Staff Picks
You Go, Girl! Children's Novels Featuring Girls in Sports
- Jenny D.
- Monday, December 14, 2020
Collection
Girls love playing sports of all kinds - here are some of children's novels featuring girls taking it to the hoop, toeing the rubber, crossing the finish line and more.
Ellie Steps Up to the Plate
Published in 2018
When Ellie joins a softball team, she quickly realizes that the sport is harder than it looks! Is she meant only for the stage, not the field? And what happens when Ellie goes searching in the woods near the field for a stray ball and finds an injured baby deer?!
Team Awkward
Published in 2017
Painfully shy Anna searches for a way to distinguish herself only to be humiliated by a video of her at a clumsy moment that goes viral, a situation that compels her to limber up in preparation for sports day at school.
Elle of the Ball
Published in 2018
Having shot up to six feet tall over the summer, seventh-grader Elle not only has trouble controlling her limbs on the basketball court, she dreads the upcoming school cotillion.
Full-court Press
Published in 2018
When Elle begins to volunteer two days a week working with children with special needs, she has trouble juggling her new passion, basketball obligations, and schoolwork.
Joss
Published in 2020
"When the surf's up, she pops out her hearing aid, hops on her board and paddles out to the lineup. Joss is stoked to enter a surfing video contest with her friend Sofia and Murph, the surfing bulldog. If she can master a killer aerial like the frontside air and get her brother Dylan to catch it on video, maybe she'd even have a shot at winning. But Dylan throws her a curve: he dares her to try out for the cheer team. No way--Joss can't see herself as a cheerleader ... She's 100% surfer girl, and Dylan knows it! Still, if she takes him up on his dare, then maybe he'll help her with the video. It's worth a try, right?"--Back cover.
Joss
Touch the Sky
Published in 2020
"Joss Kendrick is always looking for new ways to soar. So when her cheer team needs a new flyer, she can't wait to step up (literally). Her high-flying skills on her surfboard and skateboard make her a natural for the role. But when her skateboarding act at the talent show turns into a total catastrophe--make that a dog-tastrophe--Joss loses her confidence all around, even at the cheer gym. A big cheer competition is coming up fast, though, and her team is depending on her to nail a tricky stunt. If only Joss could trust them not to drop her. She wants to do an easier stunt, but if she plays it safe, can her team still win? And if they don't, will her team ever forgive her?"--Back cover.
Benchwarmers
Published in 2019
Told in two voices, Jeff stands by his teammate, Andi, who fights to get on the sixth-grade soccer team and then must face opponents who target her for being a girl.
Soccer Chick Rules
Published in 2006
While trying to focus on a winning soccer season, thirteen-year-old Tess becomes involved in local politics when she learns that all sports programs at her school will be stopped unless a tax levy is passed.
Gold Medal Summer
Published in 2012
After fourteen-year-old Joey experiences her first kiss and learns that her best friend wants to quit competitive gymnastics, she considers giving up her dream of winning gold medals in order to have a normal life, even as her sister and assistant coach urge her to reach a new level.
Game Time, Mallory!
Published in 2015
Mallory is excited to participate in a new girls' basketball league, although she has never played and her best friends are not interested, but as the worst player on her team she realizes she has a lot to learn.
Planet Middle School
Published in 2011
A series of poems describes all the baffling changes at home and at school in twelve-year-old Joylin's transition from tomboy basketball player to not-quite-girly girl.
Track Attack
Published in 2009
Jazz is a born runner who loves being on the school's track team. Her biggest fan is her dad--and that is a problem. He gets over-involved in her training, talks too much to the coach, yells at the track ref, and cheers way too loudly during the meets. How can Jazz tell him to stay away from the track without hurting his feelings?
Roller Girl
Published in 2015
"A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart"-- Provided by publisher.
Strike Two
Published in 2001
Haley's hope of spending the summer playing softball and hanging out with her cousin Gwen is ruined when her father and her uncle land on opposite sides of the local newspaper strike.
Running on Eggs
Published in 1999
When Karen and Yasmine become friends as well as members of a mixed Arab and Jewish track team in Israel, relatives and friends of both girls disapprove of the relationship.
Point Guard
A Home Team Novel
Published in 2017
"It's basketball season for the home team but Gus must wrestle with prejudice when he's the only one bothered by Cassie joining the boys' team and his teammate Steve makes fun of Gus's Dominican heritage"-- Provided by publisher.
Team Players
Published in 2018
"A girl with Asperger's joins Cassie's softball team but not everyone on the team welcomes her, creating a rift between Cassie and her teammates"-- Provided by publisher.
After All, You're Callie Boone
Published in 2010
Runaway ferrets, former BFF drama-trauma, and one gigantic (and very, very public) belly flop. No doubt about it, Callie Boone's summer is crummy. The only things keeping her afloat are dive practice with her dad and a top-secret Olympic dream. Then a boy named Hoot-who is not her boyfriend!-moves in next door and turns her world upside down and right-side up.
MadCat
Published in 2005
Fast-pitch softball catcher MadCat Campione's love for the sport--and her relationship with her best friends--is strained when her team competes on a national level.
Soccer Show-off
Published in 2014
Gina tries to be the star of the soccer team at her new school, but her teammates do not like her showoff moves.
Moon Runner
Published in 2005
When Mina discovers that she can run faster than her athlete friend, Ruth, she thinks she must choose between running and friendship.
Running Girl
The Diary of Ebonee Rose
Published in 1997
In her diary Ebonee Rose records her passion for running, her desire to be like the great African American women athletes who have come before her, and her preparations for the All-City Meet.
The Big Break
Published in 2019
"It's 1974, and Julie Albright has just moved to a new neighborhood and started at a new school. So when she finds out the basketball team is 'boys only,' Julie is determined to fight for her right to play. Will a petition with 150 names be enough to make the coach change his mind and give her a chance?"-- Provided by publisher.
Reaching High
Published in 2012
Just before freshman year, Jessica, the quiet girl on the Texas Twisters, surprises her teammates by going out for the cheerleading squad.
Winning Team
Published in 2012
When twelve-year-old Britt's family moves to Houston so she can train at an elite gym she looks forward to being part of a team, but after alienating the other girls and failing to impress her coaches, Britt begins to figure out what teamwork really means.
Up for Air
Published in 2019
Learning disabilities make school painful for Annabelle, thirteen, but a summer of swimming with the high school team is fantastic until a prank goes wrong, spoiling everything.
Life in the Balance
Published in 2021
As she worries about her mother who is entering a rehab facility for alcoholism, eleven-year-old Veronica struggles with secrets, her favorite sport softball, and what she really wants to do with her life.
Patina
Published in 2017
"A newbie to the track team, Patina "Patty" Jones must learn to rely on her family and teammates as she tries to outrun her personal demons"-- Provided by publisher.
Nikki on the Line
Published in 2019
Nikki, thirteen, dreams of being a great basketball player but struggles on her new, elite team while also juggling school stress, her non-traditional family, and revelations about her biological father.
Lizzy Legend
Published in 2019
Unhappy at not being allowed to play on the boys' basketball team, Lizzy Trudeau, thirteen, wishes to never miss another shot and soon finds herself playing in the NBA against her hero, the greatest player of all time.
Fast Pitch
Published in 2021
"Shenice Lockwood dreams of leading the Fulton Firebirds to the U12 softball regional championship. But Shenice's focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending-and family-name-ruining-crime may have been a setup. It's up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family's past-and fast-before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever"-- Provided by publisher.
Luciana
Braving the Deep
Published in 2018
"Luciana Vega wants to be the first kid on Mars. But first she's got to be a good team player here on Earth."--Page 4 of cover.
Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes
Published in 2003
When thirteen-year-old Sammy finds herself with an abandoned baby on her hands, she sets out to find the young mother, who may belong to a gang, and accidentally jeopardizes her position on the softball team.
My Year in the Middle
Published in 2018
At Lu Olivera's school the white kids and black kids sit on different sides of the classroom while Lu just wants to get along with everyone, but growing racial tensions will not let Lu stay neutral about the racial divide in school.
Bat 6
Published in 1998
In small town, post-World War Oregon, twenty-one 6th grade girls recount the story of an annual softball game, during which one girl's bigotry comes to the surface.
Good Luck, Ivy
Published in 2007
In 1976, Ivy must choose between participating in a gymnastics tournament and attending a family reunion.
Bravo, Mia!
Published in 2008
Mia's chances of skating in regionals are threatened by a family crisis, but she determines to face the possibility that she won't get to compete with determination and grace.