Reading: 运动小说 Sports Fiction

There is no doubt about it - the Heath children have tennis in their blood. Their grandfather and father before them had been top players, and the twins are champion material. Then Nicky - cheeky, rebellious Nicky - starts to practice in secret, but talented at tennis as she is, the ambitious Nicky first has battles to win with herself - on and off the tennis court.

Luis "Lucky" Martinez is the new kid on River Valley Junior High's JV soccer team. But his goalie skills aren't the only thing being tested. When a school talent show opens for auditions, Luis will find out if he's inherited his abuela's musical skills. Can Luis juggle both, or will he have to choose which of his passions to save: soccer or music?

Riley feels like the smallest kid at sports camp. In fact, he is. He just turned eleven in April, but most kids here are twelve, and a few are even thirteen--and gigantic. It's hard enough for a shrimp like Riley to fit in. He just doesn't want to be the weak link as his bunk competes for the Camp Olympia Trophy. Riley knows he's no good at strength and accuracy games like basketball and softball. But when it comes to speed and endurance events, like running and swimming, he's better than he looks. He's pretty sure he can place in the top ten--and bring in major trophy points--in the final mile-long swim race across Lake Surprise. But he doesn't count on being followed by the shadow of Big Joe, the giant vicious snapping turtle of camp lore. Wasn't that supposed to be a legend?

The Borderlands team has made it to the World Champhionships in New Zealand, but the strain of divisions within the squad and worry for their Forces parents' safety have the boys well and truly rattled. Can they pull it together and bring the trophy home?

As an eighth grader, Suzy has just joined the high school gymnastics team, so she is crushed when she gets injured and can't practice or compete. Meanwhile her mother wishes she wouldn't participate in gymnastics and would focus her efforts on her piano playing instead. Facing pressures from her team, her coach, and her mother, Suzy has to take charge of her own destiny. Can she make a comeback in time to help her team defeat its biggest rival?

Luc Waldon always figured he knew what his passion was: football. He lives it, he breathes it--and he thinks he has what it takes to go all the way to the NFL. So when his football coach orders him to sign up for contemporary-dance classes to improve his game, Luc's less than thrilled. When he realizes that dance might actually be his true passion, he faces a tough decision. Is he willing to leave behind the field and a real shot at professional sports, and disappoint his parents, his coach and his teammates, in order to pursue a new dream?

This coming of age story follows a boy from a tower block as he joins a premier league football academy. When Jackson's granddad is taken to hospital, Jackson's football suffers. When he looses his temper on the pitch, he puts his position on United's team at risk. Join Jackson as he struggles with the trials of football and family.

How magical is the experience of attending your very first baseball game and hearing the crack of the bat resound throughout the stadium? What?s more terrifying than being out in left field praying the ball doesn?t come your way? Who better are the friends you make while playing out on that diamond? Here are ten fictional stories that celebrate all aspects of the game of baseball. Baseball Crazy is a diverse collection that will hit a home run with all fans of the sport, from the most loyal old-timers to the newest rookies. Batter up! Stories by- Paul Acampora Joseph Bruchac Sue Corbett Ron Koertge Frank Portman David Rice John H. Ritter Charles R. Smith Jr. Jerry Spinelli Maria Testa

Thirteen-year-old Savvy's three-point shot is deadly. But she gets pushed around on the basketball court. Her older sister, Callie, is on varsity cheerleading, but she's not light enough to be a flier - her coveted position. Both girls need to boost their level of competition to get into the action. How far are they willing to go to be the best?

In his latest graphic novel, Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.Gene doesn't get sports. But at Bishop O'Dowd High School, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity basketball team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons' lives, but his own life as well.

After a young swimmer's dreams come to a screeching halt, she finds new, unlikely (boy) friends and a side of herself that she didn't know existed, in this hilarious YA debut. Louise Brown dreams of qualifying for the Olympics. Her swimming times are well above her fellow swimmers. And then she fails miserably. As in dead last. Lou doesn't really know who she is now. Her days at school are spent being ignored by her sister and teased by popular girls. Then Lou finds herself agreeing to coach three popular boys--one of whom she clicks with--who are training to compete as synchronized swimmers. Together the boys and Lou form a unique friendship (once they get past that whole ignoring-her-in-the-halls thing) and are hopeful that they can nab a chance at stardom. Comedian Nat Luurtsema has created a young adult novel that is both funny and deeply meaningful, a tale of what happens when everything you thought you ever wanted disappears, leaving you to find a way to keep your head above water.

Like the game of baseball, life is quirky and unpredictable, as Shane Hunter discovers in the spring of his sophomore year. Suddenly and without warning his life of privilege is turned upside down. And just as suddenly, life begins to seem utterly without fairness or purpose to him. Exciting, well-written sports scenes transport readers right into the stands while complex issues engage their hearts and minds. For here is a novel of loss, of morality, and of the rare, redemptive power of baseball. Can speaking the truth really determine lives? Just how does one accept, move on, and begin doing the right thing?

In the South American jungle a young boy meets and is coached by a mysterious, ghostly footballer. In time, he becomes a famous professional goalkeeper known as 'El Gato' - 'The Cat' - and wins the World Cup. 'Keeper' takes the form of a narrative as 'El Gato' relates these experiences to a sports journalist.

When tragedy strikes, Deo's love of soccer is all he has left. Can he use that gift to find hope once more? Just down the road from their families, Deo and his friends play soccer in the dusty fields of Zimbabwe, cheered on by Deo's older brother, Innocent. It is a day like any other ..until the soldiers arrive and Deo and Innocent are forced to run for their lives, fleeing the wreckage of their village for the distant promise of safe haven. Along the way, they face the prejudice and poverty that await refugees everywhere, and must rely on the kindness of people they meet to make it through. Relevant, timely, and accessibly written, Now Is the Time For Running is a staggering story of survival that follows Deo and his mentally handicapped older brother on a transformative journey that will stick with readers long after the last page.

"Nine all-stars in the field of YA lit contribute stories. . . . An anthology of stand-alone stories that invite -- no, demand -- a straight read-through." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Nine of YA literature's top writers, including Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Garcia, Adam Rapp, Joseph Bruchac, and Sharon Flake reveal how it all goes down in a searing collection of short stories, in which each one picks up where the previous one ends. Characters weave in and out of narratives, perspectives change, and emotions play out for a fluid and fast-paced ode to the game of street basketball. Crackling with humor, grit, and streetball philosophy, and featuring poems and photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr., this anthology is a slam dunk.

Tyler is a good, solid hockey player, but not a great one. That honor belongs to the obnoxious Riley, a sixteen-year-old spoiled superstar who makes Tyler's life miserable. When Tyler and Riley are sent to volunteer at a local youth program, Tyler finds the passion and commitment he needs to step up his game on ice--and off. Fry Reading Level: 3.8