On Your Mark, Get Set . . . READ! Sports Stories

Looking for books to fit this summer's reading theme for sports?  Here are some great sports chapter books for kids . . . .

Guys Read: The Sports Pages edited by Jon Scieszka
A collection of sports stories featuring everything from fighting to friendship, set everywhere from the tennis court to the hockey rink.

Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin
When twelve-year-old Arcady is sent to a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state in Soviet Russia, soccer becomes a way to secure extra rations, respect, and protection but it may also be his way out if he can believe in and love another person--and himself.

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
Fourteen-year-old Eleanor "Peewee" McGrath, a tomboy and automobile racing enthusiast, discovers new possibilities for her future after the 1914 arrival in her small Indiana town of four young librarians.

Hoop Girlz by Lucy Bledsoe
When ten-year-old River, who is crazy about basketball, is not chosen to play in the tournament set up in the town of Azalea, Oregon, she decides to organize a team of her own and accepts the help of her older brother.

Sports Camp by Rich Wallace
Eleven-year-old Riley Liston tries to fit in at Camp Olympia, a summer sports camp where he is one of the youngest boys.


More Sports Stories --
Below by Megan McKinlay
Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner
The Desperado Who Stole Baseball by John Ritter
Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
MadCat by Kathy Mackel
Morgy Coast to Coast by Maggie Lewis
The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco by Janice Repka
Tackling Dad by Elizabeth Levy
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through July 15, 2016.

A Trip Around the World

I have found myself this past week really dreaming about going on a trip . . . somewhere . . . anywhere.  So I decided to share some great books that will take us around the world.

Caddy's World by Hilary McKay (England)
Twelve-year-old Caddy's world turns upside down when her father, Bill, temporarily becomes a stay at home "mom" and her best friends since kindergarten, Ali, Beth, and Ruby, begin to move in different directions.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin (Soviet Union)
In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs.

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (Korea)
With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.

Truth and Salsa by Linda Lowery (Mexico)
Having moved temporarily from Michigan to live with her grandmother in Mexico, twelve-year-old Hayley tries to sort out her feelings about her parents' separation while also helping some townsmen who have run into trouble while working in the United States.

Nicholas by Goscinny (France)
Presents a collection of nineteen short stories about the adventures of a young school boy, Nicholas, and his friends who always seem to end up in trouble.