the fencing team, “King” Alan, he’s suspended from school and arrested for something he didn’t do.

Terrified, searching for a place where he belongs, Donte joins a local youth center and meets former Olympic fencer Arden Jones. With Arden’s help, he begins training as a competitive fencer, setting his sights on taking down the fencing team captain, no matter what.

As Donte hones his fencing skills and grows closer to achieving his goal, he learns the fight for justice is far from over. Now Donte must confront his bullies, racism, and the corrupt systems of power that led to his arrest.

Powerful and emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy’s fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice."

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

From the publisher's website: "Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma fighting for his life after an unspecified football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery—and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Was this an inevitable result of playing a violent sport, or was something more sinister happening on the field that day? Told in an innovative, multimedia format combining dialogue, texts, newspaper articles, transcripts, an online forum, and Teddy’s inner thoughts, Game Changer explores the joyous thrills and terrifying risks of America’s most popular sport. "

Knockout by K.A. Holt

A companion, or sequel, to House Arrest, both are novels in verse. Levi, the little brother, is sick and tired of being treated like he's made of glass, just because he was really, really sick as a baby. His big brother and his mom are super overprotective, and it's driving him crazy. Plus, he feels bad, because he thinks that his being sick is why his brother is so mad all the time, and his parents broke up. Then, his dad suggests he take up a sport. So, he picks...boxing! Crazy, right, for a kid who sometimes has trouble breathing? He absolutely LOVES it! But he has to keep it secret from his mom, who'll freak. He just wants the freedom to be... normal. The author read House Arrest on her Youtube channel during quarantine, so you can 'read' that, too!

Getting in the Game by Dawn Fitzgerald

From the publisher: "Seventh-grader Joanna Giordano wants to play ice hockey, but the only game in town is the boys' middle school team. Everyone tries to talk her out of playing--from the principal and the coach to the class bully, and even her best friend, Ben. But Jo is as determined as she is talented, and even a grandfather with Alzheimer's and a father who needs anger-management classes can't stop her from getting in the game. "

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter

From the publisher's website: "Tom Gallagher is in a tight spot. The fate of the Dillontown team rests on the outcome of one baseball game, winner take all. If Tom’s team loses, they lose their field too. But how can they possibly win? Just when everything seems hopeless, a mysterious boy named Cruz de la Cruz rides into town and claims to know the secret of hitting. Not to mention the secrets of Dante Del Gato, Dillontown’s greatest hitter ever. Since he walked away from the game years ago, Del Gato hasn’t spoken a word to anyone. But now he might be Tom’s only hope for saving his hometown. "

Also by this author: The Desperado Who Saved Baseball, Choosing Up Sides, Fenway Fever, and Over the Wall.

The Walk on by John Feinstein

First of the Triple Threat series. From the publisher's website: "Alex Myers is a quarterback, but from the first day of football practice, it’s clear that that position is very much filled by the coach’s son, Matt.

Alex has the better arm, but Matt has more experience—and the coach’s loyalty. Alex finally gets a chance to show what he can do when Matt is injured, and he helps win a key game to keep the Lions’ bid for the state championship "alive. But just when his star is rising, Alex gets blindsided—the state has started drug testing, and Alex’s test comes back positive for steroids. Alex knows that’s not right. But he doesn’t know if it’s a mistake—or if someone wants to make sure he can’t play. . . . "

This author has a whole series of sports mysteries at sports championships (Final Four, Superbowl, World Series, Olympics, U.S. Open, etc.), and many other sports books for kids, teens, and adults.

Gold Medal Summer by Donna Freitas

From the publisher's website: "Joey Jordan loves gymnastics: the thrill of performing a backflip on the beam, the cheers of the audience when she sticks a landing. But even with all her talent and style, she's never quite made it to that gold medal stand.

Now big changes shake up Joey's life in and out of the gym. Joey wants to break out some daring new beam and floor routines — but she'll have to defy her strict coach to do it. Her best friend, Alex, is thinking about quitting gymnastics for good. And an old friend named Tanner just moved back to town, and he's suddenly gotten very, very cute. Can Joey handle all the challenges coming her way, and make her gold medal summer happen at last?

Drawing on her real-life experience as a competitive gymnast, acclaimed novelist Donna Freitas delivers both a terrific gymnastics story and a classic novel about stretching some limits, bending the rules, and finding your balance."

Check out Gold Medal Winter, too!

Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

This football story has a sci-fi twist. Ash is just a regular guy, a football player with a regular family, a best friend, and a girlfriend. But when a hard hit on the field leaves him with a concussion, something strange happens. His friend is driving him home, and Ash notices that all the stop signs are... blue. And to everyone else, that's normal. They've always been blue. Only Ash remembers that they used to be red. Every time he gets hit, the world changes, again... in small ways at first, but then the changes get bigger and bigger. These alternate universes are normal to everyone but Ash, who realizes that the bad stuff in the world can be changed, but only if he's willing to take more hits...

Pop by Gordon Korman

Marcus is the new kid in town, but it's summer, so he doesn't know anybody yet. He decides to spend the summer training his throwing arm, hoping to get a shot at being the quarterback in the fall. At the park, this older guy shows up and helps him train. He's the best player Marcus has ever seen, but he's kind of unpredictable. Turns out, he's Charlie Popovich, a famous NFL linebacker, who teaches him to appreciate and perfect the art and thrill of the "pop" -- hitting and getting hit -- body-slamming, head-rattling blocks. In September, the team's quarterback, Troy Popovich (yes, he's Charlie's son), definitely doesn't want to give his spot to Marcus. He doesn't want Marcus dating his sister, OR hanging out with his Dad. But the Popovich family has a secret, and Marcus may be the only one who can help.

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena

The author often talks about his own journey from a kid who played basketball, lived in a poor town on the Mexican border, and was the first in his family to go to college. He was never much of a reader, but he liked to write rap poems. He writes books for the kind of kid he was -- the kind that hates to read. This one is about Danny, a half-white, half-Mexican high school kid who has a powerful arm for pitching. Problem is the rich kids at his school never see it because he choked at tryouts. Danny spends the summer with his father's large, loud family, where he doesn't quite fit in either, since he doesn't speak Spanish. His dad's gone back to Mexico, and Danny is desperate to raise enough money to go see him. His cousin Sofia helps him get in with her crowd, which leads to an unexpected friendship, plus learning some family secrets, and figuring out just who he wants to be.

Golden Arm by Carl Deuker

From the publisher's website: "Lazarus “Laz” Weathers has always been shy, and his issue with stuttering when he speaks hasn’t helped. Stuck in a Seattle trailer park, Laz finds baseball helps him escape from the world of poverty and drugs. When he gets an opportunity to pitch for the rich kids across town, he has a chance to get drafted by the major leagues.

But playing for the other team means leaving behind his family, including Antonio, Laz’s younger brother, who more and more, seems to be drawn to the dark world of the Jet City’s drug ring. Now Laz will have to choose between being the star pitcher he always dreamed of becoming and the team player his family needs."

also by this author: Night Hoops, Gutless, Gym Candy, Runner, Payback Time, and many more!

Winger by Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith is one of the BEST YA authors writing these days. A HS English teacher in California, he writes funny but also real books that will break your heart. This is the story of Ryan Dean West, who skipped a couple of grades, so he's younger than his classmates at a boarding school for rich preppies. Which means they treat him like a kid, especially on the rugby team, and especially Annie, the best friend he's crushing on but who thinks of him almost like a little brother. since Ryan Dean likes to draw comics, they do feature in the book -- but this is no Wimpy Kid diary! A much more grown-up version of real life, according to a teenage boy. There's a sequel, called Standoff.

Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix

From the publisher's website: "Athletics are everything for eighth-grader KT Sutton. She’s a softball star, and she’s on track to get a college scholarship and achieve international fame. Then one day during a championship game—in the middle of an important play—she suddenly blacks out.

When she wakes up, she’s in a different world. One where school is class after class of athletic drills, and after-school sports are replaced by popular academic competitions. One where KT is despised for her talent, and where her parents are fixated on her brother’s future mathletics career rather than KT’s softball hopes.

KT is desperate to get back to reality as she knew it, but bits and pieces of disturbing memories and dreams make her wonder if something truly awful happened there. What if she’s lost something a lot more important than a softball game?"

Peak by Roland Smith

Pete, a baseball pitcher, throws his arm out (well, his elbow). Since he can no longer play ball, he doesn't really know who he is, and also fears that his best friend (and fellow player) will abandon him -- so he doesn't tell him the truth about what the doctors said. On the plus side, smart & pretty Angelika is in his photography class, and they get to know each other as partners on various projects. Meanwhile, Pete's beloved grandfather, a professional photographer who taught him all about photography, is acting strange, 'blanking out' and forgetting things.

Two sequels!

Roland Smith is one of the best authors for action and adventure.

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers

From the publisher: "All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, Cal, knows Lonnie has what it takes to be a pro-basketball player, but warns him about giving in to the pressure. Cal knows because he, too, once had the chance, but sold out.

As the Tournament nears, Lonnie learns that some heavy bettors want Cal to keep him on the bench so that the team will lose the championship. As the last seconds of the game tick away Lonnie and Cal must make a decision. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime?"

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

DJ Schwenk is a character to cheer for. She’s 16, and definitely not a girly-girl. Her family owns a dairy farm. She’s got three brothers, and they’re a football family. They know everything about football, and their dad was their coach, until he got hurt. A lot has changed since then. Her two older brothers are away at college, so most of the chores fall to DJ. Her mom works two jobs, but she has a secret, and she’s not speaking to the older boys. With everything else covered, tough guy Dad figures he better do the cooking. Unfortunately, he really stinks at it. Quiet little brother Curtis (who’s way bigger than DJ) prefers collecting animal skulls, and doesn’t talk to anybody. With all the chores, DJ’s schoolwork and social life suffer. Sometimes she just feels like a cow – just doing what everybody tells her.

Then a friend of her Dad’s, the coach for the rival football team (Hawley), sends his second string quarterback to help out on the farm for the summer and learn a thing or two about hard work (and football) from DJ. Now, from going to every single game, DJ knows that Brian Nelson has a good arm, but he blames everyone else for his mistakes, and yells at his teammates instead of being a good leader. DJ puts him to work at the farm, but mostly, they work on football. She trains him all summer, getting a pretty good workout herself in the process.

DJ realizes that football is the only thing that makes her happy, and decides to go out for the team herself. Then things really start heating up…

Check out the sequels, too!

Hooper by Geoff Herbach

From the publisher's website: "For Adam Reed, basketball is a passport. Adam’s basketball skills have taken him from an orphanage in Poland to a loving adoptive mother in Minnesota. When he’s tapped to play on a select AAU team along with some of the best players in the state, it just confirms that basketball is his ticket to the good life: to new friendships, to the girl of his dreams, to a better future.

But life is more complicated off the court. When an incident with the police threatens to break apart the bonds Adam’s finally formed after a lifetime of struggle, he must make an impossible choice between his new family and the sport that’s given him everything."

This author also wrote the Stupid Fast series.

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay

By the award-winning Filipino-American author. From the publisher's website: "Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can’t help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble.

When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision–maybe a dangerous one.

Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion."