Sporty Girl Books Coming in 2017

There are some awesome Sporty Girl Books coming out in 2017. If you know of any more, please add them in the comments! To make them easy for you to add to your TBR list, here is a link to all of these books on Goodreads Listopia. 

February

You Throw Like a Girl by Rachele Alpine

Release Date: February 14, 2016

Gabby's summer vacation isn't shaping up to be that great. Her dad was just deployed overseas, and Gabby is staying at her grandmother's house with her mom and baby sister until he returns. The one bright spot is that Gaby plans to sign up for the local softball league her greatest love and a passion she shares with her Dad who was a pitcher in college. But when Gabby goes to sign up for the summer league, she discovers that there wasn't enough interest to justify a girl's team this year. And to top it off, a horrible miscommunication ends with Gabby signed up to participate in the Miss Popcorn Festival the annual pageant that Gabby's mom dominated when she was younger. Besides not having any interest in the pageant life, Gabby made a promise to her dad that she would play softball for the summer. Since her pitching skills rival any boy her age, Gabby creates a master plan: disguise herself as a boy and sign up for the boy's baseball team instead and try to win the pageant to make Mom happy. Can Gabby juggle perfecting her pageant walk and perfecting her fastball? Or will this plan strike out?

A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins

Release Date: February 28, 2017

Garland, Derby, and Triple Clark spend each season traveling highways and byways in their Rambler until summer, when small-town Ridge Creek, Virginia, calls them back. There they settle in, selling burgers and fries out of Garland's Grill after each game the Rockskippers play in their battered minor-league baseball stadium. Derby's summer traditions bring her closer than she's ever been to a real home that isn't on wheels, but this time, her return to Ridge Creek reveals unwelcome news. Now the person Derby loves most in town needs her help and yet finding a way to do so may uncover deeply held stories and secrets.

March

The Perfect Trip by Stacy Barnett Mozer

Release Date: March 24, 2017

Sam Barrette's life is finally going in the right direction. She's made the boys' travel baseball team, her friendship with Mike is turning into something more, and she's even connected with her stepmother. But a cross-country family camping trip filled with secrets and surprises challenges everything she thought she knew about what the future will hold. To save her dreams, Sam must find a way to fix her perfect trip.

(Note - this book is by one of our sporty girl book bloggers!)

April

The Football Girl by Thatcher Heldring

Release Date: April 4, 2017

The summer before Caleb and Tessa enter high school, friendship has blossomed into a relationship . . . and their playful sports days are coming to an end. Caleb is getting ready to try out for the football team, and Tessa is training for cross-country. But all their structured plans derail in the final flag game when they lose. Tessa doesn t want to end her career as a loser. She really enjoys playing, and if she's being honest, she likes it even more than running cross-country. So what if she decided to play football instead? What would happen between her and Caleb? Or between her two best friends, who are counting on her to try out for cross-country with them? And will her parents be upset that she's decided to take her hobby to the next level? This summer Caleb and Tessa figure out just what it means to be a boyfriend, girlfriend, teammate, best friend, and someone worth cheering for.

May

Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook by Iva-Marie Palmer

Release Date: May 9, 2017

If life were a baseball game, all-star pitcher Gabby Garcia would be having her Best. Season. EVER Until she's suddenly sent to another school and her winning streak is about to disappear both on and off the field. But Gabby never gives up She has a PLAN to keep her champion status intact, and every step of is written out PLAY by PLAY. How could it not work?

The Kicks: Under Pressure by Alex Morgan

Release Date: May 16, 2017

It's spring, and school soccer season is back and so are the Kicks Devin is excited to be reunited with her teammates, and after they performed so well in the fall, she has high hopes for a championship win this time around. But it was easier being on the Kicks when nobody expected them to win. Now there are high expectations, and some of Devin's teammates are worried about living up to them. As the start of the season approaches, the girls begin to feel the pressure. Will the Kicks get their heads in the game in time to start the season right?

June

Ten: A Soccer Story by Shamini Flint

Release Date: June 20, 2017

Maya is a passionate soccer fan eager to start playing soccer herself. This is extra challenging because soccer is considered a "boys' game" in Malaysia in 1986. She teaches herself basic soccer skills with only her mother and a potted rosebush as training partners, then gradually persuades enough girls to join her to form a team, all the while trying to keep her unpredictable biracial family together. Reading Maya's witty, observant first-person narrative will make readers want her on their team, and they'll cheer her on as she discovers that winning is great—but losing doesn't mean defeat.

July

Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky

Release Date: July 18, 2017

A charmingly illustrated and inspiring book, Women in Sports highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women athletes--fromwell-known figures like tennis player Billie Jean King and gymnast Simone Biles, to lesser-known athletes like skateboarding pioneer Patti McGee and Toni Stone, the first woman to play baseball in a men's professional league.

Covering more than forty sports, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about notable women's teams throughout history, pay and media statistics for female athletes, and muscle anatomy. Women in Sports celebrates the success of the tough, bold, and fearless women who paved the way for the next generation of athletes.

August

Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women's Olympics by Jean L. S. Patrick

Release Date: August 8, 2017

No description currently available.

Review: The Jake Maddox Series

As the Olympics come to a close, it's hard to see them end. Fortunately there's a great series for middle graders that includes many Olympic sports. It's called the Jake Maddox series. As a teacher, I love that this series is written at a beginning third grade level, but the content can be enjoyed by an older middle grader. There is also more than one book per sport. As a sporty girl book blogger, I love that they have an equal focus on boys and girls.

The books take on issues of sportsmanship, bullying, hard work, and following dreams.

Here's the series description from the publisher's site:

Jake Maddox Books

by Jake Maddox

There are 85 titles in this set.

These best-selling sports stories by Jake Maddox are a hit with boys and girls alike! Pumped-up, easy-to-read stories with an emphasis on speed, skill, and fair play. The boys and girls in these books face obstacles on the gridiron, the court, the ice, or the half-pipe, and meet mental and social challenges as well. Readers discover that an athlete's inner game, persistence, and courage are just as important as a steady hand or a chance for a goal.

A selection of titles that connect to the Summer Olympics:

Back on the Beam

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

Because of an injury, Nadia couldn't practice her balance beam routines all summer. Her ankle is healed now, but she's nervous about being back in competition. It seems like every time she sees her rival, Blaire, her ankle starts to hurt again. Will Nadia find her balance, or will she let Blaire's mean comments keep her from winning?

Gymnastics Jitters

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Katie Wood

Dana and the rest of the Raiders gymnastics team must learn how to deal with their biggest rivals, the Superiors. When the Superiors don't play fair, the Raiders learn a valuable lesson in sportsmanship.

Jump Serve

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

Ella and Laura can't believe it when two of the meanest girls from a rival volleyball team switch to their team. Before long, it's clear that the new girls don't plan to be good teammates. Is there any hope for a championship, or was the season ruined before it began?

Over the Net

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

Allie loves everything about volleyball except hitting. She doesn't think she's good at it, and every time she messes up, her belief in her own abilities dwindles. Finally, she asks for help. Her idol, Nikki, agrees to coach her once a week. If Allie can learn to spike as well as she blocks, she could become one of the team's strongest players.

Soccer Surprise

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Katie Wood

Alex and her family just moved, which means she has to start a new school and adjust to a new soccer team. She soon learns that she must play a new position on the team, which makes her frustrated. Alex must learn how to adjust to her new life and have fun again.

Soccer Show-Off

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Katie Wood

Gina loves playing soccer, and she can't wait to join the team at her new school. But when Gina tries to be the star of the team, her new teammates don't exactly appreciate it. Gina has to learn that teamwork is more important than winning before she can get back on the field.

Tennis Trouble

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

No description available.

Running Rivals

by Jake Maddox
Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

No description available.

Interview with The Distance to Home author Jenn Bishop

I am so excited that in only a few days another girl's baseball book will be out in the world. The Distance to Home is about an all star pitcher named Quinnen. Here's a blurb about the book:

Last summer, Quinnen was the star pitcher of her baseball team, the Panthers. They were headed for the championship, and her loudest supporter at every game was her best friend and older sister, Haley. 
 This summer, everything is different. Haley’s death, at the end of last summer, has left Quinnen and her parents reeling. Without Haley in the stands, Quinnen doesn’t want to play baseball. It seems like nothing can fill the Haley-sized hole in her world. The one glimmer of happiness comes from the Bandits, the local minor-league baseball team. For the first time, Quinnen and her family are hosting one of the players for the season. Without Haley, Quinnen’s not sure it will be any fun, but soon she befriends a few players. With their help, can she make peace with the past and return to the pitcher’s mound? 

Today I am interviewing the author of The Distance to Home, Jenn Bishop. Jenn is a former youth services and teen librarian. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where she studied English, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Jenn lives just outside of Boston, where she roots for the Red Sox.

Your main character plays baseball. Why baseball? Were you a baseball player

when you grew up?

I grew up playing softball in my town’s league – though to be honest, I was never that good and certainly not as talented as Quinnen – and am an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox. But the true inspiration for the baseball elements in The Distance To Home came from attending a Kane County Cougars minor league game back when I lived in Chicago. My husband’s a huge Oakland A’s fan and the Cougars were at that point their minor league affiliate. At the game, we sat behind a couple that seemed to know an awful lot about the players (okay, we were eavesdropping a little) and so we chatted with them only to discover that some of these players stayed in their house for the summer as part of the team’s homestay program. How cool, right? (Life goal. Truly.) In earliest version of the book, Quinnen was a superfan of the Bandits but not actually a ballplayer herself. It was in revisions with my agent that her being a star pitcher developed into the final version in the story.

Tell us a little more about your main character, Quinnen.

Quinnen’s the kind of kid that I think – I hope! – a lot of readers can see themselves in. She’s got an impulsive streak, but she also has a heart of gold. What readers will find in the book are essentially two different Quinnens: last summer’s and this summer’s. Quinnen’s journey is finding her way back from the Quinnen she is when the book opens in the current summer, quiet and reserved and still full of remorse, to the Quinnen of last summer, vibrant and spunky and full of love for playing baseball.

Even though The Distance to Home is a baseball book, it's about so much more than baseball. How did you decide how much baseball to include?

A good rule of thumb for me has been what the plot dictates. In this case, in the “last summer” chapters of the book, baseball was a big part of Quinnen’s identity, and her team was moving forward to a tournament, so we see the key moments in that journey. In the “this summer” chapters, we see Quinnen’s love for the Bandits at minor league games and around the ballplayers, since her family is hosting one. I was thrilled to be able to include an author’s note and glossary, which I hope makes the book more accessible to readers who aren’t as familiar with baseball as Quinnen is.

Do you have any favorite sporty girl reads?

One that absolutely loved was Audrey Vernick’s The Kid from Diamond Street, a non-fiction picture book about Edith Houghton, who tried out for a professional women’s baseball team in 1922 as a ten year old and made the team (!!!). She was also the first female scout for Major League Baseball and her life story is about as cool as they come. I wish I’d had this book as a young girl – what a woman to look up to!

What is your all time favorite book?

How about my favorite dozen? This is a really hard question, as I have so many favorites. I guess if I had to pick one, right now I’d say A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. That one grabbed me from the first page and never let go.

Any big plans for the book release?

I’m having a launch party at my favorite local indie bookstore, Porter Square Books, on the big day. I’m also planning to tweet some of my favorite Red Sox players in the hopes that they might retweet about the book. Fingers crossed!

The Distance to Home will release on June 28. Make sure to preorder a copy! 

Sporty Girl Books Out This Summer

Picture Books
Gymnastics:
Nadia, the Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still by Karlin Grey and C. Davener (June 7th)
*I wanted to be Nadia Comanichi when I was younger, so I can't wait for this book. I won't embarrass myself by admitted how many times I watched the made-for-tv movie of her life;)

Middle Grade
Baseball:
The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop (June 28th)
*The cover on this one tugs at my heart. I can't wait to read it.

Young Adult
Cross-Country:
Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann (Today, May 3rd!)
*As a HS cross-country runner, I want to get my hands on this book.

Swimming:
Gold Fish ny Nat Lurrtsema (June 7th)
*Goodreads reviews all said absolutely hilarious. I can't resist a FUNNY sporty read.

Soccer:
Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally (July 5th)
*Miranda Kenneally, need I say more?

The Season by Jonal Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer (July 12th)
*This one sounds hilarious. Sporty girl stuck in Debutant Land. Ouch

Gymnastics: 
Tumbling by Cada Carter (June 7th)
*Five points of view, and from reviews, done well.

Lessons In Falling by Diana Gallagher (June 16th)
*The cover drew me to this one. I hope the story feels just like it.

The Sweet Spot Blog Tour: Top Ten Reasons For Writing A Sporty Girl Baseball Book

One of the questions I get asked most often is why I chose to write a book about a girl who plays baseball. Why not softball or another more accepted sport or why not skip sports in general? Here's my top ten reasons for writing about a girl who plays baseball.

10 - I love baseball. I'm a huge Mets fan and have been attending games since I was small. I even did my 7th grade kick line tryout routine to "Let's Go Mets Go!"

9 - One of favorite movies growing up was called Blue Skies Again, which is about a girl who, you guessed it, plays baseball. Unfortunately this movie was never turned into a DVD and is not streaming, but trust me, it was great.

8 - There aren't enough books for kids about girls who play baseball. Here's a list of the ones I know: A Whole New Ball Game (April 1993), The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth (Jan 2000), Kit's Home Run (March 2002), Players in Pigtails (Mar 2003), Sliding Into Home (April 2005), She Loved Baseball (Oct. 2010), Catching the Moon (June 2010), The Girl Who Threw Butterflies (Feb. 2010), My Thirteenth Season (March 2010), No Cream Puffs (March 2010), Baseball Girl (Mar 2015), The Kid from Diamond Street (March 2016), The Sweet Spot (March 2016), and The Distance to Home (June 2016)

7 - The Diamond Dreams section of The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is the only section of underrepresented populations that has not had one person make it into the major league (unless you count the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s and 50s).

6 - Girls are still struggling to get respect as baseball players. They aren't invited into recruiting camps and have to fight to get recognition. Just today there was an opinion piece posted about how women aren't included in America's Past time. The fight is far from over. 

5 - Strides are being made. This summer I posted about a number of sports that saw the addition of women in important positions. In addition, Justine Siegal continued to break barriers by being the first female coach in professional baseball history. 

4 - Women in sports are still getting poor media coverage, even when people want to watch. Here's an article from this summer that illustrates this point. 

3 - There is a growing number of girls playing baseball. 

2 - Kids who aren't sporty, and aren't girls, still enjoy reading about someone going after her dreams.

And finally, my number one reason for writing about a girl who plays baseball:

1 - Baseball is the sport Sam told me she played. The other 9 reasons came after I discovered this detail about my character. The fact that this was not a book that some people would want to publish or that baseball was not a popular sport for girls didn't factor into my decision. It was the story that wanted to be told, so I told it.

The Sweet Spot is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local indie bookstores. 

Win a copy of The Sweet Spot by joining the Rafflecopter giveaway.

Learn more about The Sweet Spot at Spellbound River Press.

#IMWAYR Sporty Girl Books

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jenn of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. At Sporty Girl Books, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share some of our favorite Sporty Girl Picture Book reads that a teacher could share with a class of kids.

My Mama Had a Dancing Heart is an incredibly lyrical book about a girl who learned to love dance because of her mother. The language in this book is perfect to share in school for a poetry unit. I love to read it to encourage students to write into the silence at the start of the school year.

Swan is another beautiful book about dance. It is perfect for a poetry or biography unit. We interviewed Swan's author, Laurel Snyder a few months ago. You can see that interview here.

What's not to love about The Three Ninja Pigs if you are in a fractured fairy tale unit. In this twist on The Three Little Pigs is one that all kids will love.

Do you have any Sporty Girl Books that you love to share with your class or children? Share them below.

Sporty Girl Books Coming in 2016

There are some awesome Sporty Girl Books coming out in 2016. We can’t wait for these! If you know of any more, please add them in the comments! To make them easy for you to add to your TBR list, here is a link to all of these books on Goodreads Listopia.

Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still by Karlin Grey
June 2016
Nadia Comaneci was a feisty and fearless little girl who went from climbing trees in the forests of Romania to swinging into history at the 1976 Olympic Games, where she received an unprecedented seven perfect scores in gymnastics. But as readers will see in this first-ever illustrated picture book about Nadia’s journey to Olympic gold, the road from small-town girl to world-class athlete was full of many imperfect moments.      Expert illustrations that capture the energy and fluidity of Nadia's exuberant gymnastic routines and referential back matter round out this inspirational story of determination and overcoming adversity. A perfect 10.



The Kid From Diamond Street by Audrey Vernick
March 2016
Audrey Vernick and Steven Salerno have again collaborated to bring us a captivating picture book about a compelling but little-known piece of baseball history. Beginning in 1922, when Edith Houghton was only ten years old, she tried out for a women’s professional baseball team, the Philadelphia Bobbies. Though she was the smallest on the field, soon reporters were talking about “The Kid” and her incredible skill, and crowds were packing the stands to see her play. Her story reminds us that baseball has never been about just men and boys. Baseball is also about talented girls willing to work hard to play any way they can. 



Pool Panic by Jake Maddox
March 2016
Jenny has always loved swimming, so this year she’s finally decided to join the swim team. Jenny cruises through the pool during practice, but when she sees the crowd of spectators at her first meet, she freezes up. Can Jenny overcome her fears and help lead her team to victory? This fast-paced sports story eBook is a winning read for any young athlete!






Volleyball Victory by Jake Maddox
March 2016
Andrea is excited for another winning volleyball season. But there’s a problem—the new coach is bringing the team back to basics, and now Andrea is unhappy and feeling frustrated in her new position. Will the coach’s strategy pay off, and will the Pumas ever be ready for competition? This fast-paced sports story eBook is a winning read for any young athlete!








The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
June 2016
Last summer, Quinnen was the star pitcher of her baseball team, the Panthers. They’re headed for the championship, and her loudest supporter at every game was her best friend and older sister, Haley.

This summer, everything is different. Haley’s death, at the end of last summer, has left Quinnen and her parents reeling. Without Haley in the stands, Quinnen doesn’t want to play baseball. It seems like nothing can fill the Haley-sized hole in her world. The one glimmer of happiness comes from the Bandits, the local minor-league baseball team. For the first time, Quinnen and her family are hosting one of the players for the season. Without Haley, Quinnen’s not sure it will be any fun, but soon she befriends a few players. With their help, can she make peace with the past and return to the pitcher’s mound?


Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema
June 2016
Lou Brown is one of the fastest swimmers in the county. She’s not boasting, she really is. So things are looking pretty rosy the day of the Olympic time-trials. With her best mate Hannah by her side, Lou lines up by the edge of the pool, snaps her goggles on and bends into her dive…

Everything rests on this race. It’s Lou’s thing.

… or it was. She comes dead last and to top it all off Hannah sails through leaving a totally broken Lou behind.

Tumbling by Caela Carter
June 2016
Work harder than anyone.
Be the most talented.
Sacrifice everything.
And if you’re lucky, maybe you will go to the Olympics.

By the end of the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, some of girls will be stars. Some will be going home with nothing. And all will have their lives changed forever. 



Never Evers by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison
January 2016
Kicked out of ballet academy and straight into a school ski trip, Mouse knows certain classmates can't wait to see her fall flat on her face. Meanwhile, Jack looks forward to danger and girls, but hasn't a clue about either. That's until French teen sensation Roland arrives in the resort - who Jack's a dead ringer for. When Roland persuades Jack to be his stand-in for a day, Jack, in disguise, declares his feelings for Mouse. But what happens when he's no longer a pop star - will it be music and magic on the slopes?




Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann
May 2016
Addie has always known what she was running toward. In cross-country, in life, in love. Until she and her boyfriend—her sensitive, good-guy boyfriend—are careless one night and she ends up pregnant. Addie makes the difficult choice to have an abortion. And after that—even though she knows it was the right decision for her—nothing is the same anymore. She doesn’t want anyone besides her parents and her boyfriend to know what happened; she doesn’t want to run cross-country; she can’t bring herself to be excited about anything. Until she reconnects with Juliana, a former teammate who’s going through her own dark places. Once again, Christine Heppermann writes with an unflinching honesty and a deep sensitivity about the complexities of being a teenager, being a woman. Her free-verse poems are moving, provocative, and often full of wry humor and a sharp wit. Like Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins, Christine Heppermann is a voice to turn to for the truth of difficult subjects. Ask Me How I Got Here is a literary exploration of sexuality, religion, and self-discovery.

Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher
June 2016
When Savannah Gregory blows out her knee –and her shot at a gymnastics scholarship – she decides she’s done with the sport forever. Without gymnastics, she has more time for her best friend, Cassie. She’s content to let her fun, impulsive best friend plan a memorable senior year.

That is, until Cassie tries to kill herself.

Kicking Off  by Sarah Sheppard
June 2016
There's a battle being fought. It's raging on the sports fields, in the newsrooms, and behind the scenes at all the major broadcasters. It's a battle that dates back further than any of us can remember, and yet it has lost none of its momentum--in fact, it's being fought with more vigor now than ever before.

The warriors are women in sports, and in this book their battles will be broken down to discover if and how they can ever be won. It will ask the questions that can no longer be ignored and tell the stories that can no longer be overlooked. It will be a vital tool in helping women switch their focus from the battlefield to the sports field, once and for all.

Descriptions are from Goodreads.  If you have more information about a title, please let me know and I’ll update the post. We are also happy to add additional books to the list. If you have a new sporty girl book coming out in 2016 make sure to email us or leave the information about your books in the comments on this post. Happy New Year!