Sports Fiction & Nonfiction Featuring Girls

As we are in the midst of the Winter Olympics, and Women's History Month starts in a couple of weeks, and particularly because one of our local teachers asked me to create a list of fiction books featuring a girl(s) playing a sport, this list was born. It was not easy. It became sadly clear that there are comparatively few fiction books in the teen collection that have a girl playing a sport as the main story line compared to the many books that feature a boy(s) playing a sport. The following is what I was able to find relevant to the request. Included in this list are narrative nonfiction books and a couple of biographies.


Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America, by Karen Blumenthal, 2005. Explores the history, struggle, and passage of Title IX, the law that allowed girls the freedom to pursue sports of their choosing, and the effects this law has had on society since its inception. Nonfiction

Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports, by Gregory Zuckerman with Gabriel and Elijah Zuckerman, 2018. The athletes featured in this book met earth-shaking challenges head on, and through hard work and perseverance, went on to conquer the sports world. This collection of mini biographies includes first-hand content drawn from interviews. Nonfiction

Baseball

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, by Mick Cochrane, 2009. Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.

A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, by Sue Macy, 1993. Describes the activities of the members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the women's professional baseball league that existed between 1943 and 1954. Nonfiction

Under the Baseball Moon, by John Ritter, 2006. 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.

Basketball

In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle, by Madeleine Blais, 1995. A look at the trials and triumphs of high school girls' basketball chronicles one season of the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst, Massachusetts, as they learn loyalty and self-confidence on their way to a championship game. Nonfiction

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn, Larry Colton, 2000. Profiles a Montana high-school girls' basketball team--made up of Crow Indian and white girls from a rural town--that carries on its shoulders the dreams and hopes of a Native American tribe during their winning season. Nonfiction

Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay, 2011. Sixteen-year-old Bernardo, who is eight feet tall and suffers from a condition called gigantism, leaves the Philippines to live with his mother's family in London, much to the delight of his thirteen-year-old half sister Andi, a passionate basketball player.

Boost, by Kathryn Mackel, 2008. Thirteen-year-old Savvy's dreams of starting for her elite basketball team are in danger when she is accused of taking steroids.

Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team that Barnstormed its Way to Basketball Glory,by Lydia Reeder, 2017. At the height of the Great Depression, Sam Babb, the charismatic basketball coach of tiny Oklahoma Presbyterian College, began dreaming. Traveling from farm to farm, he recruited talented, hardworking young women and offered them a chance at a better life: a free college education if they would come play for his basketball team, the Cardinals. Nonfiction

Boxing

Girls Can't Hit, by T. S. Easton, 2018.  When she is refused entry into her school's boxing class because she is a girl, tenacious Fleur endures bullying and her parents' and boyfriend's disapproval in her resolve to have the same opportunities.

Football

Dairy Queen, Catherine Murdock, 2006. After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, 16-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. First book in trilogy.

Playing with Boys, Liz Tigelaar, 2008. When 15-year-old Lucy and her father move to Malibu, California, Lucy tries out for the varsity football team and feels strong and in control for the first time since her mother's death--as long as her overprotective father does not find out.
                                            Gymnastics

Tumbling, by Caela Carter, 2016. After sacrificing their childhoods, Grace, Leigh, Camille, Wilhelmina, and Monica are competing in the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, after which their lives will change forever.

Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything, by Aly Raisman, 2017. Honest and heartfelt, frank and funny, Aly's story is enhanced with never-before-published photos, excerpts from the personal journals she's kept since childhood that chronicle memorable moments with her teammates, and hard-won advice for readers striving to rise above challenges, learn to love themselves, and make their own dreams come true. Biography

Hockey                               

Power Play, by Jack Maddox, 2016. Ninth-grade hockey player Kyla Woodson is hoping to win a spot on the varsity team mid-season--but she has at least one serious rival for the coveted position, and her supressed anger over her parents recent divorce seems to keep getting in the way.

Horse Racing

Jockey Girl, by Shelley Peterson, 2016. When Evie learns that her mother is alive, she hatches a plan to enter the Caledon Horse Race and win enough money to find her and leave her unloving father.

           Martial Arts

Re-Gifters, by Mike Carey, 2007. Meet "Dixie" as she's known to her friends. She's living on the ragged edge of LA's Koreatown, and her only outlet is the ancient martial art of hapkido. She's on the verge of winning a championship -- until she falls for fellow hapkido fan/California surfer boy Adam and gets thrown spectacularly off her game. As she struggles to win the tournament Dixie learns that in love and in gift-giving, what goes around comes around. Graphic Novel

Skating                   

Spinning Away, by Jake Maddox, 2017. Twelve-year-old Maggie and her twin sister are both figure skaters, but Maggie is trying to find her own style while her sister remains firmly under their mother's thumb--so when their old coach leaves, Maggie seizes the opportunity to try out some of the new spins she has been creating, even if it means upstaging her twin.

Spinning, by Tillie Walden, 2017. A graphic memoir recounts the years Walden spent competitively figure skating, before her developing love of art and first girlfriend causes her to question the insular world of figure skating. Graphic Format Biography 

                                      Soccer                      

Arch Enemy, by Paul Hoblin, 2013. When defender Addie turns down her teammate and close friend Eva's offer to be more than friends, she is at a loss for what to do when her former friend starts sending her mean notes and sabotaging her play on the field. Counterattack Series

The Beast, by Paul Hoblin, 2013. When a concussion takes out the team's talented starting goalie Alyssa Duncan, a teammate replaces her temporarily and plays so well that Alyssa wonders whether she will be healed and good enough retake her old position by the playoffs. Counterattack Series

Blow Out, by M.G. Higgins, 2013. Lacy Sheridan is doing her best to get over the fear she still feels after a knee injury from last season, but tough Raven McAlister is competing for Lacy's starting position and sees a chance to exploit Lacy's fear for her own benefit. Counterattack Series

Offside, by M.G. Higgins, 2013. Faith Patel feels out of place among her teammates because her family can't afford for her to play in club leagues like the other girls, so when the coach starts to give her extra help and attention she starts to develop a crush. Counterattack Series

Out of Sync, by Amanda Humann, 2013. Close friends Madison and Dayton play together so well that they are a scoring machine for their team, but when Dayton becomes more interested in partying than soccer, Madison worries about their chances of getting onto a good college team. Counterattack Series

Under Pressure, by Emma Carlson Berne, 2013. A few weeks before a scout from her preferred college is to visit, Elise turns to shady performance supplements when she sees that some of her teammates are outplaying her in spite of her hard work. Counterattack Series

Soccerland, by Beth Choate, 2010. When Flora leaves her family and their Maine potato farm for a tryout at the International Sports Academy, she struggles to hold her own through injuries, learning new positions, and contempt from other players.

Soccer Chick Rules, by Dawn Fitzgerald, 2007. While trying to focus on a winning soccer season, 13-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.

Pretty Tough, by Liz Tigelaar, 2007. Two feuding sisters from Malibu, California, take their rivalry to the soccer field when both girls make the high school team.

Track          

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen, 2011. When a school bus accident leaves 16-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again.

Get in the Game: Read Sports Fiction and Nonfiction

Get in the Game: Read! was this year's national summer reading theme. A display of sports fiction and nonfiction books has been up in the teen area all summer. If you missed it, or saw something there and can't remember the title, here is a list of some of the books. Titles listed are linked to the Library's online catalog.

Authors in the Young Adult collection who mainly write sports fiction are:
Chris Crutcher -- Carl Deuker -- John Feinstein -- Tim Green -- Robert Lipsyte -- Mike Lupica.  Also see the sports fiction series: Orca Sports

Sports Fiction

The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander, 2014. Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. Realistic fiction. Novel in Verse. 750L



Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, 1997. 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. Realistic fiction. Ecofiction. 680L

Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury, 2008. When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross country bicycle trek the summer after graduating high school and only one returns, the FBI wants to know what happened. Realistic fiction. 770L

Tumbling, by Caela Carter, 2016.  After sacrificing their childhoods, Grace, Leigh, Camille, Wilhelmina, and Monica are competing in the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, after which their lives will change forever. Realistic fiction. 690L

Summerland, by Michael Chabon, 2002.  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. Fantasy fiction. 950L

Eleven Things I Promised You, by Catherine Clark, 2016. While competing in a bike race with her high school teammates, 17-year-old Frances is determined to complete ten tasks compiled by her best friend Stella. Realistic fiction.

Deadline, by Chris Crutcher, 2007. Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos.". Football. Realistic fiction. Humorous. 880L

Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay, 2011. Sixteen-year-old Bernardo, who is eight feet tall and suffers from a condition called gigantism, leaves the Philipines to live with his mother's family in London, much to the delight of his 13-year-old half sister Andi, a passionate basketball player. Realistic fiction. Humorous. 670L

Second Impact, by David Klass, 2013. When Jerry Downing, star quarterback in a small football town, gets a second chance after his drunk driving had serious consequences, Carla Jensen, ace reporter for the school newspaper, invites him to join her in writing a blog, mainly about sports. Realistic fiction. 980L

Zeroboxer, by Fonda Lee, 2015. As seventeen-year-old Carr 'the Raptor' Luka rises to fame in the weightless combat sport of zeroboxing, he learns a devastating secret that jeopardizes not only his future in the sport, but interplanetary relations. Science fiction. 870L

Dairy Queen, by Catherine Murdock, 2006. After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, 16-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. Realistic fiction. Humorous. 990L

Out of Nowhere, by Maria Padian, 2013. Performing community service for pulling a stupid prank against a rival high school, soccer star Tom tutors a Somali refugee with soccer dreams of his own. Realistic fiction. 670L

Keeper, by Mal Peet, 2003. In an interview with a young journalist, World Cup hero, El Gato, describes his youth in the Brazilian rain forest and the events, experiences, and people that helped make him a great goalkeeper and renowned soccer star. Magic realism. 780L

Jockey Girl, by Shelley Peterson, 2016. When Evie learns that her mother is alive, she hatches a plan to enter the Caledon Horse Race and win enough money to find her and leave her unloving father. Realistic fiction.

Pretty Tough, by Liz Tigelaar, 2007. Two feuding sisters from Malibu, California, take their rivalry to the soccer field when both girls make the high school team. Realistic fiction. 690L

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen, 2011. When a school bus accident leaves 16-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again. Realistic fiction. 650L

The Final Four, by Paul Volponi, 2012. Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large. Realistic fiction. 870L

Muckers, by Sandra Neil Wallace, 2013. Inspired by a true story. Felix O'Sullivan, standing in the shadow of his dead brother, an angry, distant father, and racial tension, must lead the last-ever Muckers high school football team to the state championship before a mine closing shuts down his entire town. Historical fiction. 860L

Now is the Time for Running, by Michael Williams, 2011. When soldiers attack a small village in Zimbabwe, Deo goes on the run with Innocent, his older, mentally disabled brother, carrying little but a leather soccer ball filled with money, and after facing prejudice, poverty, and tragedy, it is in soccer that Deo finds renewed hope. Realistic fiction. 650L

Away Running, by David Wright, 2016. Matt and Free are playing American football in Paris, where Matt deals with racial tension and Free tries to forget what's going on at home in Texas. Realistic fiction. 720L

Sports Non-Fiction

Following are sport books recently added to the YA nonfiction collection. 

Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, by Jonathan P. D. Abrams, 2016. Explores the trend of teenage basketball stars skipping college and going right into playing professionally, resulting in the 2005 age limit requirement instituted by the NBA, mandating that all players must attend college or another developmental program for at least a year.

Fourth Down and Inches: Concussions and Football's Make-or-Break Moment, by Carla Killough McClafferty, 2013. Offers a look at the origins of football and the latest research on concussion and traumatic brain injuries in the sport.

Doping in Sports: Winning at any Cost?, by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson, 2016. An examination of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics explores the pressure athletes face for success, investigations held by anti-doping agencies, and the long-term effects of some steroids.

Basketball Now!: The Stars and Stories of the NBA, by Adam Elliott Segal, 2015. Segal provides action-packed profiles of the best professional basketball players on the planet. He reflects on the best clutch shooters of all time; counts down the history of the NBA draft; and pays homage to the greatest dunks every witnessed.

This is Your Brain on Sports, by Jon L. Wertheim, 2016. The executive editor of Sports Illustrated and a psychologist join forces to examine the behavior of those involved in professional sports, explaining how athletes can successfully put aside personal trauma on game day and why people love to root for a loser.

Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes are Claiming their Rightful Place in Sports, by Cyd Zeigler, 2016. Examines the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender athletes, coaches, and other sports figures, especially in the United States, including the risks they face, coming out or remaining closeted, and other considerations.

Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance: The World's Best-Selling Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Guide, by Lennard Zinn, 2015. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes. An illustrated step-by-step guide explains the tools you'll need and how to know you've done the job right. Hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations and exploded parts diagrams.

A Few Nonfiction Sports Books of Note:

• A Passion For Victory: The Story of the Olympics in Ancient and Early Modern Times, by Benson Bobrick, 2012.
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown, 2013.
• Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream, by H.G. Bissinger, 2004.
• In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle, by Madeleine Blais, 1995.
• One Shot at Forever: a Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season, by Chris Ballard, 2012.
• Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team that Changed a Town, by Warren St. John, 2012.