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General Sports & Athletics

Bennett, Cherie. Girls in Love.
Love, Michigan, is famous for Winterfest, an annual athletic competition, but Tara, Erin, and Noelle are about to find out that there's a lot more to Winterfest than sports.

Bo, Ben. The Edge.
A teenaged gang member accused of various crimes finds redemption working and snowboarding at a ski lodge in the mountains surrounding Canada's Glacier National Park.

Bo, Ben. Skullcrack.
Jonah, a troubled boy who escapes from his dreary life with an alcoholic father by surfing on the coast of Ireland, discovers that he has a twin sister with whom he has an unusual mental link.

Crutcher, Chris. Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories.
A collection of short stories featuring characters from earlier books by Chris Crutcher.

Crutcher, Chris. Ironman.
While training for a triathlon, seventeen-year-old Bo attends an anger management group at school which leads him to examine his relationship with his father.

Durant, Alan. Sports Stories.
A collection of sports stories by such authors as Enid Bagnold, P. G. Wodehouse, Ring Lardner, and Tessa Duder.

Gallo, Donald R., editor. Ultimate Sports : Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults.
Sixteen original sports stories featuring young men and women playing basketball and football, running track and cross-country, and training for the triathlon, as well as participating in water sports, racquetball, tennis, boxing, wrestling, and the ultimate sport of the future.

Gunn, Robin Jones. Surprise Endings.
Fifteen-year-old Christy hopes to make the cheerleading squad, which would give her a greater opportunity to take a stand for Christ among the popular girls in school, but she faces a jealous classmate and financial constraints.

Hobbs, Will. River Thunder.
Despite some reservations, sixteen-year-old Jessie joins her companions from the previous year's adventure on the Colorado River for a legal rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Disconnected.
Fourteen-year-old Canadians, Tanner and Alex, discover they have a mysterious connection when drug dealers kidnap Tanner while he is on a hockey trip, mistaking him for Alex who met them while running away from an abusive father.

Hughes, Pat. Open Ice
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.

Levine, Anna. Running on Eggs.
When Karen and Yasmine become friends as well as members of a mixed Arab and Jewish track team in Israel, relatives and friends of both girls disapprove of the relationship.

Lynch, Chris. Iceman.
When overweight thirteen-year-old Elvin Bishop is sent to camp at St. Paul's Seminary Retreat Center, he and his two best friends are forced to try out various sports in order to find out where they belong.

Lynch, Chris. Slot Machine.
Fourteen-year-old Eric, a ruthless hockey player prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents.

McElroy, James T. We've Got Spirit: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Cheerleading Team
Spend a year with the cheerleading squad in Greenup County, Kentucky, who have won the most national championships of any cheerleading squad in America.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Sexy
Sixteen-year-old Darren Flynn, a popular, good-looking high school athlete who lacks self-confidence, learns that his jock friends are hatching a revenge act against their English teacher for failing a member of the swim team.

Orr, Wendy. Peeling the Onion.
Following an automobile accident in which her neck is broken, a teenage karate champion begins a long and painful recovery with the help of her family.

Petersen, P.J. White Water.
Greg confronts his own fears and assumes a leadership role when his father is bitten by a rattlesnake during a white-water rafting trip.

Rottman, S.L. Rough Waters.
After their parents' death in an automobile accident, two teenage brothers are sent to Colorado to live with an estranged uncle, owner of a white water rafting outfit.

Rushford, Patricia. Dying to Win.
When sixteen-year-old Courtney, the daughter of a pharmacist, calls for help, Jennie sets off to solve a mystery involving drugs, sports, and competition.

Shalant, Phyllis. Beware of Kissing Lizard Lips.
Zach is small for a sixth-grader and the girls at school make fun of him, but when one girl in his class starts showing him some tae kwon do moves and teaching him about martial arts, things begin to change.

Voigt, Cynthia. The Runner.
As a dedicated runner, a teenage boy has always managed to distance himself from other people until the experience of coaching one of his teammates on the track team gradually helps him see the value of giving and receiving.

Wieler, Diana J. Bad Boy.
A.J. Brandiosa becomes the bad boy of the Cyclone hockey team, and learns that his best friend is gay, as he tries to cope with his own sexuality during his senior year in high school.

Winton, Tim. Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster.
When Lockie Leonard wipes out on a huge wave, he is thrown into a friendship with the weird, but extremely intelligent "Metal Head," Geoff "Egg" Eggleston, who joins Lockie in his crusade to clean up the pollution in his coastal Australian town's harbor.

Baseball

Bennett, James. Plunking Reggie Jackson.
High school baseball star Coley Burke tries to deal with an ankle injury, back spasms, a pregnant girlfriend, academic failure, pressure from his father, and the legacy of his dead older brother.

Brooks, Bruce. Throwing Smoke.
When his teammates on the Breadhurst Newts baseball team continue their losing ways, Whiz uses an unusual printing press to create several star players in hopes of winning a game.

Carter, Alden. Bull Catcher.
Pete and Jeff continue their friendship and love of baseball as they progress from ninth grade through high school in their small Wisconsin town.

Chabon, Michael. Summerland.
Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy.

Crutcher, Chris. The Crazy Horse Electric Game.
Baseball star Willie, frustrated at being handicapped after an accident, runs away from home and is helped back to mental and physical health by a black benefactor and the people in a special school where he enrolls.

Deuker, Carl. Heart of a Champion.
Seth faces a strain on his friendship with Jimmy, who is both a baseball champion and something of an irresponsible fool, when Jimmy is kicked off the team.

Deuker, Carl. Painting the Black.
When star baseball athlete Josh Daniels moves in across the street, Remy Ward doesn't realize how much his life will change during his senior year at Seattle's Crown Hill High.

Dygard, Thomas. The Rookie Arrives.
Cocky Ted Bell moves from being star of his high school baseball team directly into playing in the major leagues and finds that he has a lot to learn before becoming the world's greatest third baseman.

Johnson, Scott. Safe at Second.
Paulie Lockwood's best friend Todd Bannister is destined for the major leagues until a line drive to the head causes him to lose an eye and they both must find a new future for themselves.

Lewin, Michael Z. Cutting Loose.
A girl, who dresses like a boy in order to play professional baseball during the late nineteenth century, tracks the murderer of her best friend to London where she encounters the killer of her father.

Lynch, Chris. Gold Dust.
In 1975, twelve-year-old Richard befriends Napolean, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping that Napolean will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school.

Peck, Robert Newton. Extra Innings.
After a tragic airplane crash that claims the lives of most of his family, sixteen-year-old Tate goes to live with his wealthy great-grandfather and his adopted Black great-aunt Vidalia and he finds unexpected solace in the stories of her childhood spent travelling with a Depression-era Negro baseball team.

Powell, Randy. Dean Duffy.
Eighteen-year-old Dean, a former high school baseball star whose future has been ruined by a batting slump and a bad arm, is offered a college baseball scholarship and finds himself uncertain of whether to take it.

Ritter, John H. The Boy who Saved Baseball
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.

Ritter, John H. Over the Wall.
Thirteen-year-old Tyler, who has trouble controlling his anger, spends an important summer with his cousins in New York City, playing baseball and sorting out how he feels about violence, war, and in particular the Vietnamese conflict that took his grandfather's life.

Ritter, John H. Under the Baseball Moon
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.

Roberts, Kristi. My Thirteenth Season
Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's overwhelming grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream of becoming the first female in professional baseball after a coach attacks her just for being a girl.

Weaver, Will. Farm Team.
With his father in jail and his mother working full-time, fourteen-year-old Billy Baggs finds himself in charge of running the family farm in northern Minnesota and having to give up the thing he loves most--baseball.

Weaver, Will. Hard Ball: A Novel.
A fourteen-year-old Minnesota farm boy has to figure out how to get along with the arch-rival in his love life and on the baseball diamond, and both boys must learn how to deal with the unfair expectations of their fathers.

Basketball

Bennett, James. Blue Star Rapture.
While attending a high-profile basketball camp, T.J. begins to re-think both his motivations and his actions in guiding his learning-disabled but athletically-gifted friend through the college recruitment process.

Bennett, James. The Squared Circle.
Sonny, a university freshman and star basketball player, finds that the pressures of college life, NCAA competition, and an unsettling relationship with his feminist cousin bring up zpainful memories that he must face before he can decide what is important in his life.

Colton, Larry. Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn
The women's basketball team at Hardin High School in Hardin, Montana overcome tremendous odds.

Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs.
Still troubled by his older brother's suicide, eighteen-year-old triathlete Dillon becomes deeply involved in the terrible secret of his friend Jennifer, a basketball player who feels she can tell no one what her stepfather is doing to her.

Deuker, Carl. Night Hoops.
While trying to prove that he is good enough to on his high school's varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents' divorce and erractic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.

Deuker, Carl. On the Devil's Court.
Struggling with his feelings of inadequacy and his failure to make the basketball team in his new school, seventeen-year-old Joe Faust finds himself willing to trade his soul for one perfect season of basketball.

Dygard, Thomas. Rebound Caper.
High-school basketball player Gary Whipple, known for his mischievous pranks, creates a sensation when he switches from the boys' team to the girls' team.

Dygard, Thomas. Tournament Upstart.
Under the leadership of their new young coach, a Class B high school basketball team from the Ozark foothills challenges big-city schools for the state championship.

Feinstein, John. Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.

Klass, David. Danger Zone.
When he joins a predominantly black "Teen Dream Team" that will be representing the United States in an international basketball tournament in Rome, Jimmy Doyle makes some unexpected discoveries about prejudice, racism, and politics.

Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops: A Novel.
A teenage basketball players from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point-shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.

Myers, Walter Dean. The Outside Shot.
Recruited by a small midwestern college to play basketball, a Harlem boy has many new experiences, including working with a child who needs physical therapy and dealing with corruption in college sports.

Myers, Walter Dean. Slam!
Sixteen-year-old "Slam" Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

Pena, Matt de la. Ball Don’t Lie
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.

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. The Hoopster
Andre Anderson, an African-American teenager who loves to play basketball, is happy about his summer internship at a magazine, but his life is unexpectedly changed by a random act of violence.

Smith, Charles R., Jr. Tall Tales.
In this collection of stories illustrated with photographs, youngsters show off their smooth moves on the basketball court.

Sweeney, Joyce. Players.
Eighteen-year-old Corey sees a threat to his dream of winning the basketball championship when he discovers that the new player on his team is a girl-stealing, friend-framing, team-destroying force of evil.

Wallace, Rich. Playing Without the Ball.
Feeling abandoned by his parents, who have gone their separate ways and left him behind in a small Pennsylvania town, seventeen-year-old Jay finds hope for the future in a church-sponsored basketball team and a female friend.

Football

Baczewski, Paul. Just for Kicks.
Fifteen-year-old Brandon does not suspect the difficulties in store for him as manager of the varsity football team when his sister Sarah joins and becomes the star punter.

Bechard, Margaret. If It Doesn't Kill You.
High school freshman Ben should be enjoying playing football, meeting girls, and going to parties, but he's too busy trying to cope with his father's moving out to live with another man.

Carter, Alden R. Love, Football and Other Contact Sports
A collection of stories about high school students from one end of the social spectrum to the other.

Cochran, Thomas. Roughnecks.
Travis Cody prepares for the final game of his high school football career, a rematch with his school's chief rival.

Crutcher, Chris. Running Loose.
Football player Louie, a high school senior in a small Idaho town, learns about sportsmanship, love, and death as he matures into manhood.

Dygard, Thomas. Backfield Package.
The decision of four high school friends to go to the same college so that they can continue playing football together is shaken when one of them begins to receive attention as a star quarterback.

Dygard, Thomas. Forward Pass.
To improve his struggling football team's chances of winning, Coach Gardner brings in a new wide receiver, Jill Winston.

Dygard, Thomas. Halfback Tough.
New at Graham High, Joe joins the football team and begins to change his tough guy outlook as he becomes absorbed by the game and gains self-esteem and new friends.

Dygard, Thomas. Running Wild.
When Coach Wilson and Officer Stowell encourage him to join the high school football team, Pete no longer believes that "nobody does anything for nothing."

Ibbitson, John. The Wimp and the Jock.
Ridiculously poor at sports, Randy horrifies himself and his friends when he responds to a bully's taunts by announcing he'll try out for the football team.

Jenkins, A.M. Damage
Seventeen-year-old football hero Austin, trying to understand the inexplicable depress that has drained his interest in life, thinks that he has found relief in a girl who seems very special.

Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs.
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.

Lee, Marie G. Necessary Roughness.
Sixteen-year-old Korean American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.

Lynch, Chris. The Inexcusable
High school senior and football play Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

Miklowitz, Gloria D. Anything to Win.
To increase his chances of winning a college scholarship, a talented high school quarterback risks his health by taking anabolic steroids to gain weight.

Murdock, Catherine GIlbert. Dairy Queen: A Novel
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.

Singer, Marilyn. Ghost Host.
Sixteen-year-old football star Bart Hawkins seeks a way to rid his house of a nasty poltergeist without losing the nine friendly ghosts also haunting it, in return for which they agree to help him win the championship game.

Spinelli, Jerry. Crash.
Seventh-grade football player John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

Soccer

Bloor, Edward. Tangerine.
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.

Swimming

Coleman, Evelyn. Born in Sin
Despite serious obstacles and setbacks, fourteen-year-old Keisha pursues her dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer and medical doctor.

Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.
The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence of God, abortion, organized religion, suicide and other contemporary issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school swimmer's attempt to answer a friend's dramatic cry for help.

Crutcher, Chris. Stotan!
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students.

Many, Paul. These Are the Rules.
Having quit his school's swim team, Colm tries to swim the lake at his family's summer home, at the same time working on his difficult relationship with his father and pondering the mystery of girls.

Rottman, S.L. Head Above Water.
Skye, a high school junior, tries to find the time for both family obligations and personal interests, which include caring for her brother who has Down's Syndrome, dating her first boyfriend, and swimming competitively.

Wrestling/Boxing

Cadnum, Michael. Redhanded.
Since he cannot depend on his father, Stephen feels as though his only chance to make it to the big boxing tournament is to go along with the dangerous plan of a local tough guy to whom he has been introduced by a thrill-seeking friend.

Karr, Kathleen. The Boxer.
Having learned how to box while in prison, fifteen-year-old Johnny sets out to discover if he can make a decent living as a fighter in late nineteenth-century New York City.

Klass, David. Wrestling with Honor.
Champion high school wrestler Ron Woods faces a soul-searching season when he refuses to retake a mandatory drug test he has failed. This decision affects every area of his life including his feelings about his father, who died in Vietnam, and his first tentative romance.

Lipsyte, Robert. The Brave.
After leaving the Indian reservation for New York, Sonny Bear learns to control his rage in order to train for the boxing ring with Alfred Brooks, an ex-boxer who is now a policeman.

Lipsyte, Robert. The Chief.
On the verge of having a shot at the heavyweight boxing championship, nineteen-year-old Sonny Bear finds himself with conflicting loyalties when trouble erupts on his reservation over the construction of a new gambling casino. Sequel to The Brave.

Lipsyte, Robert. The Contender
A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try.

Lynch, Chris. Shadow Boxer.
After their father dies of boxing injuries, George is determined to prevent his younger brother, who sees boxing as his legacy, from pursuing a career in the sport.

Martino, Alfred C. Pinned
Dealing with family problems, girls, and their own competitive natures, high school seniors Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane face each other in the final match of the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship.

Wallace, Rich. Wrestling Sturbridge.
Stuck in a small town where no one ever leaves and relegated by his wrestling coach to sit on the bench while his best friend becomes state champion, Ben decides he can't let his last high school wrestling season slip by without challenging his friend and the future.

Zusak, Markus. Fighting Ruben Wolfe.
Partly because of their family's poor finances and partly to prove themselves, brothers Ruben and Cameron take jobs as fighters and find themselves reacting very differently in the boxing ring.

Comments or Suggestions?
Contact Cathy Lichtman, Teen Librarian

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