Instructions Prizes Booklist

Kids – Recommended for grades K – 5

Need some ideas for what to read? Check out these recommendations:

Fiction

[cover] Red Zone
by Tiki Barber

Identical twins Ronde and Tiki Barber's excitement over the approaching state championship football game turns to worry when there is a chicken pox outbreak at Hidden Valley Junior High.

[cover] Rainbow Magic (Series), The Sports Fairies
by Daisy Meadows

The Rainbow Magic series includes many sports fairies. This popular series for young readers will introduce to fairies like Zoe The Skating Fairy and Samantha the Swimming Fairy.

[cover] Breakaway
by Andrea Montalbano

When seventh-grade soccer star LJ befriends Tabitha, who could not be more different from her, LJ learns to curb her competitive nature, which has been slowly alienating her friends.

[cover] Wall Ball
by Kevin Markey

As the boys of the Rambletown Rounders get ready for another baseball season, spring training is taking place in the snowiest weather Rambletown has ever seen.

[cover] 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.

[cover] Kickers: The Ball Hogs
by Rich Wallace

Nine-year-old Ben, a natural athlete and member of the Bobcats co-ed soccer team, wants to overcome his inexperience and prove himself on the field, but his obnoxious teammate, Mark, keeps hogging the ball. This is the first book of the series.

[cover] Safe at Home
by Mike Lupica

Playing baseball was the one thing that made twelve-year-old Nick Crandall feel at home until he found acceptance with adoptive parents, but he faces a new struggle to fit in when he becomes the first seventh-grader ever to make the varsity baseball team.

[cover] The Desperado Who Stole Baseball
by John Ritter

In 1881, the scrappy, rough-and-tumble baseball team in a California mining town enlists the help of a quick-witted twelve-year-old orphan and the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid to win a big game against the National League Champion Chicago White Stockings.

[cover] Players in Pigtails
by Shana Corey

Katie Casey, a fictional character, helps start the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which gave women the opportunity to play professional baseball while America was involved in World War II.

[cover] The Big Time: a Football Genius Novel
by Tim Green

Twelve-year-old Troy always dreamed of meeting his father, but when the man finally appears his mother's anger, his father's shady business dealings, and Troy's own feelings make the reunion difficult and confusing.

[cover] Football Champ
by Tim Green

Twelve-year-old Troy's uncanny gift for predicting football plays proves a powerful secret weapon for the Atlanta Falcons, but a seedy reporter with a vendetta suspects something is going on and sets out to shred the reputations of Troy and star linebacker Seth Halloway.

[cover] Shoot-Out
by Mike Lupica

Twelve-year-old Jake must leave his championship soccer team to play on a team with a losing record when his family moves to a neighboring town.

[cover] Bravo, Mia!
by Laurence Yep

Mia's chances of skating in regionals are threatened by a family crisis, but she determines to face the possibility that she won't get to compete with determination and grace.

[cover] Basketball (or something like it)
by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Hank, Nathan, Jeremy, and Anabel deal with the realities of middle school basketball, including family pressure, a series of coaches with very different personalities and agendas, and what it means to be a team--and a friend.

[cover] Cheerleading Really is a Sport
by Julie Gassman

Alicia's brother Danny and his friends are always putting down cheerleading, but she is determined to change their minds.

[cover] Three Cheers for-Who?
by Nancy Krulik

When Katie's interest in cheerleading and Suzanne's jealousy threaten to cause a full-fledged spirit war to break out in class 4A, the magic wind switches Katie into the body of a real cheerleader.

[cover] Accidental Cheerleader
by Mimi McCoy

Sophie and her best friend, Kylie, are the perfect team. But when Kylie signs them both up for cheerleading tryouts, it's Sophie who lands in the spotlight -- and Kylie ends up on the sidelines.

Non-Fiction

[cover] 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
by Len Berman

Who are the greatest baseball players of all time? Are there any Cincinnati Reds on the list? Short Bios and wonderful pictures highlight each player’s accomplishments.

[cover] Story of the Cincinnati Bengals
by Sara Gilbert

Provides an overview of the history of the Cincinnati Bengals professional football team, from its first season in 1968 to the beginning of the twenty-first century, spotlighting the team's significant players and moments

[cover] Cincinnati Reds
by Mark Stewart

Presents the history, accomplishments and key personalities of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Includes timelines, quotes, maps, glossary and websites.

[cover] Sports: From Ancient Olympics to the Super Bowl
by Liz Miles

This book follows the development of sports through the centuries, from ancient times to today.

[cover] Good sports: rhymes about running, jumping, throwing, and more
by Jack Prelutsky

Exhilarating, all-new, kid-friendly rhymes capture the range of emotions, from winning to losing to the sheer joy of participating, that children experience as they discover the games of their choice.

[cover] Kids’ Guide to Classic Games
by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt

Bored, learn the rules for games such as ping-pong soccer and rock, paper scissors. This book is sure to keep the summer fun for all!