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

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong (Grades 7-9)

 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)

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)

Box Out by John Coy (Grades 7-9)

Boy21 by Matthew Quick (Grades 8-11)

^ Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana by Abe Streep

Bystander by James Preller (Grades 6-9)

Canary by Rachele Alpine (Grades 7-10)

  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)

Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up by Jenn Bishop (Grades 5-9)

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)

Hoops by Matt Tavares (Grades 3-7)

 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 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

 Rez Ball by Byron Graves (Grades 8-10)

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

^ Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court by Chris Paul

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)