This is an exciting times for sports fans—the NBA and NHL playoffs. MLS soccer, Major League Baseball, golf, tennis, and NASCAR. Here are some books to engage teens who love sports.
Walter Dean Myers’ The Game is a good basketball read for middle schoolers (and the Recorded Books audio is an even better listen.) For older readers, Paul Volponi has basketball in nearly all his books, including Rucker Park Setup. Both of these are great “guy” reads.
Pat Hughes’ Open Ice is a good sports read with a dishy side plot for the casual reader. After Nicky suffers one concussion too many, he’s told he can no longer play hockey, a sport he loves. But life without hockey isn’t just life without hockey, it affects his life with his family, friends and girlfriend in serious ways.
Kadir Nelson’s We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball is a fabulous look at the African-American forefathers of the present day game. School Library Journal called this “an engaging tribute that should resonate with a wide audience and delight baseball fans of all ages.”
Even manga gets into the sports market, with The Prince of Tennis , a 42-volume series about a tennis prodigy that has sold 40 million copies in Japan alone.
When the season ends, perhaps a book can help you hang on to the joy of victory (or the agony of defeat) a little longer.