10 Aggressive and Emotional Books For Teens About Athletes

YA Books About Sports: Our 10 Picks

Fun Activities For Athletic Teens

• Find a nearby roller rink
• Get some fresh air on a hike
• Go for a swim at the local pool
• Spend an evening bowling with friends
• Try a more unusual sport, like archery
• Sign up for a yoga class

8 Great Movies About Sports

1. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
2. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
3. Invictus (2009)
4. Concussion (2015)
5. Field of Dreams (1989)
6. Miracle (2004)
7. Rocky (1976)
8. The Karate Kid (2010)

Equipment Every Fitness Enthusiast Should Have

• Headphones so you can listen to music or podcasts during your workout
• With a workout journal you can write down your goals and track your progress
• A headband to keep sweat out of your eyes
• Keep yourself and your equipment nice & dry with a workout towel
• If you're into technology, a fitness tracker can help you train by keeping you aware of your personal stats
• A good bag to carry all of your things to the gym & back in

The Benefits of Playing Sports

In Depth

The world of high school sports is full of drama and emotion, as it can be the setting for a young person's greatest triumphs and most crushing defeats. Many teenagers find themselves through athletics, whether it's on a field of competition or in the outdoors. Here we present, in no particular order, ten reads that feature athletes pushing themselves to the limit.

For #1 we have "Shredded" by Karen Avivi. Intent on competing in the ultimate B.M.X. freestyle competition, Josie Peters heads out to the Midwest with her friends over the summer to take part in the qualifying events. She finds herself in an adrenaline-filled world of parties, daunting courses, and rivalries that threaten to cause rifts in her friend group. To make matters more complicated, a relationship with hotshot rider R.T. Torres puts Josie's success in limbo, forcing her to question what it is she's really racing for.

At #2 is "Beautiful Country" by J.R. Thornton. Still reeling from the loss of his older brother, fourteen-year-old American tennis prodigy Chase Robertson comes to Beijing to train with the city's national junior team. Despite his athletic experience, nothing can prepare him for the dog-eat-dog Chinese sports culture, in which kids commit their childhoods to playing as professional athletes. Chase discovers the potential consequences of this world when a teammate asks for his help, and he must make a difficult moral decision.

Chase discovers the potential consequences of this world when a teammate asks for his help, and he must make a difficult moral decision.

For #3 we get "The Art of Holding On and Letting Go" by Kristin Bartley Lenz. Cara Jenkins is a competitive climber and nomad, a passionate lover of the outdoors who is most comfortable hanging from the sides of cliffs. But after she and her parents experience a calamity while mountaineering in Ecuador, Cara travels to the concrete suburbs of Detroit to recover at her grandparents' home. Starting fresh, she learns new things about herself, finding strength and romance in unexpected places.

Showing up at #4 is "Just One of the Boys" by Leah and Kate Rooper. Top-ranked junior hockey team the Chicago Falcons refuses to admit girls, which irritates Alice Bell, whose only mission in life is to make it onto the team. To do so, she pretends to be her own twin brother, but the ruse is fraught with more difficulties than she had anticipated. When Alice ends up falling for star player Hayden Tremblay, she finds herself struggling to keep her identity hidden.

For #5 we find "The Harper Effect" by Taryn Bashford. Feeling dejected after being axed from her tennis team, sixteen-year-old Harper finds solace in childhood friend Jacob, who is also her sister's ex-boyfriend. She must keep their meetings a secret if she is to avoid her sister's wrath. Harper is eventually recruited by a new coach, but she runs into further trouble when she develops feelings for Colt, the sulky young phenomenon she trains alongside. Caught between two tricky crushes and a sport that requires her all, Harper will need to decide what she values most.

Feeling dejected after being axed from her tennis team, sixteen-year-old Harper finds solace in childhood friend Jacob, who is also her sister's ex-boyfriend.

Coming in at #6 is "What Remains" by Helene Dunbar. In this tearjerking book, high school athlete Cal Ryan's life is thrown into chaos when he's involved in a car accident with his friends Spencer and Lizzie. Spencer emerges with only scratches, but Lizzie is killed. Cal, who needs a heart transplant, receives Lizzie's heart, and begins to hear her voice in his head. Working through his trauma over the incident, and coping with the fact that he can no longer play baseball, Cal starts the slow process of recovery.

For #7 we have "A Game Worth Watching" by Samantha Gudger. While others worry about getting into elite colleges, seventeen-year-old tomboy Emma, who's been told her whole life that she isn't smart enough, just wants to enjoy her senior year by shooting hoops with the boys. But when the school basketball coach recruits her onto the girls' team, she's thrust into a totally new world. Will the young woman who's always been at home with the guys be able to find her place in this new group?

Arriving at #8 is "Unstoppable" by Tim Green. Stuck in a system of frequently abusive foster homes, Harrison realizes his dream of becoming an N.F.L. player is improbable. The odds seem to get better, however, when he is taken to a home with very compassionate and supportive parents. Trained by his new football coach dad, Harrison becomes a star on the junior high team, but his resilience is tested when, after suffering an injury, he receives a crushing diagnosis.

Trained by his new football coach dad, Harrison becomes a star on the junior high team, but his resilience is tested when, after suffering an injury, he receives a crushing diagnosis.

For #9 we get "The Boy Next Door" by Katie Van Ark. Maddy has long had feelings for her neighbor and figure skating partner, Gabe. The only problem is that Gabe sees Maddy more as a sister, and he's not going to let love get in the way of their promising competition prospects. When their coach assigns them a new program that emphasizes romance, however, their relationship on the ice could very well transform their relationship off of it.

Finally, at #10 is "Hooper" by Geoff Herbach. Polish immigrant Adam Reed is now living in Minnesota with his adoptive mom, enjoying his status as a rising star on the high school basketball team. But although the sport seems to be his key to happiness and success, a host of obstacles, including bullying and racism, come to stand in the way. Struggling to adapt to American culture, Adam will learn a lot about family, friendship, and injustice as he tries to maintain his athletic career.