I have to apologize for these terrible photos, but I only recently upgraded to a phone with a decent camera, and I don't have the steadiest hand. Anyway, this is my daughter, Madison, and my nephew, Bryce, at their very first NFL game.
We live in Atlanta, so it's a Falcons game, but we're from Minnesota (well, sort of) so we're Vikings fans. It was a pretty good game, but that's not really my point.
The point I want to make, is that I think sports, whether professional, collegiate, intramural, or just community organized, are a great way for kids to get exposed to many important things in life. Things like teamwork, respect, sportsmanship, pushing ourselves to succeed in spite of pain and/or fatigue. There are a lot of great lessons to be had from sports.
And the great thing is that sports, especially if the kids are participating, but even if they're just watching a game, don't beat you over the head with those lessons like ... some other venues for education.
I love that sports give kids an opportunity to learn things for themselves, without someone having to tell them anything. Showing is always better, right?
So anyway, after the game, it got me to thinking: what are some great young adult and middle grade books about or with sports in them, that maybe aren't exactly sports books?
I suppose I'm not the most widely read when it comes to these kind of books, but I couldn't think of many, so I figured I'd come to you guys. I mean I really enjoyed My Dog Skip (both the book and the film) and I suppose there is some mention of sports in both, but it's not really the kind of book I'm thinking of. The film The Sandlot would be a great example, but I don't think that story is also a novel, or at least I've never read it.
I did find a decent list, which you can read: here, but I was hoping our wonderful Project Mayhem readers would be able to recommend some books they'd actually read. Do any of you have a young adult or middle grave novel you can recommend that has sports in it?
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Here's one more photo, just for fun:
Sorry Matt. I haven't read any sports novels. But I do agree that sports, especially participating in them, is an incredible learning experience for kids.
ReplyDeleteMatt Christopher writes a whole bunch of sports books for elementary boys. My son has read most all of them. But those are more sports books.
ReplyDeleteAnd then the author of Dairy Queen - that's about a girl playing football (totally blanking on the author's name.) That's def. more about the character and her journey. That's all I can think of.
Hmm... interesting question. I used to love YA books with a sport element. There was a ballet series I read, and a figure skating one... of course, I can't remember the name of them now!
ReplyDeleteA sports book that's not really a sports book: No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.
ReplyDeleteThe "star" football player can't participate in practices or games while he's on detention - and he's not getting off detention any time soon, because he believes he's right and his teacher is wrong and he says so repeatedly. While he's on detention, he gets dragged to the teacher's play rehearsals, where he learns more about teamwork than he ever learned on the football field.
Plus, there's a mystery, a tiny hint of romance, and it's laugh-out-loud, fall-out-of-your-seat funny. I read this one out loud at the beginning of every school year.
Go read it. NOW. I'll wait .... foot tapping ...
Great post, Matt. I haven't read any sports novels, and think my sons would enjoy them. I will do a Google search for them...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, No More Dead Dogs is set in middle school, with seventh and eighth graders and is targeted for middle grade readers. :) It's a big hit with fifth graders.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more, Matt. As you already know, my four kids are involved in many sports. Over the years, I've been able to use many of their experiences on the ice or the field as teaching opportunities. The funniest part is that sometimes they've taught themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteMike Lupica writes middle grade novels with sports elements. I'll confess I haven't read any of them. I was the kid in P.E. who always stood in the backfield during baseball games praying no one would hit a ball hard enough to reach me.
ReplyDeleteKate Messner's SUGAR AND ICE is a middle grade about ice skating (on my TBR list)
Nice post, Matt. Some YA novels I've read that have a sports element to them:
ReplyDeleteWrestling Sturbridge and Check (I think) by Rich Wallace--Check is a novel set at a Chess tournament.
Deadline and Iron Man by Chris Crutcher
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Rat by Jan Cheripko
Pinned by Alfred Martino (I thiink his first name is Alfred but I'm not quite sure.)
Night Hoops (I think) by Carl Deuker--this is MG if I remember correctly.
Deuker also wrote Gym Candy--that is definitely YA
Anyway, I enjoyed all of these books....I'm sure there's more that I just can't remember right now. :-)
VERY cool! We keep getting offered Colts tix (surprised?), but I think the girls are still to little for a full game... They DO watch LSU with me, but they don't have much choice. ;p
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, though, on the lessons of sports. Never read "My Dog Skip," but I liked the movie! Great post! :o) <3
I don't have anything to offer, wish I did. I do think sports have their place but not at the expense of academics.
ReplyDeleteMinnesota? I thought Seattle!
ReplyDeleteWar and Watermelon by Rich Wallace is a Cybils nominee this year. Weaves football in with Woodstck and the Vietnam War. And a smushed up watermelon. I enjoyed it.
Always love your insight, but I don't have an answer. Love the photos too.
ReplyDeleteI'll second DAIRY QUEEN and TANGERINE - both great books. Also, I absolutely adored SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner which is about figure skating and her previous novel, THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z, is about a girl who runs track.
ReplyDeleteErm... Enid Bagnold's National Velvet? Is that too erm.. old for some?!!?
ReplyDeleteTake care
x
You mean besides Quidditch? :-)
ReplyDeleteGary Paulsen wrote about the Iditarod in Woodsong.
Also, that list mentioned one by Chris Crutcher, but he's written several about sports, including running, cycling, baseball, football, triathalons, and martial arts. He even wrote a collection of stories called Athletic Shorts.
*Might* not be what you're after (definitely on the older, darker end), but Joshua Cohen's Leverage (football and gymnastics), Barry Lyga's Boy Toy (baseball) and Heidi Ayarbe's Compulsion (soccer) all contain an extensive amount of sport in highly dramatic stories.
ReplyDeleteYes, all of Mike Lupica's books would fit. I agree with your opinion about sports, at least for the most part. It's unfortunate though that by the time kids get into the middle grades of junior high, all that emphasis shifts to performance. If the average child hasn't become a superstar athlete by high school, those opportunities to play sports dry up. So then the lesson becomes something else entirely. And I won't even get into how affects applying to college.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any YA or MG books ... or books at all, for that matter, about sport. But I'm not a big fan of sport. Having said that, one of my most favorite films is about sport: A League of Their Own. A real feel-good movie. Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteMichael Chabon's Summerland features baseball (and saving the world).
ReplyDeleteGosh dude. It's been way too long for me to remember. What was that one.....nah...crap, can't remember. Sports are good for kids though. You're right. Except those teams where every kid gets a ribbon. Everyone wins. That doesn't teach them anything about real life.
ReplyDeleteIt's been way too many years since I read a kid's book!
ReplyDeleteSo, how much do Falcon tickets cost?
I learn a lot from the Vikings every week this season. Awesome that you got to go to a game even if they didn't win.
ReplyDeleteMudville by Kurtis Scaletta- baseball
Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes- a story about family with a small touch of baseball.
Al Capone Does My Shirts- there's a little bit of baseball in this book too
Swim the Fly- swimming
Also some of Chris Crutcher's books
Hmm, I was going to suggest Matt Christopher or Mike Lupica but both have been mentioned. Sorry I can't help you out, Matt. Nice pics!
ReplyDeleteMost of the ones I can think of have been mentioned. I'd add Maniac Magee even though it's not 'about' sports either :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed PERFECTED BY GIRLS by Alfred C. Martino. It's about a high school girl wrestler.
ReplyDeleteQuidditch would be an awesome sport. Truly I think the Harry Potter books are the only ones that come to mind that I've read.
ReplyDeleteThese are really sports novels but the sport isn't the point of the book in any way - it is an etension or vehicle for a story of growth and coming of age. I haven't read The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow but it sounds terriffic (historical about 14 year old jewish kid who boxes in WWI Germany...). And how about Robert Lipsyte's great boxing novels The Contender The Warrior and the Brave, baseball novels like Center Field, Raiders NIght - football, and Yellow Flag - NASCAR - all YA and 15 and up. He's interesting because he writes about protagonists with different race/ethnicity also.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Matt!
I loved the fencing in OPEN WOUNDS by Joe Lunievicz, but it trends more "YA". MEXICAN WHITEBOY is on my to read list, by Matt de la Pena, and I know baseball is involved...
ReplyDeleteA book that I love that's about kids making their own choices--about independence and free will--is John Ritter's CHOOSING UP SIDES. It involves baseball, and some kids will pick it up thinking that's the main push, but it's about so much more. High recommended.
ReplyDeleteTim Green is supposed to have some great sports books. I bought one for my son, but I can't find it! Will find it and read it. The one I bought was an mg about baseball. He has many though.
ReplyDeleteKeri Mikulski has fun sporty YA love stories for girls.
I will be working on a story after this ms is done (I already have it plotted out), and running in the background is the "never give up" theme of the Red Sox season in '04.
ReplyDeleteBut I totally know what you mean by smacking you on the head with lessons, and you're right, that's one thing that's great about sports, both playing them and following a team. Though I do find for my kids, playing seems to get the message through to them better.
Great idea for a post!
The lovely Kathryn Fitzmaurice has a novel about baseball in a Japanese internment camp coming out in February called A DIAMOND IN THE DUST.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I forgot to mention: Open Wounds, by Joe Lunievicz. It's probably a little mature for some MG readers, but it would be excellent for boys mature enough for a little tragedy. It's a great historical YA novel, which is full of moments about a great sport: fencing.
ReplyDeletewow, you know, i can't even think of a single one. Of course, i wasn't well read in YA and MG when i was young, and now i read mostly sci-fi and fantasy, so that's not surprising.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are only barely acceptable. Considering that my opinion is the most valuable you shall have today, I suggest you up your game.
ReplyDeleteLOVE that little girl!!!
ReplyDeleteum...huh...I don't know, so I guess you should write one already!
NFL is cool, I've never seen a live game, but used to watch Monday Night Football when we lived in Colorado, when Broncos won two Superbowls, and John Elway was king of the QBs.
ReplyDeleteBooks with sports; what comes to my mind is Hotel New Hampshire (wrestling) and Prayer for Owen Meany (some bizzare baseball) by John Irving. Recently there's a new biography about the excentric AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Christmas present for my kids >:)
Cold As Heaven
Matt, I'm old...really old...but I remember that movie "Bryan's Song" and it had such a wonderful story behind it...see if it was a book...good lessons!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteThe Tapestry series by Henry Neff have some interesting athletic activities in them--kind of like quidditch, but not. :-)
ReplyDeleteHas anyone mentioned Tim Green?? He's just awesome! Several middle-grade sports books out there such as Football Genius and The Big Time. He's a former NFL star too! Check him out for sure, if you're interested in this genre AND these books are not just for boys!! ;)
ReplyDelete