Way to Go, Champ!: Sports Fiction for Teens
I never played many sports growing up. I had my share of some tremendously awful Physical Education classes in school and a bowling class where the opposing team glared at me whenever I would cheer their strikes or spares (which I totally didn’t get, because they had done well and I was just trying to be supportive even if they weren’t on my team). What I ultimately learned from these experiences? 1. If there is a piece of sporting equipment that can fly through the air and hit me in the head, it will. 2. I have horrible hand-eye coordination. But despite my total lack of ability in organized sports, I still love to read sports fiction. Whether you play a sport (or multiple sports) or even if you’re organized-sports-challenged like me (I’m a very competitive dog walker…), check out some sports fiction or fiction that features athletes! What do you recommend?
Mer’s Sports Fiction Picks
- Reality Check by Peter Abrahams (Football)
- Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman & Lisa Pazer (Football)
- Jump by Elisa Lynn Carbone (Rock Climbing)
- Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen (Football & Gymnastics)
- Many Stones by Carolyn Coman (Swimming)
- Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (Swimming)
- Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (Swimming)
- Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña (Baseball)
- What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (Basketball)
- Samurai Shortstop by Alan M. Gratz (Baseball)
- Airball: My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkrader (Basketball)
- Pop by Gordon Korman (Football)
- Shooting Star by Frederick McKissack, Jr. (Football)
- Pick-Up Game edited by Marc Aronson & Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Basketball)
- The Ring by Bobbie Pyron (Boxing)
- The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow (Boxing)
- Chameleon by Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Basketball)
- The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (Track)
- Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi (Basketball)
- Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff (Football)
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