10 Young Adult Sports Novels For Teens & Tweens

I hope you enjoy the below list showcasing 10 Young Adult Sports Novels. Since my book Face-Off is a sports novel for teens and tweens, I was inspired to make a reading list of other books with similar themes. Here’s some great selections from this category available on Amazon.

Face-Off by Stacy Juba – Discover why this compelling novel about hockey players, high school sports, sportsmanship, sibling rivalry, and families dealing with divorce has appeared on so many reading lists including Best Books for Young Teen Readers Grades 7-10 and a list produced by the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Junior Education Program. Brad’s twin brother T.J. has gotten himself out of the fancy prep school his father picked for him and into the public high school Brad attends. Now T.J. is a shining new star on the hockey team where Brad once held the spotlight. And he’s testing his popularity with Brad’s friends, eyeing Brad’s girl and competing to be captain of the team. Meanwhile, the twins must also cope with problems at home, including divorcing parents and a troubled younger brother. The whole school is rooting for a big double-strength win…not knowing that their twin hockey stars are heating up the ice for a winner takes all face-off.

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter – Tom Gallagher is in a tight spot. The fate of the Dillontown team rests on the outcome of one baseball game, winner take all. If Tom’s team loses, they lose their field too. But how can they possibly win? Just when everything seems hopeless, a mysterious boy named Cruz de la Cruz rides into town and claims to know the secret of hitting. Not to mention the secrets of Dante Del Gato, Dillontown’s greatest hitter ever. Since he walked away from the game years ago, Del Gato hasn’t spoken a word to anyone. But now he might be Tom’s only hope for saving his hometown. From the award-winning author of Over the Wall and Choosing Up Sides comes this imaginative tale of one boy’s struggle to preserve the spirit of the game he loves.

Cover-up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein –
The Super Bowl. America’s biggest sports spectacle. Over 95 million fans will be watching. But teen sportswriters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson know that what they’ll be watching is a lie. They know that the entire offensive line of the California Dreams have failed their doping tests. They know the owner is trying to cover up the results. The only thing they don’t know is how to prove it.

Coach Carter
by Jasmine Jones – When former Richmond High School basketball legend Ken Carter agrees to take over his alma mater’s floundering team, he has the players sign a contract that demands good grades, perfect class attendance, and suits on game days. With Coach Carter at the helm, the Oilers’ record soon stands at 12 and 0. But when the coach learns that some members of his team are cutting class and failing academically, he locks them out of the gym, incurring the wrath of the players, the school, and the community. Coach Carter’s determination to adhere to his convictions puts his philosophy and his players’ trust to the ultimate test.

The Running Dream (Schneider Family Book Award – Teen Book Winner) by Wendelin Van Draanen – Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. 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.

Hot Hand (Comeback Kids) by Mike Lupica – It’s simple. All Billy Raynor wants to do is shoot. After all, he is one of the best shooters in the league. But with his dad as his coach, and his parents newly separated, somehow everything’s become complicated. His brother Ben hardly talks anymore. His mom is always traveling on business. And his dad is always on his case about not being a team player. But when Ben’s piano recital falls on the same day as the championship game, it’s Billy who teaches his dad the meaning of being a team player.

Peak by Roland Smith – After 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

Cinderella Steals Home by Carly Syms – College baseball pitcher Doan Riley was always a good guy until things in his life started to change him. Now he’s reckless, angry and has a knack for getting himself into trouble, though he’s always been able to find his way out. Until now. Holly Shaw’s back in town for the first time in years, and she isn’t happy about it. She’s only in Arizona because she has nowhere else to go and her dad’s letting her stay with him until she figures out her next move.
All Holly wants to do is make enough money to move away…until she gets involved in her father’s summer baseball league for the college guys in town.
When she meets her older brother’s friend Doan for the first time, she thinks he’s rude, arrogant and totally unlikeable, but as she gets more and more involved with the team, she starts to realize that first impressions shouldn’t always be the lasting impression, but will Doan’s reckless tendencies get in the way?

Keeper by Mal Peet – When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.

Puck Bunny by Joelle McClure –
After her mother’s death, Sammi will do anything to get her father’s affections, including quitting figure skating to take up hockey. Dad’s the head coach of the Devils, an AHL hockey team. But when a brutal hit during a high school playoff game puts Sammi’s goalie career on ice, she embarks on a reckless plan to regain her father’s attention. One that will either destroy or piece back together her tattered family. Get rid of Dad’s new fiancee? Check. Lose weight and become a stylish fashionista? Check. Make friends with the daughter of Dad’s boss? Check. But Sammi’s new frenemy sucks her into the world of puck bunnies, while Sammi’s own world spins out of control. After Dad skips Sammi’s first art show at a local gallery, Sammi decides to up the stakes to get her dad’s attention. She hatches a plot to seduce the team’s star forward. But can she go through with it? Sammi isn’t so sure she’s fighting for Dad’s affections anymore. It’s starting to feel like she’s struggling to save herself.

Stacy Juba

Stacy Juba has written sweet and sassy chick lit novels, mysteries about determined women sleuths, and entertaining books for young adults and children. Her books include the Storybook Valley chick lit series and the Hockey Rivals young adult sports novels.

Stacy is also a freelance developmental editor and online course creator. Sign up for her free masterclass, How to Create Your Editing Game Plan. 

Stop by her other websites and blogs: Shortcuts for Writers and Hockey Rivals.

stacyjuba.com/blog/