March Madness
During the month of March, I watch a lot of college basketball. I love this time of year — always a game on, always lots at stake, always heartbreak and triumph. Not dissimilar to a great book!
In that spirit, I present some of my favorite kidlit sports books.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang, 2020
Starting with basketball! Kid and I both love this graphic novel. Yang tells the story of his time as a high-school teacher and weaves in details about the history of basketball. I first read this when the pandemic had cancelled that year’s March Madness, and this book totally scratched the itch for me.
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, 2015
A graphic novel about finding your true path and true friends, set in the world of roller derby! A great book for those kids who aren’t afraid of a few bumps and bruises in the pursuit of their dreams.
Track series by Jason Reynolds, started in 2017
The four books of the Track series — Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu — each focus on a different member of a middle-school track team. They are all amazing, depicting struggles and triumphs in the kids’ lives. I listened to some of these as audiobooks and highly recommend that experience. The books come to life! Patina is narrated by Heather Alicia Sims and the other three are narrated by Guy Lockhard. Listening to the audiobook of Sunny made his words leap and dance off the page.
Dairy Queen series by Catherine Murdock Gilbert, started in 2007
I loved this series about a Wisconsin teen who decides to play football for her high-school. (Not a sports fan? Check out Murdock Gilbert’s fantasy book Princess Ben.)
Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin, 2021
Mara needs to play a team sport for a season — without fighting — to earn her spot back on the basketball team. The obvious choice would be the girls volleyball team, but Mara is more interested in football. When she joins the team, four other female classmates join her, causing a stir in the school and her Texas town. A fantastic exploration of activism, sexism, gender, and sexuality.