Berne, Emma Carlson. Under Pressure (paperback)
A few weeks before a scout from her preferred college is to visit, Elise turns to shady performance supplements when she sees that some of her teammates are outplaying her in spite of her hard work
Carter, Alden. Bull Catcher
Pete and Jeff continue their friendship and love of baseball as they progress from ninth grade through high school in their small Wisconsin town.
Deuker, Carl. High Heat
When sophomore Shane Hunter’s father is arrested for money laundering at his Lexus dealership, the star pitcher’s life of affluence and private school begins to fall apart.
Deuker, Carl. Painting the Black
When star athlete Josh Daniels moves in across the street, Remy Ward doesn’t realize how much his life will change during his senior year at Seattle’s Crown Hill High.
Deuker, Carl. Runner
Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk.
Dygard, Thomas. Second Stringer
Fate presents second-string quarterback Kevin Taylor an opportunity of a lifetime when, in the first game of their senior year, perennially superior Rob Montgomery injures his knee, placing Kevin in the high-pressure position of leading a team that’s expecting a championship season.
Esckilsen, Erik. Offsides
Tom Gray, a Mohawk Indian and star soccer player, moves to a new high school and refuses to play for the Warriors with their insulting mascot.
Eulo, Elena. Mixed-Up Doubles
With the help of an unlikely new friend, ninth grader Hank tries to adjust to his parents’ recent divorce and works toward his dream of being a successful tennis player.
Feinstein, John. Change-up : mystery at the World Series
While covering baseball’s World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox, teenage sports reporters Stevie and Susan Carol investigate a rookie pitcher whose evasive answers during an interview reveal more than a few contradictions in his life story.
Feinstein, John. Foul Trouble
College recruiters are clambering to sign up Terrell Jamerson, the #1 high school basketball player in the country. But not all of these recruiters are straight shooters, and Terrell will have to think fast if he wants to stay in the game.
Feinstein, John. The Walk-On
After moving to a new town his freshman year in high school, Alex Myers is happy to win a spot on the varsity team as a quarterback but must deal with the idea of not playing for two years since the first-string quarterback is not only a local hero, he is also the son of the corrupt head coach.
Halpin, Brendan. Shutout
Fourteen-year-old Amanda and her best friend Lena start high school looking forward to playing on the varsity soccer team, but when Lena makes varsity and Amanda only makes junior varsity, their long friendship rapidly changes.
Hazuka, Tom. Last chance for first (paperback)
Robby doesn’t smile so much when Jim, his best friend and co-captain of the soccer team, is suspended from the team for drinking, the sadistic coach finally crosses the line in practice, and the girl he’s interested in turns out to be eccentric and unpredictable, with a bad secret.
Johnson, Scott. Safe at Second
Paulie Lockwood’s best friend Todd Bannister is destined for the major leagues until a line drive to the head causes him to lose an eye and they both must find a new future for themselves.
Lipsyte, Robert. Center Field
Mike lives for baseball and hopes to follow his idol into the major leagues one day, but he is distracted by a new player who might take his place in center field, an ankle injury, problems at home, and a growing awareness that something sinister is happening at school.
Lynch, Chris. Hit Count
Arlo Brodie loves being at the heart of the action on the football field, and while his dad cheers him on, his mother quotes head injury statistics and refuses to watch, but Arlo’s winning plays, the cheering crowds, and the adrenaline rush are enough to convince him that everything is OK, in spite of the pain, the pounding, the dizziness, and the confusion.
Myers, Walter Dean. Game
If Harlem high school senior Drew Lawson is going to realize his dream of playing college, then professional, basketball, he will have to improve at being coached and being a team player, especially after a new–white–student threatens to take the scouts’ attention away from him.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy queen : a novel
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school’s rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.
Padian, Maria. Out of nowhere
“Grades, sports, and girls have always come easy to me,” muses Tom Bouchard, captain of his high-school soccer team. What happens when, out of nowhere , a phenomenally talented soccer player named Saeed joins the team? Quite a lot, actually.
Peck, Robert Newton. Extra Innings
After a tragic airplane crash that claims the lives of most of his family, sixteen-year-old Tate goes to live with his wealthy great-grandfather and his adopted black great-aunt Vidalia and he finds unexpected solace in the stories of her childhood spent travelling with a Depression-era Negro baseball team.
Reynolds, Jason. Ghost
Running. That’s all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to a race — and wins — the Olympic medalist track coach sees he has something: crazy natural talent.
Ritter, John. Over the Wall
Thirteen-year-old Tyler, who has trouble controlling his anger, spends an important summer with his cousins in New York City, playing baseball and sorting out how he feels about violence, war, and in particular the Vietnamese conflict that took his grandfather’s life.
Smith, Andrew. Winger
Two years younger than his classmates at a prestigious boarding school, fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean West grapples with living in the dorm for troublemakers, falling for his female best friend who thinks of him as just a kid, and playing wing on the Varsity rugby team with some of his frightening new dorm-mates.
Volponi, Paul. The Final Four
Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large.
Wallace, Rich. Losing is Not an Option
Eleven episodes in the life of a young man, from sneaking into his tenth football game in a row with his best friend in sixth grade to running his last high school race, the Pennsylvania state championships.
Wallace, Rich. Playing Without the Ball
Feeling abandoned by his parents, who have gone their separate ways and left him behind in a small Pennsylvania town, seventeen-year-old Jay finds hope for the future in a church-sponsored basketball team and a female friend.
Weaver, Will. Hard Ball
Billy Baggs takes on his arch-rival, King Kenwood, and tackles inner issues that pose an even greater threat to both boys. This is the third book in the series about the baseball star Billy Baggs. It is another powerful story.
Zadoff, Allen. Food, girls, and other things I can’t have
Sophomore Andy Zansky, the second fattest student at his high school, is more or less resigned to participating in the Model UN with his friend Eytan. But when he instead joins the varsity football team on a whim — mainly to attract the attention of his crush, new girl April — Andy is stunned by how quickly his life changes.
All titles can be found in the Young Adult Section. Unless otherwise noted, titles listed are HARDCOVER books.