Picture Books and Younger Elementary
Babymouse Goes for the Gold

Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm
(Juvenile Graphic Novels – J Holm)
Series: Babymouse

Babymouse joins the swim team and, despite her shortcomings as an athlete, gives it her all and tries to win an award. Recommended for ages 6-9.


Can I Play Too?

Mo Willems
(Juvenile Early Readers – J-ER Willems)
Series: Elephant & Piggie

Elephant and Piggie learn to play catch with their new friend Snake. Recommended for ages 6-9.

 


Don’t Throw it to Mo!

David A. Adler
(Juvenile Early Readers – J-ER Adler)

Mo is the youngest kid on the Robins football team. The kids on the rival team tease him for being a 'butterfingers' who's too tiny to catch the ball. But Mo's coach has a plan up his sleeve to turn Mo's little size into a big win for the Robins. Recommended for ages 6-9.


Lola Levine is Not Mean!

Monica Brown
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Brown)
Series: Lola Levine ; 1

*This item also available on Libby and Cloud LibrarySecond-grader Lola has a wonderful family, a great teacher, and the best friend ever, Josh, and they all help her feel better after she is teased and forbidden to play team sports at recess for having accidentally hurt classmate Juan during a soccer game. Recommended for ages 6-9.


Mermaid Queen

Shana Corey
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 797.2192 Kellerman Cor)

This picture book-style biography of Annette Kellerman is a fun, feel-good underdog story. With courage and determination, she confronted a crippling illness to become an internationally known record-setting athlete who revolutionized the sport of swimming for women, a movie star who invented water ballet, and a fashion revolutionary who modernized the swimsuit. Recommended for ages 6–9.


The Missing Baseball

Mike Lupica
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Lupica)
Series: Zach and Zoe Mysteries; 1

Eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe follow clues to find Zach's missing baseball, signed by his favorite major league player, while competing in Spirit Week events at school. Recommended for ages 6-9.


Older Elementary
Baseball Great

Tim Green
(Juvenile Fiction - J Green)

*This item also available on Cloud Library and HooplaAll twelve-year-old Josh wants to do is play baseball but when his father, a minor league pitcher, signs him up for a youth championship team, Josh finds himself embroiled in a situation with potentially illegal consequences. Recommended for ages 9-12.


Bird in a Box

Andrea Davis Pinkney
(Juvenile Fiction - J Pinkney)

In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome. Includes author's notes. Recommended for ages 9-12.


The Boy Who Saved Baseball

John H. Ritter
(Juvenile Fiction - J Ritter)

The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game. Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato. Read the prequel: The Desperado Who Stole Baseball. Recommended for ages 9-12.


The Crossover

Kwame Alexander
(Juvenile Fiction – J Alexand)

*This item also available on Libby and Cloud LibraryFourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. Recommended for ages 9-12.


A Diamond in the Desert

Kathryn Fitzmaurice
(Juvenile Fiction - J Fitzmau)

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thirteen-year-old Tetsu and his family are sent to the Gila River Relocation Center in Arizona where a fellow prisoner starts a baseball team, but when Tetsu's sister becomes ill and he feels responsible, he stops playing. Recommended for ages 9-12.


Fast Break

Mike Lupica
(Juvenile Fiction – J Lupica)

*This item also available on Libby and Cloud LibrarySince his mother's death, Jayson, twelve, has focused on basketball and surviving but he is found out and placed with an affluent foster family of a different race, and must learn to accept many changes, including facing his former teammates in a championship game. Recommended for ages 9-12.


The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend

Sharon Robinson
(Juvenile Fiction - J Robinso)

*This item is also available on Libby (audiobook) and Hoopla (audiobook). Eight-year-old Steve Satlow is thrilled when Jackie Robinson moves into his Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn in 1948, although many of his neighbors are not. When Steve actually meets his hero he is even more excited––and worried that a misunderstanding over a Christmas tree could damage his new friendship. Recommended for ages 9–12.


Nikki on the Line

Barbara Carroll Roberts
(Juvenile Fiction - J Roberts)

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. Recommended for ages 9-12.


Patina

Jason Reynolds
(Juvenile Fiction - J Reynold)
Series: Track; 2

*This item also available on LibbyA 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. Recommended for ages 9-12.


Power Forward

Hena Khan
(Juvenile Fiction - J Khan)
Series: Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream; 1

*This item also available on LibbyMeet fourth-grade athlete Zayd Saleem, whose dream of becoming the first Pakistani-American to make it into the NBA is challenged by his lower ranking, his small size, and his family's preference that he learn to play the violin. Recommended for ages 9–12.


Roller Girl

Victoria Jamieson
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J Jamieso)

*This item also available on LibbyA graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart. Recommended for ages 9-12.


Soar

Joan Bauer
(Juvenile Fiction – J Bauer)

*This item is also available on Cloud LibraryWhen his adoptive father accepts a temporary job in Hillcrest, Ohio, twelve-year-old Jeremiah, a heart transplant recipient, has sixty days to find a baseball team to coach. Recommended for ages 9–12.


Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team

Steve Sheinkin
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 796.332 She)

*This item also available on Cloud LibraryA great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story of how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team. Recommended for ages 9-12.


We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Kadir Nelson
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 796.357 Nel)

Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson. Recommended for ages 9-12.