Basketball

“Slam” by Walter Dean Myers
Sixteen-year-old  Slam  Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

“Hoops” by Walter Dean Myers
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.

"The Outside Shot"  by Walter Dean Myers
Recruited by a small midwestern college to play basketball, a Harlem boy has many new experiences, including working with a child who needs physical therapy and dealing with corruption in college sports. 

"Game" by Walter Dean Myers
Drew Lawson, counting on basketball to get him into college and out of Harlem, struggles to keep his cool when the coach brings in two white players and puts them in positions that clearly threaten Drew's game.

“Travel Team” by Mike Lupica
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the same team that his father once led to national prominence--for being too small, twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of castoffs that might have a shot at victory.  

 Boxing

“Shadow Boxer” by Chris Lynch
After their father dies of boxing injuries, George is determined to prevent his younger brother, who sees boxing as his legacy, from pursuing a career in the sport. 

“The Contender”  by Robert Lipstyle
A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try.  

Baseball

“Under the Baseball Moon”  by John H. Ritter
Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player. 

“The Boy Who Saved Baseball”  by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.

“Heat” by Mike Lupica
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof.

“Gold Dust”  by Chris Lynch
In 1975, twelve-year-old Richard befriends Napoleon, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping that Napoleon will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school.

“Baseball Saved Us”  by Ken Mochizuki
A Japanese-American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over. 

“Rookie of the Year” by John Roberts Tunis
Dodger manager Spike Russell's efforts to rally his team to a pennant victory are threatened by a scheming club secretary and the seeming irresponsiblity of a star rookie pitcher. 

Football

"Crackback" by John Coy
Miles barely recalls when football was fun after being sidelined by a new coach, constantly criticized by his father, and pressured by his best friend to take performance-enhancing drugs. 

“Running Loose”  by Chris Crutcher

 Hockey

“Iceman”  by Mike Lynch
Fourteen-year-old Eric, a ruthless hockey player prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents. 

“Wingman on Ice” by Matt Christopher
A young boy determines to polish his hockey games before using his Christmas present -- a new stick. 

Swimming

“Whale Talk”  by Chris Crutcher
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students.  

"In Lane Three, Alex Archer" by Tessa Duder
Fifteen-year-old Alex struggles to overcome personal trauma and hardship as she competes with her arch rival for a place on the New Zealand swimming team participating in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. 

Tennis

“Vanishing Act”  John Feinstein 
Eighth-grade sports reporters Susan Carol and Stevie reunite at the U.S. Open tennis championships where they investigate the mysterious disappearance of a top Russian player.