Cochrane, Mick. The Girl Who Threw Butterflies.
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, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.
Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat.
Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother
becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and
running partner) becomes distant.
Day, Karen. No Cream Puffs.
In 1980, when twelve-year-old Madison, who loves to play baseball, decides
to play in her town's baseball league, she never envisions the uproar it
causes when she becomes the first girl to join.
Fitzgerald, Dawn. Soccer Chick Rules.
While trying to focus on a winning soccer season, thirteen-year-old Tess becomes
involved in local politics when she learns that all sports programs at her
school will be stopped unless a tax levy is passed.
Levy, Elizabeth. Tackling Dad.
When Cassie tries out for the middle school football team, she faces unexpected
opposition from her father, a former professional football player.
Lupica, Mike. Miracle on 49th Street.
After her mother's death, twelve-year-old Molly learns that her father is a
basketball star for the Boston Celtics.
Roberts, Kristi. My Thirteenth Season.
Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's overwhelming
grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream of becoming the
first female in professional baseball after a coach attacks her just for
being a girl.
Van Draanen, Wendelin. The Running Dream.
When a school bus accident leaves sixteen-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again.
Voigt, Cynthia. The Runner.
As a dedicated runner, a teenage boy has always managed to distance himself
from other people until the experience of coaching one of his teammates on
the track team gradually helps him see the value of giving and receiving.
Wiles, Debroah. The Aurora County All-Stars.
For most boys in a small Mississippi town, the biggest concern one hot summer
is whether their annual July 4th baseball game will be cancelled due to their
county's anniversary pageant, but after the death of the old man to whom
twelve-year-old star pitcher House Jackson has been secretly reading for
a year, House uncovers secrets about the man and the history of baseball
in Aurora County that could fix everything.
Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Bat 6.
In small town, post-World War II Oregon, twenty-one 6th grade girls recount
the story of an annual softball game, during which one girl's bigotry comes
to the surface.