Sports Stories for Kids

Updated June 16, 2026
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Booked
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
In this electrifying follow-up to Kwame Alexander's Newbery winner The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Longlist nominee. Twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with...
The crossover
Alexander, Kwame.
Paper Book
Series streaming now on Disney+, with executive producers including NBA great LeBron James! The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning middle grade bestseller! Basketball and heartache share the court in this slam-dunk novel in verse. "With a bolt of lightning on my...
Camp Average
Battle, Craig
Paper Book
A group of 11-year-olds arrives to spend six weeks playing sports at Camp Avalon--which they affectionately call Camp Average, because they never win at any sport. And that's the way they like it. But this summer, new camp director Winston--who hates losing--has some hyper-competitive ideas about...
Swim team
Christmas, Johnnie
Paper Book
"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" JERRY CRAFT, author of the Newbery Medal-winning New Kid A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas! Bree can't wait for...
The fifth quarter
Dawson, Mike
Paper Book
Get ready to hit the court in this heartfelt, sporty, graphic novel, the first in Mike Dawson's middle-grade duology about a girl who deals with her insecurities through her love of basketball. Lori Block is fully dedicated to her fourth-grade basketball team--even if she's...
Digging deep
Delle Donne, Elena
Paper Book
From WNBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the fourth novel in a middle grade series with as much heart as there is game. Elle is still reeling from her BIG decision but is also amazed at all the free time she has...
Mixed doubles
Feinstein, John
Paper Book
Jeff and Andi return to serve up trouble in tennis season, in this standalone third middle-grade book in the Benchwarmers series by #1 New York Times-bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein. Andi Carillo may have been a soccer prodigy and a basketball superstar, but...
Rivals
Greenwald, Tom
Paper Book
A thrilling companion novel to Game Changer that follows a cross-town basketball rivalry that gets out of hand--now in paperbackThe people of Walthorne love their basketball--and one of the things they love most is the special rivalry between the Walthorne North Middle School Cougars and the...
Dinged
Greenwald, Tommy
Paper Book
A star football player watches his father deteriorate from injuries he suffered playing the very same sportCaleb Springer is the up-and-coming star freshman quarterback on the high school football team, which isn't a surprise considering his dad, Sammy Springer, was an NFL superstar and is now the...
Warrior on the mound
Headen, Sandra W.
Paper Book
This intense, evocative story of racial unrest in prewar North Carolina ends with a dramatic match between white and Black little league teams. 1935. Twelve-year-old Cato wants nothing more than to play baseball, perfect his pitch, and meet Mr. Satchel Paige--the best pitcher in...
Diary of a wimpy kid : big shot
Kinney, Jeff
Paper Book
Greg Heffley and sports just don't mix. In Big Shot, the sixteenth book in Jeff Kinney's #1 international bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg is ready to retire from athletics after a disastrous field day--until his mom convinces him to give basketball one last shot.<...
Batting order
Lupica, Mike
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller From acclaimed author of the Home Team series comes a brand-new novel about the heart and soul of baseball. On or off the field, Matt and Ben couldn't be more different. Ben Roberson is an all-or-nothing player: he's big, he...
The beautiful game
Méndez, Yamile Saied
Paper Book
A powerful story about family, fútbol, and playing like a girl, perfect for fans of Front Desk, The Academy, and, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the award-winning author of Furia. At twelve years old,...
Soccer hero
Peters, Stephanie True
Paper Book
With a fresh new look, this reissue of Matt Christopher's this beloved sports classic tells the story of an ordinary boy who loves his friends and teammates--and suddenly becomes a hero after a single afternoon turns his life upside down.  ​...
Ghost
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this...
Nikki on the line
Roberts, Barbara Carroll
Paper Book
Nikki wants to be a basketball star . . . but between school stress, friend drama, and babysitting woes, will she be able to make it on her new team? Judy Blume meets Mike Lupica in this pitch-perfect, action-packed, and funny novel. Thirteen-year-old Nikki...
Fast pitch
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a challenging and heartwarming coming-of-age story about a softball player looking to prove herself on and off the field. Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the...
Hoops
Tavares, Matt
Paper Book
As seen on the Today show A work of fiction inspired by a true story, Matt Tavares's debut graphic novel dramatizes the historic struggle for gender equality in high school sports. It is 1975 in Indiana, and the Wilkins Regional High School girls' basketball...
How Oscar Indigo broke the universe : (and put it back together again)
Teague, David
Paper Book
★ "Suspend all disbelief and enjoy." --Kirkus (starred review) From David Teague, the coauthor of the critically acclaimed Saving Lucas Biggs, comes a funny and sweet story about learning to have courage even when it feels like the world is ending. Oscar Indigo has never...
Key player
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book
Mia Tang is going for the goal in the fourth Front Desk novel by New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang! Mia Tang is play to win! The Women's World Cup is coming to Southern California, and everyone has soccer fever--especially Mia Tang! The U.S. team is playing China...

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