Staying active can be healthy as well as entertaining. Sports can provide both exercise and entertainment in many cases. The following books are about competition, rivalries, physical abilities or the lack of ability, friendship and sportsmanship. Enjoy these new titles that range from swimming to roller derby to the latest sports statistics.
Ages 4–8
Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play. Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook. 2015. Charlesbridge.
Through rhymed verse and clues hanging from clothespins, various sports are described for young readers to guess. Sports equipment, uniforms, clothing, and balls are just a few examples of the items dangling from the clothesline.
Henry Holton Takes the Ice. Sandra Bradley. 2015. Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Group.
Henry is from a “hockey mad” family, but Henry is just not interested in hockey though he loves ice skating. When he discovers his real passion is ice dancing, his grandmother, who was once a figure skater, offers support.
Mustache Baby Meets His Match. Bridget Heos. 2015. Clarion /HMH Group.
Mustache Baby Billy has a play date with Baby Javier. As the two seem to compete in every activity they choose to do like teddy-bear rassling, hobbyhorse riding, magic, and many other supposed-to-be-fun things, play time turns into a competition and Mustache Baby finds himself on the losing side. He discovers one thing he can be first in, however, and friendship triumphs over rivalry.
Ages 9–11
Baseballogy: Supercool Facts You Never Knew. Kevin Sylvester. Annick.
Baseball trivia fans will enjoy the vast miscellany of information from bats, balls, and gloves to player information, salaries, tickets, and concessions. Though many baseball tidbits are not covered, the cartoon-like illustrations will give young baseball enthusiasts hours of entertainment while adding to their background knowledge of the U.S. national pastime.
Game Time, Mallory! Laurie Friedman. 2015. Darby Creek.
Part of the Mallory series from Darby Creek publishers, this first-person narration is told from Mallory’s experience being part of her fourth-grade basketball team. Hesitating and making mistakes when she first gets into play, her anxiety starts to take over. Through good advice from her coach and friends and family, she starts to improve. Of course, there are those players who love to harass and make fun but eventually Mallory proves her worth on the team.
Growing Up Pedro. Matt Tavares. 2015. Candlewick.
Though the title refers to Pedro Martínez, this story is really about Pedro and his older brother Ramón, as they work hard to become Major League baseball players, leaving their home in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic. The L.A. Dodgers draft Ramón first, and a few years later Pedro gets his chance. The book continues to discuss their rise to fame even when having to face each other on the pitcher’s mound from opposing teams. Today, the brothers have returned to their homeland and built a new life helping schools and neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic. The watercolor and gouache illustrations create expressive warmth to represent the family bond between these successful brothers.
Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball. Howard Bryant. 2015. Philomel/Penguin Group.
From ESPN and the world of sports writing and information, author Howard Bryant has collected baseball information that will give every baseball fan the thrill of having all this noted baseball history in one volume. More than just trivia, but actual background information on baseball legends and history, this chronology provides facts on statistics to comebacks to drug-related issues and so much more. Illustrated with photographs and highlights from many seasons, this volume will be enjoyed by sports fans as it precedes the fall publication of the football edition.
A Whole New Ballgame. Phil Bildner. 2015. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Former classroom teacher, author Phil Bildner has written a story about fifth graders and their differences and the labels and stereotypes that often inhabit their world. Rip and his best friend Red, who readers will recognize quickly is on the autism spectrum, are starting school with Mr. Acevedo, a new teacher who is different from any teacher they have had before, with his tattoos and body piercings. Mr. Acevedo loves basketball, as do Rip and Red. When the fifth-grade team gets going, lots of team dynamics are at play. Though Red isn’t much good at the overall game, he is dead-on at the free-throw line. Place Avery, the girl in the wheelchair, on the court, and a whole new set of teamwork issues confronts the team. Enjoy more about this author and his books at his website and blog.
Ages 12–14
Lost in the Sun. Lisa Graff. 2015. Philomel/Penguin Group.
Trent Zimmerman is wracked with guilt from the freak accident last year when he knocked a hockey puck into the chest of Jared Richards, killing him. Jared had an undiagnosed heart ailment, and the impact from the hockey puck proved fatal. Now Trent must live with Jared’s death, and in his child’s mind he is a horrible person, certain that everyone hates him, including his friends, family, and teachers. His divorced parents don’t make life any easier. He lashes out at everyone, his grades are falling, he gets in fights, and he won’t go out for any sport that had once been the highlight of his life. Things start to change when he meets Fallon Little, a girl with a scar whose vitality for life gives Trent a new way of looking at life.
Roller Girl. Victoria Jamieson. 2015. Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin.
Written by a real derby girl herself, Victoria Jamieson has created a graphic novel about girls, roller derby, and middle school. When 12-year-old Astrid discovers she loves roller derby and signs up for summer derby camp , her best friend Nicole parts ways with her when she decides to go to dance camp. Astrid proceeds with her plan to become a great derby queen but quickly discovers she might not be as talented as she hoped to be. The hip checks and elbow digs come flying faster than she imagined. She starts to doubt her talent and her entry into middle school in the fall as well as friendships that are shifting in new directions.
The Sixth Man. John Feinstein. 2015. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
This is book two in the Triple Threat series from popular sports author John Feinstein. Basketball season is here, and there is a new kid at school who is going out for the team. Triple threat Alex Myers watches as this new kid, Max Bellotti, brings a whole new level of talent to the basketball team. The upperclassmen players aren’t happy about letting a freshman steal the show while they sit on the bench. When word gets out that Max is gay, the controversy begins. Knowing Max can lead the Lions to a championship, the community response to Max’s sexuality becomes not only an issue for the school board but also an acceptance within the team.
Yard War. Taylor Kitchings. 2015. Wendy Lamb/Penguin Random House.
Set in Jackson, MS, in 1964 just after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, this story is more about the segregated South than about sports, though a football game provides the backdrop for the story. Twelve-year-old Trip lives with his family and his beloved maid, Willie Jane, who is like his second mother. When Trip invites Dee, Willie Jane’s son, to join a game of football at their house, the neighborhood bigotry comes out in a blast of racist remarks and actions. The language is true to the time period of the 1960s and will make readers cringe at this historic look at segregation and prejudice.
Ages 15+
Biggie. Derek E. Sullivan. 2015. Albert Whitman.
Henry “Biggie” Abbott is a high school junior in Finch, IA. Biggie has earned his nickname because he weighs over 300 pounds. Finding ways to stay below the radar of ridicule, especially as he lives in the shadow of his professional baseball player father, Biggie creates an online presence to avoid his loneliness in real time. When the fake passes that excuse him from gym class are discovered, he is forced to participate in wiffle ball—where he pitches a perfect game. Now he considers a metamorphosis for himself and develops a goal to earn a spot on the school’s baseball team, pitch a perfect game, and win the heart of the girl he loves.
Hit Count. Chris Lynch. 2015. Algonquin.
Arlo has set goals for his football career from an early age. Through hard and incessant training, he becomes an outstanding football player by his sophomore year. Earning the nickname Starlo, he continues through high school hard hitting, receiving and taking tackles and blows to maintain the football stardom that he so desires. Divided into four sections representing his four years in high school, this book reveals changes in Arlo that readers, as well as his coaches, parents, and girlfriend, will start to see. Taking all those blows to his head is starting to take a toll, and Arlo’s cognitive and emotional abilities are being questioned, suggesting that he is heading down a path to self-destruction.
A Matter of Heart. Amy Fellner Dominy. 2015. Delacorte/Random House.
Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is a champion swimmer for her high school swim team and is hopeful for qualifying for the Olympics Trials in the 100-freestyle event. However, Abby has a fainting spell after one of her meets, and after a visit to her doctor, finds out that she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that has been known to kill top-performing high school athletes. Abby’s whole life, including her best friend Jen and her boyfriend Connor, has been centered on the swimming pool. The author delves into the reactions of all the people in Abby’s life as they respond to this life-altering medical condition. Abby’s decision is her own as she digs to find out who she is without a championship swimming career. Beyond just a sports book, this is a look at self-awareness and projecting toward a future.
Karen Hildebrand is a retired library media specialist and library director for Delaware City Schools in Delaware, OH. She is currently an adjunct professor at Ashland University in Ohio, a reading consultant, and a Holocaust Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. She also chairs the Education Curriculum Committee for the Delaware County Historical Society. The review contributions are provided by members of the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group.