We Are Big Time by Hana Khan

 

This graphic novel opens with a family moving from Florida to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moving is always hard on kids, and Aliya is not happy to be leaving behind the basketball team she loves and starting high school in a new city. She attends Peace Academy, a Muslim high school with a historically terrible basketball team. We Are Big Time follows Aliya's basketball team through their losing season, which is full of disappointments, improvements, and surprises. This book checks a lot of boxes in the world of what middle schoolers want to read. It's a graphic novel, it deals with sports, and has ninth grade characters, and it has great cultural representation, which is essential for Muslim and non-Muslim students alike. Recommended for all middle school libraries.

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

 

Teddy is in the hospital in a coma with a brain injury after a football training incident. While Teddy fights for his life, we get to read the texts and messages sent by his classmates, hear the conversations happening in the hospital, and read the newspaper articles about the incident. All these elements (and more!) start to paint a picture of a not-so-typical football injury. Teddy's friends and classmates suspect that something nefarious was happening on the football field, but members of the high school football team and even the coaches are desperately trying to cover up the truth about his injury. This is a perfect book for middle school sports fans--and there are 3 more "companion books" in the Game Changers world (Dinged, Rivals, and Right Call). While this book is 304 pages long, the entire text is made up of conversations, messages, newspaper articles, and dialogue, so it's a quick read and one that will lead to a lot of conversation about sports and how we treat athletes. Highly recommended for middle school libraries. 

Rhino's Run by Robert Lipsyte

 

Rhino is the nickname for the main character of this book who is a high school football player with dreams of playing in college and beyond. Rhino is under a lot of pressure when he punches another kid in the face and gets sent to "Group" with the school counselor. There are bullies on the football team and pressure from his dad and a toxic school environment that is mostly covered up. Rhino lays it all out in the journal that he must keep for his counselor, including how things take a big turn for the worse in a near-fatal school shooting. Ultimately, Rhino is figuring out whether to keep his head down and keep playing football or to take a stand along with his new friends in Group. There are way too many issues covered in this one short book, but I think readers (football fans especially) will not mind. Rhino is a relatable character and it's a relatively short, intense book that holds your attention. Trigger warnings galore (gun violence, physical violence, fat shaming, head injuries, and more) but nothing that makes this book inappropriate for thoughtful readers. Recommended for grades 8-up. 

Dreamer: A Graphic Memoir by by Akim Aliu, Greg Anderson Elysée, Karen De la Vega (Illustrator), Marcus Williams (Illustrator)

 

This graphic memoir is perfect for middle schoolers. It tells the true story of Akim Aliu, a Ukrainian-Nigerian boy who moves to Canada and discovers the sport of hockey. Unfortunately, as a dark skinned child he faces overt discrimination and many obstacles on his path to becoming a professional hockey player. It's a story of family and friendship and overcoming great challenges. Akim Aliu and Greg Anderson Elysee spoke to the 6th graders at my school and kids were riveted and loved their book. This is essential for middle school classrooms and libraries. 

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

 

I was absolutely enthralled by this 445 page graphic novel, which on the surface is the chronicle a high school season of basketball. Much like the author of the book, I don't have a lot of interest in watching sports and I identify more as a nerd then as an athlete. What make this book compelling is the storytelling, which is Gene Yang's superpower. The story is autobiographical—a nerdy math teacher decides to write a graphic novel about a pivotal season of high school basketball, a world he knows nothing about. What he discovers is a former player-turned-coach who has never coached a state championship team, a former coach with a questionable past, and a diverse team of athletes, all with stories of their own. And there is the teacher himself, a hugely successful writer and father of four, trying to make life choices that are bittersweet. Yang manages to take us through the history of the sport of basketball and into issues of race and culture and resilience. And did I mention that there is a huge amount of basketball action? This book worked for me as an adult reader for reasons beyond the basketball action, but I suspect it will work for students and sports fans as well. Very highly recommended for 8th graders through adults. One of the best books of the year! 

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

I think almost everyone knows what it is like to "break up" with a best friend. It's a devastating but common experience, especially in the middle school years. Roller Girl is about a seventh grade girl who discovers a passion for roller derby, while at the same time drifting apart from her dearest friend from childhood. This book is colorful and bright and brimming with humor and expression. You will sympathize with Astrid as she works through the loss of a friend, and you will cheer with her as she takes on a tough new challenge in the roller derby arena. This book is going to be the next big hit, especially for the readers who love Raina Telgemeier's books Smile, Drama, and Sisters. I think this book is great for a wide range of ages—from fourth grade up through adults.

Next by Kevin Waltman

Next is the story of Derrick Bowen, a high school freshmen with the potential to be an NBA player. He lives in Indianapolis and attends his local high school, where basketball is a BIG deal. This book is the story of his freshman year, in which he struggles to make the starting lineup on his team and he considers transferring to a mostly white private school in the suburbs where he might be more likely to win a state championship. This is a book for basketball fans—it is full of the play-by-play of Derrick's games and descriptions of practices and basketball strategy. Don't look for symbolism or deep meaning here—this book is just straightforward narrative. It's easy-to-read and pretty clean, so I would recommend it to hard-core basketball fans who might not otherwise be interested in reading. (Grades 7-9.)

Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack

This is the story of Evan and Russell, fraternal twins who never had much in common. Evan is a basketball player and Russell is a smart, nerdy guy on school's academic team. But when the new basketball coach asks Russell to try out for the team (only because he's really tall), the brothers come into competition with each other. This is a quick, easy-to-read sports story that will appeal to 3rd-6th grade boys. It's fast-moving and full of dialogue. As an adult reader I thought it was a little trite, but younger boys will love it (my own 8-year-old couldn't wait to finish it and will be reading the sequel).

Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town by Warren St. John

This is the young people's version of an adult book that was published several years ago. It's the true story of a soccer team for refugees in a town very close to where I live in Georgia. It is really the story of a Jordanian woman named Luma who immigrated to the United States and dedicated herself to helping refugees by coaching soccer teams for children and teenagers. The author, a New York Times reporter, followed Luma's teams for a season and wrote about their games, their life stories, and the community where they settled. Luma is a tough coach who cares deeply for her players but often has to make difficult decisions about who will play on her teams. The players come from all over the world and Clarkston, Georgia isn't the most welcoming place for them. For many of the players, the "Fugees" team becomes their family and their reason for living. I love the story of this team and I know this book will appeal to soccer fans. My criticism of this book is that I wanted deeper knowledge about Luma and the families she works with but this book tended to spend more time on soccer play-by-play than on the details of their lives. This book is a solid nonfiction choice for middle school students, but I suspect that adults and older teens will prefer the original version of Outcasts United.

Football Genius by Tim Green

Troy White is a football genius. He can watch a football game and predict what the next offensive move will be. It's not ESP or cheating of some kind, his mind just analyzes things and figures out what the opposing team is going to do next. When his mom gets a job with the Atlanta Falcons and Troy gets down on the sidelines he can't resist trying to tell the players and coaches his predictions. Of course, no one believes a kid so he is hauled off the field and banned from football games. This is the story of how he manages to connect with Seth Holloway, a Falcons player, and convince him of his talent. At first I was not a big fan of Troy—he steals a football, sneaks into games, and doesn't go about things in the right way. But somewhere along the way I got into this story and enjoyed rooting for Troy to come out on top (and for Seth and Troy's mom to get together). It was a fun read that I would recommend to 6th or 7th grade football fans.

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

Matt Pin was airlifted out of Vietnam, never to see his biological mother and brother again. Two years later he has been adopted by an American family and is struggling with the memories of all that he left behind. He's a good baseball player and has a wonderful coach but he faces racism from some of his teammates. This is the moving story of how he comes to terms with his past and a secret that is too painful to share. It's written in free verse and is easy to read quickly, but it's so well written you may want to slow down and savor every word. Although it's historical fiction, it will also appeal to sports fans due to the baseball theme running throughout the book. A couple of 8th grade boys read and loved this one already so it comes highly recommended.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

I don't like baseball, and while I vaguely know about the racial injustices in American baseball I had never actually read a book about the Negro Leagues before I read We Are the Ship. From the first words on the page I was drawn into the story—not because of the baseball but because of the history and human drama. The author writes as if he was one of the many players in the Negro Leagues, and this narrative voice drew me in. I could see the crowded buses, the restaurants and hotels that turned away black players, and the clowning moves of some of the early players. The artwork in this book is stunning and took the author/illustrator eight years to complete. This book is written at a perfect level for middle school students, but I'm afraid that they won't pick it up because at first glance it looks like a picture book for younger readers. If this book made me want to keep reading, anyone who actually likes baseball will be absolutely riveted. It should be read by anyone of any age who wants to learn about the history of the Negro Leagues. Teachers, this book would make a fantastic read aloud, either the whole thing or any one of the nine chapters (Nelson calls them "innings"). I was happy to see that this book won both the Coretta Scott King Award and the Sibert Award for children's nonfiction. It deserves it!

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

I will start off by saying that I don't think this Chris Crutcher book is written for middle schoolers. Mature 8th graders, maybe, but it's not for everyone. It had been a few years since I had read a Chris Crutcher book, and once again I was just blown away by his writing. This is a book I would recommend to teenagers as well as adults. It's almost a cliché to have a teen novel with characters who are mentally ill, dying, abused, etc. etc. Yet somehow Chris Crutcher can take a whole bunch of big real-life problems and weave them into a book that is believable and touching and also hilarious at times. Here's the story in a nutshell: Ben Wolf finds out before his senior year that he is dying of an aggressive blood disease. He's 18 years old and he refuses treatment and refuses to let his doctor tell his parents because he wants to live his last year to the fullest. His big plans are a) to go out for the football team (he's a tiny guy), b) to go after a smart, attractive classmate he's had his eye on, and c) to stick it to his conservative social studies teacher by campaigning to name a street in town after Malcolm X. The setting is great—Trout, Idaho has 943 residents, and they love their football heroes. This book is all about football and love and telling the truth and racism and living life to the fullest. Parts of the book are mature, and it's also pretty deep at times. I think the philosophy and the humor would be most appreciated by high school students.

Heat by Mike Lupica

In my opinion, a really good sports book isn't really about sports, it's about life. There's a lot of life in this book (but also a whole lot of baseball). Michael is an amazing pitcher and his dream is to pitch in the Little League World Series. It was his father's dream also, but his father is not around and he and his brother are trying to keep that a secret. Michael is so good at baseball that other Little League teams are trying to make him prove he is 12 years old. Unfortunately he has a lot of trouble getting a birth certificate from Cuba. I liked Michael's best friend Manny, his brother Carlos, and the kind neighbor woman who takes care of them. I thought at times that the conversations between these 12 year old boys were much too clever and urbane to ever come out of the mouths of real kids. The happy ending was not a big surprise, but heck, I wanted things to work out for Michael. While there are non-sports issues in this book, there is so much baseball play-by-play that I do think the intended audience is kids who love the game. It might be hard for other kids to get through, but baseball fans will love it (and probably learn some great baseball strategies at the same time).

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso

This is a comic book that at first glance looks like a biography of baseball great Satchel Paige. However, it's actually a fictional story of an African American man who encounters Satchel Paige twice in his life–once as a promising young ball player who gets a hit off of a Satchel Paige pitch, and later in life as a father who has been beaten down by a life of discrimination and racism. The illustrations and captions are simple, but they capture the action of the baseball games well. Through the eyes of the narrator you understand the humiliations that build up over years of living with Jim Crow laws and you see the personality and showmanship of Satchel Paige. Factual information in the introduction and at the end of the book helps put the story in historical context. A great book for baseball lovers!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Wow. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's both sad and hilarious, and I read it straight through almost without stopping. Arnold Spirit, also known as Junior, is a Spokane Indian living on the reservation ("the rez"). He has a big head, huge feet, loves to draw, and is a target for bullies. He's also very bright and he figures out that he needs to leave the reservation to fulfill his life's dreams. This is the story of his first year attending Reardon high school, where he's the only Indian. He loves his family and his culture, but he is not blind to the problems that alcohol causes in his community. In fact, it is the cause of numerous tragedies in his own family circle. Arnold makes new friends at Reardon, becomes a basketbal star, and struggles with his old best friend who feels betrayed by his departure. It doesn't sound funny, but it really is. Some people might think the innermost thoughts of this 9th grade boy are a little mature, but they are certainly nothing you wouldn't hear on TV. Recommended especially for 8th grade guys, but also for anyone (young or old) who appreciates good writing. (Just so you know, this is fiction but it is taken straight from the author's life.)

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I have high praise for this book because it made me run 6 miles. I listened to it on my iPod shuffle, which I only listen to while exercising, and it is only a really good book that gets me going for more than 4 miles. It had been a year since I read Dairy Queen, and this book brought back all the excitement I first felt about that book. D.J. Schwenk is rare book character—she's an athletic, dairy farming teenager with an uncommunicative family and a cool potential boyfriend. She doesn't really have anything in common with me, but Catherine Murdock gets into her head and heart and makes me care so much about her that I feel like I am her while I'm reading this book. I don't really want to give away the plot. In Dairy Queen D.J. decided to go out for her high school football team, and in the beginning she is doing just that. But a lot of changes happen in the fall that change things completely for D.J. There's humor (she's accidentally written up in People Magazine), tons of sports (football and basketball), friendship (her friend Amber has a new partner and they are friends again), romance (making out but not going out with Brian), and family (the Schwenk brothers are a big part of this book). I don't want to bore you here, just read this book. I know adults and kids of both genders who loved Dairy Queen and who will want to follow along as D.J. takes some big leaps forward in her life. As I said, this is for everyone, but is absolutely required reading for girls who are into sports. Don't miss it.

Final Shot by John Feinstein

I am glad this is a Maud Hart Lovelace nominee for 2007-2008 because I think a lot of basketball fans will love it. It's a mystery set at the Final Four and the detectives are 8th graders Stevie and Carol Ann, who won a writing contest and are there as full-fledged journalists. Early on they overhear a star basketball player being threatened to throw the final game against Duke, but they don't know who is threatening Chip Graber and why. Carol Ann is a minister's daughter, but she can lie and be sneaky like a pro, and she and Stevie figure out how to talk to Chip Graber. When they hear his story they realize they are up against a serious blackmailing and gambling scheme. This book has lots of detective work and even more inside scoop on the personalities and quirks of NCAA basketball. For kids who follow basketball it is a dream come true. Other readers will enjoy the mystery and the action. A fun book for middle schoolers, either guys or girls.

7 Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman

The most important thing in Scott's life is baseball. Or so he thinks until life throws him a curveball that makes him change the way he feels about his best friend, his parents, and his dreams for the future. The book opens with Scott nervously waiting at a clinic to be tested for AIDS. It will take a week for the results to come back, and in those seven days Scott must play in the championship baseball game as well as deal with the news that his best friend, Travis, is gay. As usual, Terry Trueman writes a gripping book for mature readers that is short but full of deep issues. Even Scott, whose whole world is baseball, can see that life has more complexity to it than he ever imagined. He sees his best friend threatened with violence, kicked out of his home, as well as accepted and admired by others. The question is, how will Scott treat Travis from now on? Recommended for mature readers (especially baseball fans).

Rash by Pete Hautman

Rash is set about 70 years in the future, when current students will be grandparents. Things have changed in the U.S., which is now the U.S.S.A., the United Safer States of America. Everything is now safe--no one can play sports or litter or get angry. One fourth of the population is in prison for breaking the safety laws. These prison work camps are run by corporations like McDonalds and General Motors. Bo is a teenager who gets in trouble with the law (he causes a psychologically induced rash among his classmates) and it sentenced to a prison on the Canadian Tundra where inmates make pizzas for 16 hours a day and where polar bears lurk outside the gates. Strangely enough, this turns into a sports book when Bo is recruited for the highly illegal prison football team. Bo is a fun character to read about, and it's an intriguing look at the future. I didn't love how it ended, but I did love the idea of the book and the future world that Pete Hautman created.