Sports Fiction Teen

This entertaining history blends anecdote, incident, and analysis as it chronicles the story of our national pastime. Alexander covers the advent of the first professional baseball leagues, the game’s surge in the early 20th century, the Golden 20s and the Gray 30s, the breaking of the color line in the late 40s, and the game’s expansion to its current status as a premier team sport. He describes changing playing styles and outstanding teams and personalities, but also demonstrates the many connections to society.

The Academy is an international sports mecca for teen athletes. There are only two ways in: deep pockets or enough talent to score a scholarship. Young tennis star Maya's dreams have finally come true when she earns a scholarship to The Academy. Plucked from her small town, Maya moves to the sports training facility/boarding school to (hopefully) start the beginning of her pro career. But Maya's fantasy of The Academy doesn't quite match the reality. Because where there are hot, talented teens, there's a lot of drama.

Thirteen-year-old Tansy has a chip on her shoulder the size of the skateboard that left her a paraplegic. No matter how she tries, she can't get excited about starting junior high. She has to watch as her friends realize their dream of making the Angel cheer squad - without her. She can see no happy ending for someone like her. Her best friend and the one-armed assistant cheer coach keep preaching about their God and his love until she wants to throw her chair at them. But there's something about the two of them - something peaceful and happy.

Running is so not her thing, but she has to finish what her boyfriend started - before he died. Annie feels guilt that she's still alive and blames herself for his death; she has to do this to honor him. Plus training gives her something to do, it's a distraction. So is Jeremiah Brown. He's an adrenaline junky who runs marathons backwards. He flirts with Annie on the trails and it makes Annie feel alive and happy and guilty all at the same time.

Stupid Fast is playwright Geoff Herbach’s first book for young adults. No one’s more shocked than shy 15-year-old Felton Reinstein himself when he undergoes a tremendous growth spurt. After dusting the football jocks in a race, Felton marvels at his new athletic ability. Everything isn’t looking up, however. Felton must also come to grips with his mother’s sudden depression and his bratty younger brother. And then Felton learns a shocking secret about his past that helps put things in perspective.

Sometimes a chance meeting can change everything. At 15, Jamie Maxwell’s main goals in life are to make the United States youth national soccer pool, move past the Incident-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and maybe - someday - kiss a girl. When she meets Emma Blakeley at a tournament in Southern California, something about the older girl draws her in. And it isn’t that she expects to ever get the chance to kiss Emma. Really.

I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan - being around him, talking to him, thinking about him - makes me feel like I can finally breathe again.

As a professional surfer, 17-year-old Iris has travelled the sun-kissed beaches of the globe. But after a tumultuous week in Miami leaves her heartbroken, Iris returns to her hometown on the south coast of England. Putting her promising career on hold. Leaving behind Zeke, the boy who changed her world. Iris is desperate to get back to her old life, to the family and friends she grew up with. She wants to rediscover her passion for surfing. She needs to move on. But Iris soon realises it won't be that simple.

When 16-year-old Stan Claxton learns that his neighbor Ginny Forrester is coming home, he isn't sure if he should be happy or scared. Ginny - a 15-year-old nationally-ranked junior tennis player - is having trouble with her game, and her coach thinks Stan can pull her out of this slump. After an awkward beginning, Stan settles in as Ginny's coach, and her play improves with each match in a local tournament.

The star quarterback dating a theater geek like me? As if anyone would believe that. If Brian Kirkland is the reigning king of the jocks, I guess that makes me the queen of the drama department. Hard to believe we were ever best friends. These days we go to great lengths to ignore one another. But when Brian's current diva girlfriend convinces him to try out for my play, there's no way to avoid him. I try to keep it professional, but years of anger and resentment are hard to dismiss. It doesn't help that he's just as cocky as I remember.

With just two weeks until Worlds, the largest international cheerleading competition of the season, Max Turner and her teammates are preparing to take the stage and show everyone what they can do. After a great season, it looks like they are sure to make the final round, and possibly even land in the top spot. But, with everything on the line, Max makes a mistake that could jeopardize her place on not only her team, but also her teams’ place at the Worlds championship. Knowing the entire cheer world will be watching, Max tries to keep her secret from her friends, family, and coach.

When a shy high-school student's body is found washed up on the shore of a quiet New England beach town - an apparent suicide - 15-year-old Terry Novak doesn't know what to think. Something just doesn't add up, so he decides to do some investigating of his own with the help of his best friend, Abby. It doesn't take long before they learn that asking questions puts them in grave danger, and surviving is going to be a fight.

Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that Harlem life throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever in this touching and raw new teen novel from Walter Dean Myers.

Getting into The Academy is the easy part. Staying there takes more than just talent. After being betrayed by her rival and her boyfriend, Maya knows she needs to shrug off the drama and focus on her game. And after a strong showing in the semi-finals at a tennis competition, Maya seems pretty focused. Until that competition brings a new round of gossip, a modeling gig, and renewed feelings for…her ex? And Maya’s not the only one with drama. Cleo just won her first big golf tournament, but the blogs are bashing her alternative style.

Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she's losing it . . . until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls' hockey, that is. Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, finding himself enjoying his "punishment" as assistant coach for the girls' team.

Teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are covering baseball's World Series, and during the course of an interview with a new hot pitcher, they discover more than a few contradictions in his life story. What's he hiding? An embarrassing secret? A possible crime? Let the investigation begin!

Cooperstown! Josh is thrilled when all his hard training pays off in a big way and his team, the Titans, makes it to a national tournament in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. More is on the line for Josh than just a trophy. Winning would mean everything to his dad, now Josh's coach. Winning could mean a major endorsement deal for the Titans and the attention of big league scouts!

Zane is not that interested in the Gollywhopper Games. He’d rather play football and is sure that he’s headed straight for the NFL. But after he gets his second concussion, his parents tell him, “No football for a year.” Instead, to his surprise, he gets a chance to compete in the Gollywhopper Games. Zane’s sense of strategy, his physical strength, and his competitive edge are all assets, and so is his ability to motivate his teammates and get them to work together.

This summer, Kate Kellner is firing on all cylinders. She was offered the chance to play summer softball with the Weatherfield Trailblazers, she’s reconciled with her best friend, Ty, and with Grady by her side, she feels like anything’s possible. But this outlook on life only takes her so far. After all, she can’t just become a new person overnight. Grady’s looking forward to spending a relaxing and lazy summer with Kate. He plans to work during the day, watch her softball games at night, and spend every available hour left just soaking up the sun and living his best life.

I used to loathe Crawford Cross. He was the most infuriating, cocky guy at Lake City high. And now? Now he's the guy I'm hopelessly in love with. Even after he broke my heart. He's still cocky, but he's also sweet, funny, and loving. My mom says time will heal my wound. I'll move on. But there's no getting over Ford. This year is unlike any other. It's my senior year, and I'm going to make every moment matter, and that includes being with Ford.