Sochi 2014 has been a great time to watch women in sports. Take a look at our blog post about women to watch at Sochi.
Today we will share some of our favorite Olympic themed books.
Sugar and Ice - Middle Grade FictionFor Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's farm. But all that changes when Russian skating coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire realizes that her sweet dream come true has sharper edges than she could have imagined. Can she find the strength to stand up to the people who want to see her fail and the courage to decide which dream she wants to follow?
Gold Medal Winter - Middle Grade Fiction
Esperanza Flores's place on the United States Olympic figure skating team has come at the expense of an injured skater, so in addition to the pressure of sudden fame and outsized expectations Espi has to deal with the resentment of her teammates--and their efforts to sabotage her routine.
Getting in the Game - Middle Grade Fiction
Seventh grader Joanna Giordano wants to play ice hockey, but the only game in town is the boys' middle school team. Everyone tries to talk her out of playing--from the principal and the coach to the class bully, and even her best friend, Ben. With humor and a feisty spirit, Joanna fights for her place both on and off the ice.
Being Sloan Jabobs - YA Fiction
Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.
Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.
When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.
Hockey Girl - YA Fiction
Tara’s softball team has been challenged by the boys to put together a winning girls’ hockey team. The bet? Whichever team finishes lower in its respective division will have to wear cheerleading outfits (complete with skirts and pompoms) to the other team’s entire next season of home games! Tara and her Roadrunners are determined not to give the YYYs the satisfaction. But winning is going to be an uphill battle for the girls, especially in a hockey-crazed town that cares more about the boys’ Junior A team than anything else. So when the boys teams begin screaming for more ice-time, it’s the girls teams that get relegated to the graveyard times at the local rinks – if they’re lucky. To make matters worse, Tara discovers that the one boy who seems sympathetic to their cause (and super-cute, to boot) is the son of the ice-rink manager and their most belligerent opponent.What the Roadrunners need is some divine intervention which comes in the shape of Sister Helen, a former women’s ice hockey star and their new coach. Inspired to fight for their right to play, the girls launch a campaign to gain fair and equal ice time. Will the town rally behind the girls? And will the Roadrunners pull it together in time to finish ahead of the Hornets and save their dignity?
Want more? Here are book recommendations from other bloggers:
15 Olympic Themed Reads from One Savvy Mom!
Sports and the Olympics from Start with a Book
9 Books to Get in a Winter Olympics Mood from In Bed with Books
Olympic Actives:
Olympic Activities for Kids
Celebrate the Winter Olympics
These look great! I've only read Fire and Ice, and I really liked it. As a kid I read and reread "Ice Castles" a million times, and then later attempting triple axles at the skate rink. It wasn't pretty :) Thanks for the recommendations!
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