MARCH MADNESS at the Children's Library

March's scorecard is a full one for sports fans. Every major team sport except football is going strong: spring training in baseball (will this be the year for the Cubs?), soccer season begins, the drive toward the playoffs for hockey and basketball, and of course, the college basketball tournaments.  Sports fiction is an ever popular subject for young readers.  Matt Christopher is the classic children's sports writer many of us grew up with, setting moral dilemmas  and personal challenges against a baseball backstop.  Older readers can enjoy a  mystery with sports writerJohn  Feinstein at the NCAA tournament, the US Open, and the Olympics.  Legendary sports figures such as Derek  Jeter, Tiki and Rondel Barber, Tim Green,  Alexandra Morgan and Kareem Abdul Jabbar have lent their names and personal life experiences  in upbeat stories.  Title IX enthusiasts, don’t fret, girls and young women get their time on the field or court, too.   In addition to the titles highlighted below, we have bookmarks at the circulation desk  and online.   So come out to the old ball game with us here at the Children’s Library!

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.  Multiple award winning novel in verse expresses  the joy and thrill of shooting hoops by fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan as they wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court even as their ex-professional star father ignores his declining health.

Soar by Joan Bauer.   Twelve year old Jeremiah is nothing if not resilient.  Loving all things baseball, he decides to become a coach when a heart operation prevents him from playing.   Moving to Hillcrest, Ohio, when his adoptive father accepts a temporary job, he revitalizes the local school team with his spirit and drive.  Great for fans of Wonder.

Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thirteen-year-old Tetsu and his family are sent to the Gila River Relocation Center in Arizona where a fellow prisoner starts a baseball team, but when Tetsu's sister becomes ill and he feels responsible, he stops playing.

Girl Who ThrewButterflies by Mick Cochrane.  Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, but helps in other aspects of her life as well.

Snowboarding on Monster Mountain  by Eve Bunting.  Callie tries to hide her extreme fear of heights on a snowboarding trip to Mammoth Mountain with best friend Jen, who Callie fears may prefer the friendship of new girl and skilled snowboarder Izzy.

Tennis Ace by Matt Christopher.  Steve and Ginny are frustrated because their father ignores her talent as a tennis player while pushing him harder and harder to win at the sport. 

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker.  Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever really mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year, then tries to hold onto his edge by using steroids, despite the consequences to his health and social life.  

Under the Baseball Moon by John Ritter.  Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player.

 The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica.  Taking up where Matt Christopher left off, Lupica writes emotionally deep stories with exciting action set among  various sports.  In his latest, "Teddy has been training all summer with his new friends Jack and Gus to make the new travel football team in Walton, but when his long-absent dad comes back to town and into his life he is faced with a much bigger challenge"(Publisher).  780Lexile  Gr 4+