Book picks similar to
Second Stringer by Thomas J. Dygard


sports
young-adult
above-3-stars
books-read

Rebel Glory


Sigmund Brouwer - 1995
    Yet, a string of recent accidents threatens to knock his team out of the playoffs and ruin his promising career. Craig has begun to question how many accidents can happen before they become more than a coincidence. But it's not a good time for questions. Not in the spotlight of high-pressure hockey. Not when the team needs him most. And not when he has some important lessons to learn about life. For Craig, however, there is no choice. Unless the questions are answered, the team's season and his promising career will surely end.

Basketball (or Something Like It)


Nora Raleigh Baskin - 2005
    Basketball clinics, a revolving door of coaches, incensed parents, and the importance of the right sneakers—is that what the game is about? Told from the perspective of four unlikely friends, Nora Raleigh Baskin's poignant novel focuses on the action, drama, and fun of playing ball and explores what it takes to be a winner of the game—both on the court and off.

Backfield Boys


John Feinstein - 2017
    After summer football camp at an elite sports-focused boarding school, the boys are thrilled to enroll on scholarship for their freshman year--despite their mothers' fears of injury and especially CTE.On day one, they're stunned when the coaches make Tom a receiver and Jason a quarterback, a complete contradiction to their skill sets and training. They soon suspect this is a racial issue. The boys speak out, risking both their scholarships and their chance to play. But when Jason gets a concussion in the first game of the season, he and Tom must decide how much they're willing to lose in their quest to expose the ugly remnants of a racist past that still linger in contemporary jock culture.In Backfield Boys, -The best writer of sports books in America today- (The Boston Globe) tells a thrilling story of friendship, football, and a fight for justice.

Yellow Flag


Robert Lipsyte - 2007
    In the final laps, it's the racer who moves his car through the sweet spot, picks off the competition, and drives through a hole to win.In Kyle's family, his older brother, Kris, has always been the racer, born and bred to it, like his father and grandfather and great-grandfather before him. And that's just fine with Kyle; he's got other things to do. Now Kris is out of commission, injured, and Kyle has no choice but to drive. Does he want to drive just long enough to keep Kris's seat warm, or does he want to race—and win?On the heels of Raiders Night, Yellow Flag is a pulse-pounding look inside the elite world of NASCAR racing, from award-winning novelist and sportswriter Robert Lipsyte.

Over the Wall


John H. Ritter - 2000
    If he isn't careful, he'll blow his chances of making the All-Star team and being noticed by a scout. But Tyler's coach, a Vietnam War veteran, has seen anger destroy enough people. He knows that if Tyler is ever going to fulfill his dreams, he'll have to learn to fight his battles with his glove, his bat, and his love for the game. Not with his fists. But it all comes down to Tyler. Does he care enough about his future to work through the past?"A grand slam." (The ALAN Review)"An ambitious mark that predents a compelling, multilayered story." (School Library Journal)

Stupid Fast


Geoff Herbach - 2011
    Seriously. The upper classmen used to call me Squirrel Nut, because I was little and jumpy. Then, during sophomore year, I got tall and huge and so fast the gym teachers in their tight shorts fell all over themselves. During summer, three things happened all at once. First, the pee-smelling jocks in my grade got me to work out for football, even though I had no intention of playing. Second, on my paper route the most beautiful girl I have ever seen moved in and played piano at 6 a.m. Third, my mom, who never drinks, had some wine, slept in her car, stopped weeding the garden, then took my TV and put it in her room and decided she wouldn’t get out of bed. Listen, I have not had much success in my life. But suddenly I’m riding around in a jock’s pick-up truck? Suddenly I’m invited to go on walks with beautiful girls? So, it’s understandable that when my little brother stopped playing piano and began to dress like a pirate I didn’t pay much attention. That I didn’t want to deal with my mom coming apart.

Leverage


Joshua C. Cohen - 2011
    It is paid on - and off - the football field. And it claims its victims without mercy - including the most innocent bystanders. When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a school's salvation.Told in alternating voices and with unapologetic truth, Leverage illuminates the fierce loyalty, flawed justice, and hard-won optimism of two young athletes.

Rucker Park Setup


Paul Volponi - 2007
    have waited their whole lives to win the basketball tournament at Rucker Park, where their favorite pro ballers squared off against street legends. But the day of their big game, J.R. is fatally stabbed—and it’s Mackey’s fault, even though he didn’t wield the knife. Now Mackey has a score to settle, but the killer is watching his every move.

Box Out


John Coy - 2008
    With the girls' team heading to State, the boys' team is under even greater scrutiny than usual in Liam's small midwestern town. When the team's coach starts counting on the power of prayer---and enforcing teamwide participation---Liam finds himself in a spotlight that's more nerve-racking than any trip to the free-throw line. In trying to stand up for what's right, Liam is forced to stand up for himself---against his teammates, his fellow students, and even his parents.

Ghost / Patina / Sunny / Lu


Jason Reynolds - 2018
    Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. A fast but fiery group of kids from wildly different backgrounds, chosen to compete on an elite track team. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. Discover each of their stories in this complete collection of Jason Reynolds’s explosive New York Times bestselling Track series.This collection includes:GhostPatinaSunnyLu

Balancing Act


April Adams - 2012
    Four events. And only one gold medal. Floor routine. Uneven bars. Vault. And balance beam. 90 seconds. 75 seconds. 7 seconds. 90 seconds.In gymnastics, your best friends are your biggest rivals. And the Bellevue Kips are feeling the pressure. Everyone wants to win best all-around gymnast at Optionals and State finals, but only one girl goes home with gold. Who will it be? Nadia: Gymnastics royalty. Beam is her event. Gold is in her DNA. But how far is she willing to go to win?Bethany: Best on floor. Worst on vault. Does Bethany’s height spell gymnastics doom? Sara: They used to call her Tree Frog. Now, she’s too scared to tumble backwards. Can she get it together in time to compete?Kelley: Gymnast. Soccer Star. And ballerina. The time has come to choose her sport. What is she willing to sacrifice to win?Jamie: The new girl and the squad’s biggest mystery. Will she crumble under pressure? Or will she give them all a run for their money? The countdown to competition has begun. Will it make them? Or break them?

Peak


Roland Smith - 2007
    The things that really matter lie far below. – Peak MarcelloAfter fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. The story of Peak’s dangerous ascent—told in his own words—is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down.

Behind the Eyes


Francisco X. Stork - 2006
    His peaceful obscurity is shattered when his impulsive brother challenges the leader of a gang called the Discipulos. Suddenly Hector is drawn into their world of violence and hopelessness. When a marker is placed on his life, Hector tries to escape by going away to a school for students with troubled pasts. But it isn t easy to function when he s paralyzed by the fear that they ll find him, even there. Ultimately, by confronting external threats and the internal pain of his memories and mistakes, Hector begins to understand what manhood really means.Author Biography: Francisco X. Stork is also the author of The Way of the Jaguar, a prize recipient in the 1999 Chicano/Latino Literary Contest. He lives in Massachusetts.

WarCraft Archive (WORLD OF WARCRAFT)


Blizzard Entertainment - 2006
    

Wake Up Missing


Kate Messner - 2013
    Sarah, an Upstate New York girls’ hockey team stand-out... Ben, a horse lover from the Pacific Northwest...And Cat, an artistic bird watcher from California. The four have nothing in common except for the head injuries that land them in an elite brain-science center in the Florida Everglades. It’s known as the best in the world, but as days pass, the kids begin to suspect that they are subjects in an experiment that goes far beyond treating concussions….and threatens their very identities. They’ll have to overcome their injuries – and their differences – to escape, or risk losing themselves forever.