Sports Fiction Teen

Michael Jordan, one of the best basketball players to ever have lived, once said: "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." But if your mind is not as strong as your body, how can you possibly figure out how to get over or through that wall? How can you be your best self if your brain muscles aren’t as strong as your other muscles?

In Choose to Matter, Julie Foudy, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former captain of the US National team, takes you on a journey to discover your authentic self. This book is a roadmap to unleash that courageous you and have you singing your dreams out loud. Along with sharing stories from her playing days and personal experiences, Julie taps into the wisdom of other incredible female leaders.

If Greer Walsh could only live inside her head, life would be easier. She’d be able to focus on excelling at math or negotiating peace talks between her best friend and...everyone else. She wouldn’t spend any time worrying about being the only Kennedy High student whose breasts are bigger than her head.

The heart-pounding story of an unlikely band of ragtags who took on Hitler's Grand Prix driver.

Colin Undinger was my first friend, first crush, first kiss…until one day he made it to the High School Football Team and somehow became my first enemy. Five years later, no one knows why we are nasty to each other. He’s now the school star, causing me to be the unpopular school b**ch. Why should I care, though? I don’t love him anymore. I just need to keep ignoring him. Right? Wrong.

Willow Covington has conquered every obstacle thrown at her to become one of the best figure skaters in the nation until a devastating injury shatters her Olympic dreams. She’ll do anything to get back on the ice, though, and if that means rehabbing while blocking shots and slapping a puck around, so be it. Coach says no dating, but that’s A-Okay with her anyway - she’s singularly focused on her goal. If only the team captain, Brodie Windom, wasn’t so infuriatingly hot as he shows her the ropes.

Life is looking up for D.J. Schwenk. She's in 11th grade, finally. After a rocky summer, she's reconnecting in a big way with her best friend, Amber. She's got kind of a thing going with Brian Nelson, who's cute and popular and smart but seems to like her anyway. And then there's the fact that she's starting for the Red Bend High School football team, as the first girl linebacker in northern Wisconsin, probably. Which just shows you can't predict the future.

Farrington High School Junior, Kate Kellner, has her whole future planned and a list of high-priority goals aligned. This season, she’s going to lead the Fighting Falcons to their first ever Midlands Conference title, break all the school pitching records, and impress a boatload of college recruiters so she can pick where she wants to go after she graduates from high school. But then, one day in the middle of a training session, Grady Hughes walks into her multipurpose room.

Jenny, like any good pitcher, knows when to throw at a batter. When to throw a fastball. And when to drop and cover. Like now. Especially as big, meaty Lacey glares at her. Hands the size of bear paws, and the entire softball team saying in pretty clear words: Go. Home. The short story that inspired the novel Swing Away. A story of friendship, finding your own place, and just maybe, a date to the prom.

Kairi Vo transferred to Pumas High School in Southern California at the start of her senior year. Her family moved to town from Baltimore, Maryland to get away from the snow. Kairi came across as a tough girl and could care less about what other people thought of her. Growing up with two brothers, she learned to play rough.

"One day I’m going to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team." That’s what Flora Dupre promised her mom, before her mom died of cancer. Flora and her mom had created a place called Soccerland, an escape world where they went and just talked soccer. And now Flora’s dream of playing for the U.S.A. might be coming true. Flora’s received the invitation of a lifetime: the chance to try out for the Under-15 U.S. Girls’ Soccer Team, an opportunity that could put Flora on the road to making her dream a reality and reaching the real "Soccerland".

When self-proclaimed geek girl Bethany Reynolds becomes the newest member of the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there's one thing worse than blending into the lockers: getting noticed. Who knew cheerleading was so hard? Well, at least there's a manual, The Prairie Stone High Varsity Cheerleading Guide. Too bad it doesn't cover any of the really tough questions. Like, how do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt?

Lily Ford has always been a wallflower. But it’s senior year, and she wants nothing more than to try to push her boundaries and embrace the last year of high school. Kaiden Thatcher has always been the star on the football field. But now he finds himself in enemy territory forced to prove himself to his new coach and teammates. It starts with a dare. Seven minutes of heaven in a boat shed. But it quickly turns into something neither of them saw coming.

Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that Harlem life throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever in this touching and raw new teen novel from Walter Dean Myers.

Tri had anxiously been waiting for this day throughout the entire school year: The beginning of summer, when his days would be filled with beach volleyball, surfing, and more beach volleyball. But when he signs up for summer beach volleyball at Outrigger Beach with his best friend and partner, Trevor, he discovers the devastating news that Trevor has teamed up with his arch-rival, Ricardo. Now Tri, with the help of his tough-love auntie, must befriend a misfit named Travis, building a new team, a new partnership, and a deep friendship that changes his view on beach volleyball and life.

SUNDAY MONEY follows Claire as she navigates her way through 1970s Brooklyn, hustling on and off the court, and striving to break free of the turmoil in her home and the rulebook "good" girls are supposed to follow.

From the slightly fantastical to the utterly real, light, and sweet romance to tales tinged with horror and thrills, Game On is an anthology that spans genre and style. But beneath each story is a loving ode to competition and games perfect for anyone who has ever played a sport or a board game, picked up a video game controller, or rolled a twenty-sided die.

With gold-medalist parents and her older sister headed to the Olympics, all she wants is to live up to the family name and stand atop the ice dance podium at the Junior World Championships. But fame doesn’t always mean fortune, and their legendary skating rink is struggling under the weight of her dad’s lavish lifestyle. The only thing keeping it afloat is a deal to host the rest of the Junior Worlds team before they leave for France. That means training on the same ice as her first crush, Freddie, the partner she left when her growth spurt outpaced his.

Eoin Madden’s having a busy term with friend issues, schoolwork and new rugby challenges; he’s been moved up to train with the Junior Cup team, which is hard work, plus there’s trouble in his dormitory as mobile phones start going missing! But as usual there are ghostly goings-on in Castlerock school - what’s the link between Eoin’s history lessons and the new spirit he’s spotted wearing a Belvedere rugby jersey?

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?