sports fiction

When Alvin's twin sister, Yasmin, lands the lead role in their middle school play, Alvin is faced with the need to find something to do after school while she is rehearsing, so he takes up cross-country running (it is either that or doing homework in the library)--he has always been a fast runner, but he soon learns that distance running is more about patience and pacing than pure speed and staying in the lead, and he will have to adapt or be left behind.

In 1957, inspired by what she is learning about civil rights and armed with knowledge of female ball players, ten-year-old Katy Gordon fights to be allowed to play Little League baseball.

Eighth-grader and starting point guard Roman is initially thrilled when big man Sebastian transfers schools and joins the team, but Sebastian's skills seem to have disappeared and the other kids are merciless in their criticism--then Roman's big sister gives him some advice: talk to Sebastian and find out what is going on, and add a pick-and-roll to the team playbook.

"Ayla loves climbing. But she prefers to climb indoors, with all her safety harnesses in place and soft mats to land on. Her climbing partner and best friend, Lissy, is much more adventurous and loves the outdoors. When Lissy starts hanging out with Carlos, the new thrill-seeking guy in town, Ayla wants to keep an eye on her and finds herself tagging along on a weekend climbing trip up Black Dog Mountain. But things go very wrong when Lissy and her dad, the only adult in the group, are badly injured high on the side of the mountain. Suddenly the risks of climbing become very real. Ayla and Carlos need to figure out how to get help, and every decision they make could have catastrophic consequences"--Amazon.com.

"Strike Sazaki loves defying gravity on the moon in his Ultrabot suit. He's the best quarterback in the league, but while Strike's led the Taiko Miners to the Ultrabowl three years in a row, each one has ended in defeat. This year, Strike thinks he's finally found the missing piece to his championship quest: a mysterious girl who could be his new star rocketback. But Boom comes from the Dark Siders, a mass of people who left the United Moon Colonies to live in exile. And not all his teammates are happy sharing a field with her. When rumors surface of a traitor on the Miners, Strike isn't sure who he can trust. If Strike can't get his teammates to cooperate and play together, they'll lose more than just the Ultrabowl. The stake of the colony's future is on his shoulders"--Amazon.com.

Devin has to deal with some contention between members of her team, the Kicks, and hostility toward their rivals, the Roses.

"When his father's situation becomes critical, Miguel becomes desperate to bring him to North America. But he can't even afford to join his baseball team on a road game--how can his family possibly pay his father's way? A solution comes from Miguel's teammate, who proposes a big baseball fundraiser. As the team learns about the hard realities some new immigrant kids face, Miguel and his family learn to trust their neighbours and teammates"--Amazon.

"14-year-old Patrick and his mother leave their small town for the city. Out of boredom and frustration, he steals a pair of headphones. When he's caught, the police officer, Constable Jack, is willing to get the charges dropped if Patrick trains with him in parkour for twelve weeks. While Patrick trains extra hard he develops a crush on Parker and a rivalry with Jayden. When the tension with Jayden reaches new heights, Constable Jack decides they'll settle the score in a competition. But they aren't just fighting for best individual--there's also the prize for best club at stake. That means Patrick and Jayden will have to learn to work together"--Amazon.

"12-year-old Cody loves basketball. When a new well-off kid Nick arrives at school and starts giving Cody pointers, Cody lands a spot on the team. Despite Nick's help, Cody still feels anxious all the time. Cody's performance gets worse until his one big shot at a basket goes into his own team's net! Cody soon realizes that Nick's help isn't what he needs to succeed. To play better, he knows he has to become more self-reliant and work on his basketball skills on his own terms"--Amazon.

"Jack and Annie use the magic tree house to travel back in time to 1947 Brooklyn, New York, where they pretend to be batboys at Jackie Robinson's first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves"--Provided by publisher.