Play Ball: Sports Titles for Teens

Basketball

Fiction

 

Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make The Man : A Novel. 1984. (YA Fiction Brook.B)

When black basketball standout Jerome Foxworthy is chosen to integrate Bix's all-white junior high school, the two outcasts form a strong friendship, and Jerome teaches Bix the fundamentals of shooting hoops. But Bix will not learn to fake. Fakes are lies, as Bix sees it. But the day will arrive when Bix has no choice but to 'put on the moves.' If the moves make the man, what will happen to Bix if he gives up the truth?

 

Deuker, Carl. Night Hoops. 2000. (YA Fiction Deuke.C)

While trying to prove that he is good enough to play on his high school's varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents' divorce and the erratic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.

 

Draper, Sharon. Tears of a Tiger. 2000. (YA Fiction Drape.S & YA Playaway Fiction Drape.S)

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

 

Feinstein, John. Last Shot : A Final Four Mystery. 2005. (YA Mystery Feins.J & YA CD Mystery Feins.J)

After winning a basketball reporting contest, teens Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.

 

Foley, John. Hoops Of Steel. 2007. (YA Fiction Foley.J)

Passionate about basketball, troubled teenager Jackson O'Connell chronicles the ways the game colors the events of his senior year in high school.

 

Glenn, Mel. Jump Ball : A Basketball Season In Poems. 1997. (YA Fiction Glenn.M)

A high school basketball team's season is told through a series of poems reflecting the feelings of students, their families, teachers, and coaches.

 

Inoue, Takehiko. Slam Dunk. 2008. (YA 741.5952 Inoue.T)

Hanamichi Sakuragi never has any luck asking out the girls at school until Haruko becomes interested in him, but he must join the basketball team in order to impress her.

Krech, Bob. Rebound. 2006. (YA Fiction Krech.B)

Determined to make the varsity basketball team, 17-year-old Ray finds his efforts to play both hindered and helped by the atmosphere of racism in his town.

Myers, Walter Dean. Game. 2008. (YA Fiction Myers.W & YA CD Fiction Myers.W)

If Harlem high school senior Drew Lawson is going to realize his dream of playing college, then professional, basketball, he will have to improve at being coached and being a team player, especially after a new--white--student threatens to take the scouts' attention away from him.

Myers, Walter Dean. Slam!. 1996. (YA Fiction Myers W.)

Sixteen-year-old "Slam" Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth & Ugly Girl. 2002. (YA Fiction Oates.J)

When 16-year-old Matt is falsely accused of threatening to blow up his high school and his friends turn against him, an unlikely classmate, who is also a hoops star, comes to his aid.

Parker, Robert. Edenville Owls. 2007. (YA Mystery Parke.R)

Fourteen-year-old Bobby, living in a small Massachusetts town just after World War II, finds himself facing many new challenges as he tries to pull together his coachless basketball team, cope with new feelings for his old friend Joanie, and discover the identity of the mysterious stranger who seems to be threatening his teacher.

 

Pena, Matt de la. Ball Don't Lie. 2005. (YA Fiction Pena.M)

Seventeen-year-old Sticky lives to play basketball at school and at Lincoln Rec Center in Los Angeles and is headed for the pros, but he is unaware of the many dangers--including his own past--that threaten his dream.

 

 

 

 

Rallison, Janette. Life, Love and the Pursuit of Free Throws. 2004. (YA Fiction Ralli.J)

High school freshmen Josie and Cami try to remain best friends as they compete for basketball awards and boys.

 

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. The Hoopster. 2005. (YA Fiction Sitom.A)

Andre Anderson is a black teenager who loves to play basketball. When he is viciously attacked, it calls his whole world into question -- even his deadly jump shot.

Volponi, Paul. Black And White. 2006. (YA Fiction Volpo.P)

Two star high school basketball players, one black and one white, experience the justice system differently after committing a crime together and getting caught.

 

Volponi, Paul. Rucker Park Setup. 2007. (YA Fiction Volpo.P)

While playing in a crucial basketball game on the very court where his best friend was murdered, Mackey tries to come to terms with his own part in that murder and decide whether to maintain his silence or tell J.R.'s father and the police what really happened.

 

Waltman, Kevin. Learning The Game. 2005. (YA Fiction Waltm.K)

When he and his high-school basketball teammates steal from a fraternity house in their small Indiana town, Nate contends with his guilt, his loyalty to his friends, and his desire to help his older brother who comes under suspicion for the crime.

 

 

 

Nonfiction

 

Blais, Madeleine. In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle. 1995. (796.3236 Blais.M)

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of a high-school girls' basketball team and their championship season, sharing individual profiles of the girls on the team and their combined drive for excellence.

Colton, Larry. Counting Coup : A True Story Of Basketball And Honor On The Little Big Horn. 2000. (796.3236 Colto.L)

Colton chronicles one year in which he got to know the team members and community both on and off the reservation as they struggled to win Montana's all-state championship.

Corbett, Sara. Venus To The Hoop : A Gold-medal Year In Women's Basketball. 1997. (796.3236 Corbe.S)

The behind-the-scenes story of the gold medal-winning U.S. Women's Basketball Team tells how a diverse group of 11 young women bonded together, both on and off the court, to win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Jackson, Phil. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior. 2006. (YA 796.323 Jacks.P Jacks.P)

L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson (and former coach of the three-time national champion Chicago Bulls) shares his experience of combining sports and spirituality to lead his team to success, explaining how to nurture a positive group dynamic and detailing the methods he uses to teach his players how to think collectively, overcome anger, and look beyond jealousy.

 

 

McElwain, Jason. The Game Of My Life : A True Story Of Challenge, Triumph, And Growing Up Autistic. 2008.(616.85882 Mcelw.J)

 

Morgan, David Lee. LeBron James : The Rise Of A Star. 2003. (YA B James.L Morga.D)

An inside look at basketball's hottest prospect and how he came up through poverty to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

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