A Reese’s Book Club YA Pick. A powerful, #ownvoices contemporary YA for fans of The Poet X and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. In Argentina, Camila lives a double life. At home, she’s a careful daughter. On the soccer field, she’s La Furia, a powerhouse of skill. And now, the boy she once loved is back in town, but Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by him. As her life becomes more complicated, she’s forced to face her secrets and put everything on the line—even her blooming love story— to follow her dreams. Over the years, I’ve still had dreams about becoming a wee bit more athletic. After watching Whip It, I entertained the notion of a career as a roller derby girl. Then I remembered that I can’t skate. Le sigh. Never one to let things like that keep me down too long, I now take the mindset that those who can’t do read about those that can. I may not be a super athlete, but I can read about people who are, specifically about girls in athletics. And let’s be completely honest here: there are people in the world of sports who, if they could, would hang up a big “NO GIRLS ALLOWED” sign. Forget. That. Noise. Girls just have as much a right to play ports as boys do. And even though it took a long time to get there and there are still hurdles that need to be surmounted, they have claimed their space. Below is a list of women and girls in various types of sports. They came, they saw, they kicked butt and earned their place. You’ll cry with them, cheer with them, and share in their successes.
Early Readers
Middle Grade
Young Adult
This list is but a small dip into the pool of fierce female athletes, both real and fictional. Check out this other impressive list of some of the best YA sports books. Let us know others we may have missed over on Facebook and Twitter!
Just as they were reaching their stride, the country called for baseball to become integrated, which essentially meant the end of the Negro Leagues. This could have been the end of what we know about Effa as well, but her importance wasn’t forgotten: she became the first and only woman inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I’m adding this as an “honorable mention” since Effa didn’t play the sport professionally herself. She did play as a child and her place in the baseball history should be acknowledged.
She goes to stay with her uncle in a small Tennessee town to recover and ends up meeting Owen Law. Peyton is slow to trust this new sweet but mysterious boy as she is still recovering from her heartbreak, and she senses that Owen is also harboring a secret. When those secrets are exposed, both must decide if their love is worth the fight.
Then she becomes charmed by Liv, the team captain and her ragtag team of recruits. While she originally wanted to leave that world of cut-throat sports behind, she may discover the person she wants to be while running down the court.
This first book in the Outer Banks Tennis Academy series introduces us to future tennis hopefuls Penny, Jasmine, and newcomer Indiana as they strive to make their marks in the world of tennis.
