school sports

Layla loves playing basketball, especially with her best friend, Danika. Now, after spending most of the summer getting ready for tryouts, Layla is eager to move from substitute player to becoming one of the starting five. When tryouts finally arrive, Layla not only makes the main roster but she's also chosen to be the team captain. All of her friends and teammates are excited for her. All, that is, except Danika who is jealous of her friend's success. Layla soon discovers that being both team captain and best friends with Danika is no easy task. Can Layla be a good team captain and a good friend?.

Jojo and his friends know that once they make the Squad, their high-school team, they will have the time of their lives. But their no-nonsense coach is strict, even mean, and seems to repeatedly target Jojo. Emphasizing the real qualities of hard work and dedication, Hoopers shows how Jojo learns how to be a skilled player and leader for his team.

To win against Dirk School to avoid cleaning their toilets with a toothbrush, retired baseball pro Mr. Ott steps in to lead Ella Mentry School to victory, but his weird coaching tactics may do the opposite.

"The Blindside meets Friday Night Lights in Keanon Lowe's Hometown Victory when an NFL coach returns home after losing a friend to opioids to coach a team of struggling high school kids on a 23-game losing streak. Keanon Lowe was working as an offensive analyst for the San Francisco 49ers when his childhood friend and former high school teammate suddenly died from an opioid overdose. Keanon dropped everything--including the plum NFL job he had been working towards since childhood--leading him to a position as football coach at a struggling high school back in his hometown. At the time, Parkrose High School was in the middle of a 23-game losing streak--they were the ultimate underdogs. In many ways, the road to Parkrose was paved by Keanon's life-defining experiences--from a childhood spent dodging racist bullies and finding the support and mentorship he craved on the football team, to an NFL season where he worked closely with Colin Kaepernick as he evolved his sideline protest. Keanon was drawn to the young men on the Parkrose team, and to the school itself. After two years, he pushed them to become conference champions, mentoring countless players along the way. But still, there was that nagging sense that his calling wasn't meant to stop there. He was at that school for a reason. In May 2019, he got his answer when a 19-year-old student entered a Parkrose classroom with a trench coat and shotgun. Keanon disarmed him and pulled the boy into a hug, telling him he cared. In the boy, Keanon saw himself, and the young men he grew up with or mentored along the way--and weren't so many of them just looking for acceptance, for comfort, for love? With the heart of favorite football classics--The Blindside, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans--Keanon's journey at Parkrose is the true account of a life spent striving forward, even when faced with the unimaginable. Hometown Victory is a story about gratitude, service, and most of all, hope"--Provided by the publisher.

"Set in Toronto, Hoopers is about a Black youth who wants to live the basketball dream of fame and acclaim. Jojo and his friends know that once they make the Squad, their high-school team, they will have the time of their lives. But their no-nonsense coach is strict, even mean, and seems to repeatedly target Jojo. Emphasizing the real qualities of hard work and dedication, Hoopers shows how Jojo learns how to be a skilled player and leader for his team--a real Hooper"--OCLC.

Tells the largely unknown story of African American high school football in Texas, drawing on interviews, newspaper stories, and memorabilia.

Profiles high school basketball coach Jack O'Brien and his success with the team at Charlestown High School in Boston. Describes O'Brien's efforts to mentor the young men of Charlestown and get them into college especially players like Jason White and Ridley Johnson. The author follows White and Johnson through their senior year and into the following year to see how they fared.

"Lori Block is dedicated to her fourth-grade basketball team, despite being relegated to an extra period before the real game starts, known as the fifth quarter, where the not-so-good kids play and the points don't count. That doesn't matter to Lori though, because working on her skills gives her hints of self-confidence, which is a nice break from feeling awkward and out-of-place in her daily life. With athletic promise and a dogged determination to keep improving, Lori pursues her passion while navigating awkward social dynamics, her own expectations, and her first overnight away from home. Will her drive allow her to find true courage both on the court, in school, and at home?"--From the publisher's web site.

"Zel learns the importance of taking charge of her life when she competes with a cheerleader at her new school and dreams of joining gymnastics team and despite her clumsy form and extraordinarily long hair"--Publisher.

Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell's classroom. From science experiments to art projects, they do everything the students do. But on Field Day, none of the events are the right size for the small mice -- the limbo is too easy, the high jump is too hard, and kickball is absolutely terrifying! So Fergus and Zeke create their own Field Day Challenge, with mouse-size tug-of-war, acorn throwing, and Hula-Hooping. After all the fun and exercise, it's time to go back to the classroom -- but Fergus and Zeke are locked out! Will they be able to use their new skills toget inside in time for ice pops?.