36+ Great Middle Grade Sports Reads Chosen by You
This Riot Recommendation of great middle grade sports books is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, publisher of Kwame Alexander’s Rebound.
From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, the prequel to his Newbery Award-winner, The Crossover. Before he’s Chuck “Da Man” Bell, proud father of Jordan and Josh Bell, Charlie is a kid who dreams of basketball glory. In his mind, he can steal, jump, dunk, and make the crowd go wild just like a pro-baller. But when tragedy strikes, Charlie can’t help but make all the wrong moves. Will a series of missteps keep him benched, or can he learn how to rebound?
Sports can be a thrilling subject. All the more so in middle grade, when the stakes of the big game are always high and every competition is a defining moment. We love losing ourselves in middle grade sports books, especially when we can read them along with the kids in our lives. So what are your favorites of the genre? That was the question, and below you’ll find just a smattering of your answers! Million Dollar Goal series by Dan Gutman Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall Night Hoops by Carl Deuker The Toilet Paper Tigers by Gordon Korman Braced by Alyson Gerber Double Dutch by Sharon M. Draper Ten: A Soccer Story by Shamini Flint Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook by Iva-Marie Palmer Last Shot by John Feinstein The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter Junior Lifeguards: The Test by Elizabeth Doyle Carey Soccer Chick Rules by Dawn Fitzgerald Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee Travel Team by Mike Lupica In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes Gold Dust by Chris Lynch The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall My 13th Season by Kristi Roberts Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge by Kristin L. Gray House of Sports by Marisabina Russo Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami One-Handed Catch by MJ Auch Golden Girl by Mari Mancusi Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Tangerine by Edward Bloor The Mean Girl Meltdown by Lindsay Eyre The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mike Cochrane Heat by Michael Cadnum Ultra by David Carroll Track series by Jason Reynolds Open Court by Carol Clippinger Kick series by Alex Morgan
From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, the prequel to his Newbery Award-winner, The Crossover. Before he’s Chuck “Da Man” Bell, proud father of Jordan and Josh Bell, Charlie is a kid who dreams of basketball glory. In his mind, he can steal, jump, dunk, and make the crowd go wild just like a pro-baller. But when tragedy strikes, Charlie can’t help but make all the wrong moves. Will a series of missteps keep him benched, or can he learn how to rebound?
Sports can be a thrilling subject. All the more so in middle grade, when the stakes of the big game are always high and every competition is a defining moment. We love losing ourselves in middle grade sports books, especially when we can read them along with the kids in our lives. So what are your favorites of the genre? That was the question, and below you’ll find just a smattering of your answers! Million Dollar Goal series by Dan Gutman Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall Night Hoops by Carl Deuker The Toilet Paper Tigers by Gordon Korman Braced by Alyson Gerber Double Dutch by Sharon M. Draper Ten: A Soccer Story by Shamini Flint Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook by Iva-Marie Palmer Last Shot by John Feinstein The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter Junior Lifeguards: The Test by Elizabeth Doyle Carey Soccer Chick Rules by Dawn Fitzgerald Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee Travel Team by Mike Lupica In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes Gold Dust by Chris Lynch The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall My 13th Season by Kristi Roberts Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge by Kristin L. Gray House of Sports by Marisabina Russo Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami One-Handed Catch by MJ Auch Golden Girl by Mari Mancusi Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Tangerine by Edward Bloor The Mean Girl Meltdown by Lindsay Eyre The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mike Cochrane Heat by Michael Cadnum Ultra by David Carroll Track series by Jason Reynolds Open Court by Carol Clippinger Kick series by Alex Morgan
