Riot Recommendation

Riot Recommendation: What Are Some Great Middle Grade Sports Books?

María Cristina García Lynch

Staff Writer

María Cristina García lives in New York with her favorite spouse, her favorite toddler, her favorite cat, and her second-favorite cat. When not ranking members of her household, she's catching up on Supergirl, strumming her mandolin, or trying to beat the clock on her library loans. Twitter: @MeowyCristina Blog: MeowyCristina.com

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This Riot Recommendation of great middle grade sports books is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, publisher of Kwame Alexander’s Rebound.

From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, the prequel to his Newbery Award-winner, The Crossover. Before he’s Chuck “Da Man” Bell, proud father of Jordan and Josh Bell, Charlie is a kid who dreams of basketball glory. In his mind, he can steal, jump, dunk, and make the crowd go wild just like a pro-baller. But when tragedy strikes, Charlie can’t help but make all the wrong moves. Will a series of missteps keep him benched, or can he learn how to rebound?

Sports can be a thrilling subject. All the more so in middle grade, when the stakes of the big game are always high and every competition is a defining moment. We love losing ourselves in middle grade sports books, especially when we can read them along with the kids in our lives. So what are your favorites of the genre? Tell us in the comments below, and we’ll be back with a list for your fellow Riot readers!