Staying On Track: 13+ Sports Titles for Ages 13 and up

Summer is here! And that means loads of time for kids to experience books in all their glory. This is also a great time to encourage kids to read the books they choose (without having to worry about school assignments) and to try out new genres that they might be interested in learning more about. This series will offer titles for toddlers to teens and include a variety of formats. Each week will focus on a different genre and will follow the same format:

• Mondays – Titles for Ages 3-7
• Tuesdays – Middle Grade Titles for Ages 8-12
• Wednesdays – Young Adult Titles for Ages 13+
• Thursdays – Nonfiction pairings
• Friday – Recap of the Week

Young Adult
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Hudson has hung up her figure skates for good, choosing to spend her free time baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner until she meets a cute hockey boy and begins helping the team with technical skills, maybe she realizes she’s not quite done with skating as she once thought.

Boost by Kathy Mackel
“Thirteen-year-old Savvy is six two and full of raw basketball talent; her three-point shot is deadly. But she’s also skinny and gets pushed around on the court. Her older sister, Callie, is a freshman on varsity cheerleading, but she’s not quite light enough to be a flier – her coveted position. Both girls need to boost their level of competition to get off the bench and into the action. When steroids are found in Savvy’s gym bag, she claims they are not hers. Suddenly, accusations are flying and nobody knows who is telling the truth.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Finley is the only white boy on the varsity basketball team and is quite a loner until he meets Russ who has just moved into the neighborhood and is something of a basketball phenom in his old school. The two become friends as they manage school, friends, and family on and off the court.

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally
Maggie’s sole focus is to earn a swimming scholarship while training to qualify for the Olympics, but on a college visit away from the pool she realizes just how many high school experiences she’s missed and veers off course to experience as much as she can with what little time left in senior year she has. First up? Making out with a cute boy.

Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe
Jake is ready for his third state soccer championship in a row and he’s knows it’s going to happen because all the numbers are prime, his favorite. And when he wins, he believes it will fix everything and he won’t be so tied to his compulsive thoughts anymore.

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
Peter Friedman loves baseball and wants to believe that even after his accident he can get back into the game, but what if he can’t? Now his grandfather has given him expensive photo equipment and he’s trying to navigate his world without baseball to back him up.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
“When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right.
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.” (Taken from Goodreads)

First & Then by Emma Mills
“Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli
The Outer Banks Tennis Academy, an elite training facility, is now home to three young ladies who are each more focused than the next to take full advantage of the academy, until something or someone distracts each of them as their paths intertwine.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
Mick Johnson is a runningback with dreams and knows that one single mistake could end his career before it even started. So he looks for something that will give him an edge, because who wouldn’t?

Leverage by Joshua Cohen
“When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a school’s salvation.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Peak by Roland Smith
Peak Marcello is forced to live with his long-lost father after scaling a high rise in NYC, in Thailand. Peak soon focuses his sights on something even taller than a skyscraper – becoming the youngest person to ascend Mt. Everest.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Runner, Jessica thinks her life is over when an accident leaves her as an amputee. She’s not sure what her life looks like now, but with the help of family and friends, Jessica begins to see what she can do with the help of a prosthetic and a lot of hard work.

Running Full Tilt by Michael Currinder
Leo can’t keep running from his problems at home, but with the help of his new friends he’ll grow and learn both on the course and off.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
Going from just stupid fast to strong, big and stupid fast Felton is now hanging out with the jocks at school, talking to the cute girl and trying to keep his home life compartmentalized, which only works for so long.

Whip It by Shauna Cross
“Meet Bliss Cavendar, an indie-rock-loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas. Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Bluebonnet crown, but Bliss would rather feast on roaches than be subjected to such rhinestone tyranny. Bliss’s escape? Roller Derby.” (Taken from Goodreads)