Sports stories

"With no team in rural town, Zoey tries out for Bantam girls team the city. She makes the cut and, knowing that the income from her family's farm won't cover the fees, pushes herself to overcome her shyness and try to raise funds to play. Zoey's talent and eagerness on the ice impress the coach, team captain, and goalie. But not all of her teammates are as accepting, especially when her skills challenge rich Mel for the top spot. Another teammate teases Zoey about her rural background, and her father's embarrassing behavior at a game makes things even worse. Will Zoey ever feel like she belongs?"--Provided by publisher.

"With no team in rural town, Zoey tries out for Bantam girls team the city. She makes the cut and, knowing that the income from her family's farm won't cover the fees, pushes herself to overcome her shyness and try to raise funds to play. Zoey's talent and eagerness on the ice impress the coach, team captain, and goalie. But not all of her teammates are as accepting, especially when her skills challenge rich Mel for the top spot. Another teammate teases Zoey about her rural background, and her father's embarrassing behavior at a game makes things even worse. Will Zoey ever feel like she belongs?"--Provided by publisher.

"Fourteen-year-old Madeline Snow is the star goalie and captain of her girls rep hockey team. When her father moves the family to a small town, she feels like she's losing a lot. Maddie is unhappier than ever. Soon she discovers she's made the town's only Bantam team, but since they have a skilled goalie in Connor Spencer, Maddie wonders if she will get to play. When Connor dies in a car accident, Maddie is overwhelmed with sadness and guilt. But Maddie has become part of the community, and her friends help her to find the focus she needs to fill the empty net"--Provided by publisher.

"Ria, is a teen girl living in Edmonton, Alberta, whose obsession with beauty and fashion leads her mother to insist that she either get a job or join a team sport. At an age when too many girls stop competing athletically, Ria discovers her own capabilities as well as the rewards of challenging herself and connecting with others on a team"--Amazon.

"Set in a co-ed environment, Open Ice follows Vancouver, British Columbia teens Jillian and Jacob, who must attempt to deal with their problems through communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, not unlike the typical methods kids see when dealing with challenges. Touching on the sports-based, as opposed to social, pressures that discourage girls from continuing in team sports as they get older, Open Ice handles the issue of sexism in sports in a positive way."--Provided by publisher.

"In need of money to pay her basketball fees, fourteen-year old Malia King registers for a refereeing course at her middle school. Refereeing gives her a whole new perspective on the game, and helps to improve her own play. But things get complicated when Malia is assigned to referee her younger sister Flo's games, especially when she makes a call that leads to a big loss for her school. As people around Malia start pressuring her to favor the team from her own school she has to choose between calling a fair game or becoming a social outcast"--Provided by publisher.

"As captain of his school track and field team, Jonas runs only to win. His specialty is the 100-metre sprint. When the team's first track meet does not go as he hoped, Jonas turns his anger on his teammates. He ends up in the office, where the principal also notices that Jonas has failed to complete his required volunteer work. She kicks him off the team and strips him of his captaincy, but later makes him a deal: Jonas can compete at the final track meet if he finishes his volunteer hours. To do so, he must train Darien, a vision and mobility impaired teen, for a 5k race. Through working with Darien, Jonas gains a new appreciation for his sport and for what it means to be a true winner"--Amazon.com.

"Fourteen-year-old Griffin Finch attends school on scholarship and is struggling to stay on the basketball team. Griffin spends the summer playing basketball on a street court for the Running Rebels in a hardscrabble neighborhood. But a summer of fast, high-scoring play ends with Griffin running home, frightened by violence in the street. Griffin makes his school team and persuades a Running Rebels teammate to apply for a basketball scholarship. Opposing ideas of how basketball should be played emerge. How can Griffin convince Coach and the rest of his team that they need to play run-and-gun basketball to win? Can he bring together his schoolmates and his friends from Regent Park?"--Provided by publisher.

"Set in Toronto, Hoopers is about a Black youth who wants to live the basketball dream of fame and acclaim. Jojo and his friends know that once they make the Squad, their high-school team, they will have the time of their lives. But their no-nonsense coach is strict, even mean, and seems to repeatedly target Jojo. Emphasizing the real qualities of hard work and dedication, Hoopers shows how Jojo learns how to be a skilled player and leader for his team--a real Hooper"--OCLC.

"Thirteen-year-old Nigel is teased and belittled at home because of his weight, so an opposing player's trash talk enrages him and he vows revenge. When his enemy becomes a teammate, Nigel plots to make him look bad and get him off the team. As Nigel finds out more about his rival, he not only learns empathy but comes to a new perspective on himself and acceptance of his body shape"--OCLC.