Sports fiction for teen readers!

Pick-Up Game by Marc Aronson

A series of short stories by such authors as Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Joseph Bruchac, interspersed with poems and photographs, provides different perspectives on a game of streetball played one steamy July day at the West 4th Street court in New York City known as The Cage.

The A Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg

A billionaire heiress, a working student, and the daughter of a famous rock star compete on horseback riding's elite A circuit.  Sequels:  My Favorite Mistake and Off Course.

Open Court by Carol Clippinger

A thirteen-year-old tennis prodigy grapples with her seemingly incompatible desires to be an exceptional athlete and a normal teenager.

Box Out by John Coy

High school sophomore Liam jeopardizes his new position on the varsity basketball team when he decides to take a stand against his coach who is leading prayers before games and enforcing team wide participation.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever really mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year, then tries to hold onto his edge by using steroids, despite the consequences to his health and social life.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he is determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field--or to discuss his past.

Soccer Chick Rules by Dawn Fitzgerald

While trying to focus on a winning soccer season, thirteen-year-old Tess becomes involved in local politics when she learns that all sports programs at her school will be stopped unless a tax levy is passed.

 Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz

While obtaining a Western education at a prestigious Japanese boarding school in 1890, sixteen-year-old Toyo also receives traditional samurai training which has profound effects on both his baseball game and his relationship with his father.

Thrown a Curve by Sara Griffiths

A 14-year-old girl is forced by a caring guidance counselor to pitch for her high school's woeful baseball team.

Toby Wheeler: Eighth Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

When Toby finally decides to join the middle school basketball team, he does not anticipate the changes that will occur in his relationship with his best friend JJ, who is the team's star player, as well as in other areas of his life.

Open Ice by Pat Hughes

Hockey has been Nick Taglio's life since he was five years old, so when a massive concussion benches him--possibly for good--everything seems to fall apart, including his schoolwork, his family relationships, his friendships, and his love life.

Out of Order by A. M. Jenkins

Sophomore Colt Trammel loves baseball and his girlfriend Grace, but he hates the rest of high school and maintains a tough facade to hide his feelings of inferiority.

Rebound by Bob Krech

Determined to make the varsity basketball team, seventeen-year-old Ray finds his efforts to play both hindered and helped by the atmosphere of racism in his town.

Lay-Ups and Long Shots edited by Joseph Bruchac

A collection of nine short stories about middle-schoolers and sports. They range from a game of "H-O-R-S-E" to running, ping pong, dirt biking, surfing, place kicking, soccer, and basketball.

Center Field by Robert Lipsyte

Mike lives for baseball and hopes to follow his idol into the major leagues one day, but he is distracted by a new player who might take his place in center field, an ankle injury, problems at home, and a growing awareness that something sinister is happening at school.

Yellow Flag by Robert Lipsyte

When seventeen-year-old Kyle reluctantly succumbs to family pressure and replaces his injured brother in the family racecar, he struggles to keep up with his trumpet playing while deciding how--or if--he can continue making music with a brass quintet and headlines as a Nascar racer.

Throwing like a Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey

After moving from Chicago to Dallas in the spring of her sophomore year, fifteen-year-old Ella finds that joining the softball team at her private school not only helps her make friends, it also provides unexpected opportunities to learn and grow.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.  Sequels:  The Off Season and Front and Center.

Kick by Walter Dean Myers

Told in their separate voices, thirteen-year-old soccer star Kevin and police sergeant Brown, who knew his father, try to keep Kevin out of juvenile hall after he is arrested on very serious charges.

Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Pena

Seventeen-year-old Sticky lives to play basketball at school and at Lincoln Rec Center in Los Angeles and is headed for the pros, but he is unaware of the many dangers--including his own past--that threaten his dream.

 Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena

Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.

Under the Baseball Moon by John Ritter

Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player.

 The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

In 1936 Berlin, fourteen-year-old Karl Stern, considered Jewish despite a non-religious upbringing, learns to box from the legendary Max Schmeling while struggling with the realities of the Holocaust.

The Hoopster by Alan Sitomer

Andre Anderson is a black teenager who loves to play basketball, When he is viciously attacked, it calls his whole world into question-even his deadly jumpshot.

Peak by Roland Smith

A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.

Headlock by Joyce Sweeney

High school senior Kyle is determined to become a professional wrestler but his dream is threatened by a loved one's illness and the dramatic reappearance of a long-absent relative.

Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp

In his senior year, high school star linebacker Hampton Greene finally begins to think for himself and discovers that he might be interested in more than just football.

Black and White by Paul Volponi

Two star high school basketball players, one black and one white, experience the justice system differently after committing a crime together and getting caught.

 Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

High school senior Adonis struggles to do the right thing when his fellow football players escalate their bullying of a new classmate, Alan, who is transgendered.