Sports Reads for Teens
All the Excitement of the Olympics, All Year Round for Young Adults
Aug 13, 2008
Not all great books are about life-changing relationships, climactic moments in teens lives or extreme emotional turmoil - or do they? Take some of hte popular books about sports briefly reviewed below and see.
Baseball
Throwing Smoke - Bruce Brooks. One baseball player goes to desperate measures with a printing press to make his team great. But at what cost?
Bull Catcher - Alden Carter. This book follows two boys from ninth through twelfth grade as they play baseball and learn about life.
Summerland - Michael Chabon. Both baseball and fantasy, one terrible baseball players is recruited by a 100-year old who wants him to play to help fairies beat an ancient enemy.
My Thirteenth Summer - Kristi Roberts. After the deaths of her mother and father, Fran, thirteen years old, can no longer handle the pressure and mocking put on her by the baseball coach. As with her happiness, so goes her dreams of being the first pro female baseball player - or does it?
Basketball
Tournament Upstart - Thomas Dygard. A smaller school from the Ozark foothills get a new coach and challenge the big city school.
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery - John Feinstein. After winning a sports reporting contest, Stevie and Susan are sent to cover the final four, when they realize there is more scandal than they expected.
The Outside Shot - Walter Dean Myers. This book follows a boy from Harlem who was recruited by a small midwestern school to play basketball, but also helps out handicapped kids.
Playing Without the Ball - Rich Wallace. Jay's parents abandoned him and left him in a small Pennsylvania town, where he finds escape in a church basketball league.
Other SportsCrash - Jerry Spinelli. Due to a new Quaker neighbor and his grandfather's stroke, John "Crash" Coogan has to reevaluate his football approach to life, while stil maintaining his high level of competition.
Tangerine - Edward Bloor. Paul begins to remember the tragic accident causing him to lose his eye-sight as he starts succeeding in soccer.
Head Above Water - S.L. Rottman. Skye has a lot on her plate in this book, as she is trying to compete in competitive swim, care for her Downs Syndrome brother and enjoy her relationship with her first boyfriend.
The Boxer - Kathleen Karr. Set in 19th century New York, fifteen-year old Johnny learned to box while in prison, and now that he's out, he's decided to make his living boxing.
Open Ice - Pat Hughes. Everything falls apart for Nick when a concussion threatens to take away his biggest love in life: his ability to play hockey.
