Sunday, December 13, 2015

Dreaming of Books: Sports

More sports series featuring boys AND girls for beginning readers. So far as I know, there are no beginning chapter books featuring girls actually playing sports like soccer, basketball, etc. (bonus if they are diverse!). I hear Random House is planning a series in this vein for, possibly, 2016.
  • Jake Maddox circulates well and has a certain amount of racial diversity, but it's a little too hard for some of my readers plus almost all the girls are featured in sparkly pink and mostly in gymnastics, dance, as cheerleaders, etc., not team sports.
  • Ballpark Mysteries by David Adler has both a boy and girl main character, but it's more a mystery series than a sports series.
Middle grade (the older end toward middle school) GIRLS playing team sports. I have specific requests for books about girls playing football and softball. The girls asking for these are often reluctant readers and they want upbeat, fast-paced books that focus on their favorite sports. There are a few things, but I want MORE.
  • Dairy Queen (for the older girls)
  • Bat 6 (which I have to sell harder because it's historical fiction and the cover isn't appealing)
  • Gold Medal Summer/Gold Medal Winter (although this is Olympics, not team sports)
  • Kicks is great for the younger middle grade readers - more like this featuring different sports and for middle school please!

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