Summer is the season for recreational reading, outdoor activities, fun, sports, and, this year, the Summer Olympics. In The Horn Book Guide, there’s never a shortage of sports-themed books, from high-interest bait for reluctant readers to entertaining diversions for voracious ones. The following sports-books-done-right for upper-elementary and middle-grade readers are all recommended in recent or forthcoming issues of the Guide.

—Katrina Hedeen
Editorial Assistant, The Horn Book Guide

Fitzmaurice, Kathryn A Diamond in the Desert
258 pp. Viking 2012. ISBN 978-0-670-01292-3

Gr. 4–6 In 1942, Japanese American boy Tetsu attempts to find dignity and purpose while living within the humiliating confines of the Gila River Relocation Center. Helping build a baseball field in the inhospitable desert provides some emotional relief; playing the game well further eases his anger. Informed by real-life memories of Gila River’s baseball team members, this novel delves deeply and affectingly into the human condition. Reading list, websites.

Florian, Douglas Poem Runs: Baseball Poems and Paintings
32 pp. Harcourt 2012. ISBN 978-0-547-68838-1

Gr. K–3 Fifteen poems (sixteen if you count the back cover) center on a baseball team’s season. Each entry features Florian’s signature wit and brevity: “With greatest greed / I take my lead. / My greatest need / Is speed” (from “Base Stealer”). The poems are set against double-page spreads with summery mixed-media illustrations featuring rubber-limbed baseball players — both male and female.

Freitas, Donna Gold Medal Summer
232 pp. Scholastic/Levine 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-32788-6

Gr. 4–6 Top gymnast Joey loves her sport and can’t understand why her best friend would quit just to have a social life — or why Joey’s older sister quit after winning Nationals, or why their parents find competitions too stressful to watch. A former competitive gymnast, Freitas provides an absorbing look at the challenging but rewarding life of a thirteen-year-old athlete.

Gutman, Dan The Day Roy Riegels Ran the Wrong Way
32 pp. Bloomsbury 2011. ISBN 978-1-59990-494-8

Gr. K–3 Illustrated by Kerry Talbott. A grandfather narrates the true story of Roy Riegels, the football player who ran the wrong way and cost his team the 1929 Rose Bowl championship. Digitally enhanced illustrations reflect the juxtaposition of past and present as Grandpa’s story alternates with an old-time radio announcer’s call of the game. An author’s note reveals how “Wrong-Way Riegels” moved on from his famous mistake.

Lang, Heather Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion
40 pp. Boyds 2012. ISBN 978-1-59078-850-9

Gr. 4–6 Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g., Coachman’s dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper’s grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text. Websites. Bib.

Lupica, Mike Game Changers
207 pp. Scholastic 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-44315-9

Gr. 4–6 Talented, tough eleven-year-old Pop Warner football player Ben dreams of being quarterback of his team — but he’s short. As the season wears on and quarterback Shawn (the coach’s son) flounders, Ben proves he’s ultimately the right guy for the position. This story of football, friendship, and learning to be true to oneself is full of satisfying sports details.

Macy, Sue Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women’s Hoops on the Map
32 pp. Holiday 2011. ISBN 978-0-8234-2163-3

Gr. K–3 Illustrated by Matt Collins. Macy recounts the first women’s intercollegiate basketball game, played in 1896, through the eyes (and invented dialogue) of Stanford guard Agnes Morley. After an exciting game, Agnes concludes that “a lady can be tough and strong as well as refined and polite,” a view confirmed by the rough-and-tumble illustrations done in a rather sedate palette. An author’s note is appended. Reading list, timeline.

Nash, Ogden Lineup for Yesterday
56 pp. Creative Editions 2011. ISBN 978-1-56846-212-7

Gr. 4–6 Illustrated by C. F. Payne. Handsome, expansive portraits accompany Nash’s incisive alphabetic verse about nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century baseball stars (first published in SPORT magazine in 1949). Nash’s daughter, Linell Nash Smith, contributes thumbnail biographies of each player to round out the proceedings. A witty, informative, and attractively packaged volume. Websites.

Savage, Jeff Top 25 Gymnastics Skills, Tips, and Tricks
48 pp. Enslow 2011. LE ISBN 978-0-7660-3868-4

Savage, Jeff Top 25 Hockey Skills, Tips, and Tricks
48 pp. Enslow 2011. LE ISBN 978-0-7660-3869-1

Savage, Jeff Top 25 Soccer Skills, Tips, and Tricks
48 pp. Enslow 2011. LE ISBN 978-0-7660-3860-8

Torres, John Albert Top 25 Football Skills, Tips, and Tricks
48 pp. Enslow 2011. LE ISBN 978-0-7660-3858-5

Gr. 4–6 Top 25 Sports Skills, Tips, and Tricks series. Each title presents sport-specific skills, drills, and techniques, including the proper mechanics of passing, shooting, and scoring, as well as defensive strategies and game rules. “Pro Tips and Tricks,” mainly work-ethic quotes from such pros as Tom Brady and Mary Lou Retton, are scattered throughout the texts. Instructive action photographs include both professional athletes and kids at play. There are two other fall 2011 titles in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

From the July/August 2012 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. These reviews are from The Horn Book Guide and The Horn Book Guide Online. For information about subscribing to the Guide and the Guide Online, click here.