Alan Brown's Sports Literacy Blog

Key:

^ Nonfiction

*Grade levels are based on reviews from sources such as School Library Journal, Booklist, etc. They do not necessarily represent Alan’s and Abby’s views on grade level appropriateness.

Basketball

 Above the Rim by Jen Bryant and Frank Morrison

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay (Grades 9-12)

  All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (Grades 8-12)

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani (Grades 9-12)

Airball by L.D. Harkrader (Grades 5-7)

 Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack (Grades 3-6)

Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Peña (Grades 9-12)

Basketball (or Something Like It) by Nora Raleigh Baskin (Grades 5-9)

Black and White by Paul Volponi (Grades 9-12)

Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West (Grades 9-12)

Boost by Kathy Mackel (Grades 6-9)

Boy21 by Matthew Quick (Grades 8-11)

Bystander by James Preller (Grades 6-9)

  Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher (Grades 9-12)

^ Counting Coup by Larry Colton (Grades 9-12)

Crossover by Jeff Rud (Grades 7-9)

Cruise Control by Terry Trueman (Grades 7-10)

Danger Zone by David Klass (Grades 7-10)

Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Grades 9-12)

^ Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You by Lisa Leslie and Larry Burnett

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang (Grades 8-12)

^ Eagle Blue by Michael D’Orso (Grades 9-12)

  EZ and the Intangibles by Bob Katz (Grades 3-6)

  Foul Trouble by John Feinstein (Grades 7-10)

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Grades 8-11)

Full Court Press by Mike Lupica (Grades 9-12)

Game by Walter Dean Myers (Grades 8-12)

^ Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss (Grades 9-12)

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard (Grades 8-12)

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan (Grades 9-12)

Head Games by Keri Mikulski

^ Hoop Dreams by Ben Joravsky (Grades 9-12)

Hooper by Geoff Herbach (Grades 7-10)

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers (Grades 7-10)

 H.O.R.S.E illustrated by Christopher Myers (Grades 3-6)

Hot Hand by Mike Lupica (Grades 4-6)

How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius by Nick Greene

In the Garage by Alma Fullerton (Grades 9-12)

^ In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia (Grades 8-11)

Last Shot by John Feinstein (Grades 6-9)

Losers Bracket by Chris Crutcher (Grades 9-11)

Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica (Grades 6-9)

  Next (D-Bow High School Hoops series) by Kevin Waltman (Grades 7-10)

Night Hoops by Carl Deuker (Grades 8-10)

No Name by Tim Tingle (Grades 7-10)

On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker (Grades 8-11)

  Pick and Roll by Kelsey Blair (Grades 5-8)

Pick-up Game by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Grades 6-8)

^ Pistol by Mark Kriegel

Pounding the Rock by Marc Skelton 

Pull (D-Bow High School Hoops series) by Kevin Waltman (Grades 7-10)

Quicks (D-Bow High School Hoops series) by Kevin Waltman (Grades 7-10)

Rabbit Run by John Updike (Grades 9-12)

Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez (Grades 10-12)

Rebound by Bob Krech (Grades 9-12)

  Rebound by Kwame Alexander (Grades 5-7)

Remembering Gage Park by William Shunas

Rimshots by Charles R. Smith (Grades 7-11)

Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi (Grades 8-10)

^ Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson (Grades 9-12)

^ Shaq Uncut: My Story by Shaquille O’Neal and Jackie MacMullan

^ Shooting Stars by Lebron James and Buzz Bissinger

Slam! By Walter Dean Myers (Grades 8-10)

Slump (D-Bow High School Hoops series) by Kevin Waltman (Grades 7-10)

Sooley by John Grisham 

Sprawlball by Kirk Goldsberry (Grades 9-12)

Summer Ball by Mike Lupica (Grades 5-8)

Swagger by Carl Deuker (Grades 7-10)

Take Your Best Shot by John Coy (Grades 5-8)

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper (Grades 9-12)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Grades 8-11)

^ The Assist by Neil Swidey

The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll

   The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Grades 5-7)

The Crossover – graphic novel by Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile 

The Final Four by Paul Volponi (Grades 7-10)

  The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Grades 8-12)

The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (Grades 8-10)

^ The Last Shot by Darcy Frey

The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks (Grades 8-12)

The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr

The Outside Shot by Walter Dean Myers (Grades 7-10)

The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin (Grades 9-12)

  This Way Home by Wes Moore and Shawn Goodman (Grades 8-12)

Tigerland by Wil Haygood

Tilt by Alan Cumyn (Grades 9-12)

Travel Team by Mike Lupica (Grades 6-8)

True Legend by Mike Lupica (Grades 6-8)

Walk on Warrior by John Wilkom

^ When the Game was Ours by Larry Bird, Earvin Johnson, and Jackie MacMullan (Grades 9-12)