Book picks similar to
Rookie by Jerry B. Jenkins


fiction
sports
christian-fiction
favorites

The Running Dream


Wendelin Van Draanen - 2011
    She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

The Answer Is Never: A Skateboarder's History of the World


Jocko Weyland - 2002
    In The Answer Is Never, skating journalist Jocko Weyland tells the rambunctious story of a rebellious sport that began as a wintertime surfing substitute on the streets of Southern California beach towns more than forty years ago and has evolved over the decades to become a fixture of urban youth culture around the world. Merging the historical development of the sport with passages about his own skating adventures in such wide-ranging places as Hawaii, Germany, and Cameroon, Weyland gives a fully realized portrait of a subculture whose love of free-flowing creativity and a distinctive antiauthoritarian worldview has inspired major trends in fashion, music, art, and film. Along the way, Weyland interweaves the stories of skating pioneers like Gregg Weaver and the Dogtown Z-Boys and living legends like Steve Caballero and Tony Hawk. He also charts the course of innovations in deck, truck, and wheel design to show how the changing boards changed the sport itself, enabling new tricks as skaters moved from the freestyle techniques that dominated the early days to the extreme street-skating style of today. Vivid and vibrant, The Answer Is Never is a fascinating book as radical and unique as the sport it chronicles.

The Story Girl


L.M. Montgomery - 1911
    In the charming town of Carlisle, children and grown-ups alike flock from miles around to hear her spellbinding tales. And when Bev King and his younger brother Felix arrive for the summer, they, too, are captivated by the Story Girl. Whether she's leading them on exciting misadventure or narrating timeless stories--from the scary "Tale of the Family Ghost" to the fanciful "How Kissing Was Discovered" to the bittersweet "The Blue Chest of Rachel Ward"--the Story Girl has her audience hanging on every word.

Cathadeus (The Walking Gates, #1)


Jeff J. Peters - 2017
    Now, their most vicious creations have attacked the mystical Walking Gates, slaughtering their Keepers and isolating their cities.Wounded in the brutal attack, Braxton Prinn’s mother is on the verge of death and he makes a desperate journey to find the reclusive elven master who can save her. But when he discovers an ancient magic, Brax is caught up in an even greater struggle and soon finds himself hunted for his power.Drawn into the chaos of an impending war and pursued by enemies on all sides, Brax must fight to save his mother and her race from slipping into darkness. Though his untamed magic may be the greatest threat of all…

Mystery at Cranberry Farm


Lynn Manuel - 1981
    Then came a letter from Aunt Daisy and everything changed. Suddenly Tory, Tritch, and Teddy were off to a farm in the Okanagan Valley.... and to a ninety year-old mystery!A story - a book of clues - a surly housekeeper - mysterious happenings at night - danger! How Tory, Tritch, and Teddy approach the mystery at Cranberry Farm will keep readers in suspense throughout this novel.

Sister Spider Knows All


Adrian Fogelin - 2003
    But outside this fragile weekend world, she's lost. A so-so student with few aspirations for higher education, she feels out of place at school. And who is she anyway? Her teenage mother left when she was only three months old and her father's identity is a mystery. And no one, least of all Mimi, will talk about what happened.But then her cousin John Martin brings home a girlfriend from college who has very different ideas about the way life works. And when Rox discovers her mother's teenage diary, she begins discovering some answers to her past and her future.With gentle wit and an uncanny sensitivity, author Adrian Fogelin captures the fragility of life's certainties in this moving novel of an adolescent girl's struggles to find her way in the world.

Paper in the Wind


Olivia Mason-Charles - 2014
    In the midst of the overwhelming struggles that accompanied autism, he continues to persevere. Her father’s love enabled her to overcome insurmountable obstacles, discovered the power of love and embraced the gift of life.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Play in One Scene


V.A. Pearn - 1933
    Luxuriously illustrated with 92 watercolors, it's a wonderful introduction to Alice's adventures as well as a splendid volume for collectors. Available for sale in the United States only.

The Dragon's Tooth


N.D. Wilson - 2011
    Nothing ever seems to happen. Then a strange old man with bone tattoos arrives, demanding a specific room.Less than 24 hours later, the old man is dead. The motel has burned, and Daniel is missing. And Cyrus and Antigone are kneeling in a crowded hall, swearing an oath to an order of explorers who have long served as caretakers of the world's secrets, keepers of powerful relics from lost civilizations, and jailers to unkillable criminals who have terrorized the world for millennia. N. D. Wilson, author of Leepike Ridge and 100 Cupboards, returns with an imagination-capturing adventure that inventively combines the contemporary and the legendary.

The Julian Chapter


R.J. Palacio - 2014
    Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book's most controversial character—Julian. From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie's story through six different viewpoints, Julian's perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking.Until now. The Julian Chapter will finally reveal the bully's side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?

To Catch a Falling Star


Julie Wright - 2001
    Following her parents' divorce, April was dragged to Boston to live with her mother. Her only glimmer of happiness there has come through her new friend Sara Downey, who is not only smart and popular, but is also a true friend. Sara soon sets April up on a blind date with John, a Mormon from the Rocky Mountains. He returns home, but April dreams of their next meeting. Then Sara is diagnosed with cancer. Sara begins a search for God and the ultimate purpose of life while April finds herself filled with cynicism and doubt. While at a party, she meets Sam, a new friend who designates himself her conscience. Sam is headed to BYU, and when April finds out that his roommate is going to be John, she conspires to get her parents to send her there for college. Reunited with John, April finds herself confronting her past, as well as facing the quest looming in front of her, which urges her down a path she can ultimately never deny-the truth.

The Day We Met


Dusti Bowling - 2011
    At least, she did. Enticed by a chance with the boy she's had a crush on for years, Lenna abandons her values and her lifelong friends to hang out with the popular crowd. What she gets in return couldn't be further from her expectations. Feeling used and alone and facing an unexpected pregnancy, Lenna struggles to regain control of her life, her parents' trust, and the love of her best friend, Will. But when her pregnancy takes an unexpected turn, taking away what little control she thought she had, she must find the strength to make the most heart-wrenching decision of all. A beautiful story of love, faith, and forgiveness, The Day We Met will make you laugh, make you cry, and touch your heart forever.

The Complete Fiction: The Bean Trees / Homeland / Animal Dreams / Pigs in Heaven


Barbara Kingsolver - 1995
    Includes: The Bean Trees, Homeland and Other Stories, Animal Dreams, and Pigs In Heaven.

Brewster


Mark Slouka - 2013
    It's 1968. The world is changing, and sixteen-year-old track star Jon Mosher is determined to change with it. Stuck in Brewster, he forms a friendship with rebellious Ray Cappicciano and headstrong Karen Dorsey, embarking on a race to redeem his past in this heart-wrenching story of love and friendship.

Because I Am Furniture


Thalia Chaltas - 2009
    But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she’s imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home—including herself.