sports fiction

Growing up with a developmental condition that left her clumsy in both movement and speech, Jazz was teased and never had the chance to play team sports. Now rid of her symptoms, Jazz is ready to play basketball at her junior high, but the reappearance of an old bully makes her question herself and tempts her to let down the team that is counting on her. Last Pick emphasizes teamwork and countering bullying with fairness and forgiveness and how determination can help overcome obstacles.

Twelve-year-old Natalia's dream of becoming a synchronized swimmer is in jeopardy when her parents decide they are against a sport that emphasizes looks, but Nat is determined to change their minds.

Best friends Isaac and Marco--one athletically gifted and one academically gifted--have more in common than they realize when their goals intersect, forcing them to find a way to support each other so they don't fall short.

"These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team--even though he can't help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him. But stepping into his brother's shoes as a star player means that Tre can't mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with. After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn't over yet"--Dust jacket flap.

When high school basketball star Barclay Elliot comes out during the biggest pep rally in the town's history, he is faced with unexpected hostility until his best friend Amy introduces him to Christopher, who offers him a real shot at love.

"Thirteen-year-old Jonah is determined to prove that anxiety won't stop him from succeeding as his hockey team's goalie . . . What-ifs rattle around his brain at the worst times, like when he's in the middle of a playoff game. What if he lets his teammates down? What if he can't make it pro? And the biggest what-if of all, the one he keeps to himself -- what if he's like his dad, whose life is controlled by anxiety that has only gotten worse since Jonah's mom died in a car crash? To prove that he's not like that, Jonah is determined to succeed in the high-stress role of goalie. He and his best friend Ty have big plans for their hockey futures. But when Ty suffers a medical crisis during a pivotal game, Jonah's anxiety ramps up to new levels"--Amazon.

"The summer before seventh grade, as the constant threat of housefires looms over her Brooklyn neighborhood, basketball-loving Sage is trying to figure out her place in her circle of friends, when a new kid named Freddy moves in"--Provided by publisher.

"Twelve-year-old Alex Carlisle loves football almost as much as she loves her father but when she joins the Orville Middle School football team, not all of the boys, or parents, are pleased"--Provided by publisher.

After an accident, seventh graders Joya Mia and Kiki help their best friend Greer cope by signing up for a triathlon.

New to Cincinnati, where her father is now coach of the University basketball team, eighth-grader Aurora (called Rory) finds herself isolated by the heated team rivalries--especially when it turns out her new friend Abby's father has a mysterious feud with Rory's father that threatens her new friendship.