Entering Grade 8

SPORTS

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Heat (series)
​by Mike Lupica
Choose from any of the books in this series about phenom Little League pitcher Michael Arroyo. 
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super-athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher McDougall
Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. 
Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, & Dawud Anyabwile
On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships.
Ball Don’t Lie
by Matt de la Pena
Sticky is a rough around the edges foster kid living on the streets, but he can play basketball,  and that just might save him.
Moneyball
​by Michael Lewis 
How does a low-budget team like the Oakland As compete in team-building with much richer organizations like the New York Mets? General manager Billy Beane puts into place new franchise-building theories, battling against decades of tradition and sentiment. (nonfiction)
Kneel                                          
by Candace Buford
When Russel's best friend is unfairly arrested and thrown off the football team, Russell decides to use his platform as a local football hero to protest by kneeling during the national anthem. Overnight, he goes from his town's great football hero to a target for hatred.
Curveball: the Year I Lost my Grip
by Jordan Sonnenblick
Peter’s a freshman and star athlete and photographer when a freak injury ends his pitching career. Now he has to figure out life after sports, and how to deal with family, school, and girls.
Undefeated
by Steve Sheinkin
Pop Warner and Jim Thorpe met in 1901 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and shaped a football team that would be called “the team that invented football.”
Hockey Strong
by Todd Smith
A collection of short stories that celebrate the blood, guts, and grit that go along with a love for the game.
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