I must admit I have not been reading much this week. With many back-to-school activities and responsibilities, I have been falling asleep before reading even two full pages of the newest non-fiction book I picked up at the library (it's call The Big Sort for any adults out there interested in the reasons behind and consequences of our politically and culturally divided country).
Anyway, my father reminded me that football season is about to begin. Pre-season NFL games are in the last round, college games can be seen on ESPN most nights of the week, and high-school teams are gearing up for their first contest. A true sign of autumn and back-to-school.
SO! Let's take a look at a few books written about football for teens.
Football
Baczewski, Paul. Just for Kicks.
Fifteen-year-old Brandon does not suspect the difficulties in store for him as manager of the varsity football team when his sister Sarah joins and becomes the star punter.
Bechard, Margaret. If It Doesn't Kill You.
High school freshman Ben should be enjoying playing football, meeting girls, and going to parties, but he's too busy trying to cope with his father's moving out to live with another man.
Crutcher, Chris. Running Loose.
Football player Louie, a high school senior in a small Idaho town, learns about sportsmanship, love, and death as he matures into manhood.
Dygard, Thomas. Forward Pass.
To improve his struggling football team's chances of winning, Coach Gardner brings in a new wide receiver, Jill Winston.
Dygard, Thomas. Halfback Tough.
New at Graham High, Joe joins the football team and begins to change his tough guy outlook as he becomes absorbed by the game and gains self-esteem and new friends.
Gallo, Donald R., editor. Ultimate Sports : Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults.
Sixteen original sports stories featuring young men and women playing basketball and football, running track and cross-country, and training for the triathlon, as well as participating in water sports, racquetball, tennis, boxing, wrestling, and the ultimate sport of the future.
Ibbitson, John. The Wimp and the Jock.
Ridiculously poor at sports, Randy horrifies himself and his friends when he responds to a bully's taunts by announcing he'll try out for the football team.
Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs.
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.
Lee, Marie G. Necessary Roughness.
Sixteen-year-old Korean American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.
Murdock, Catherine GIlbert. Dairy Queen: A Novel
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.
Singer, Marilyn. Ghost Host.
Sixteen-year-old football star Bart Hawkins seeks a way to rid his house of a nasty poltergeist without losing the nine friendly ghosts also haunting it, in return for which they agree to help him win the championship game.
Spinelli, Jerry. Crash.
Seventh-grade football player John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
I found most of the books on this list on a Michigan Public Library website. For more books about sports for teens, check it out!
Go Huskies! Go Eagles! Go Jaguars! Go Vikings! Go Packers!
Go Readers!
-Stenson
