Title: Game Changers #1
Author: Mike Lupica
Pages: 224
Content: G
Language: G
Level: Middle school
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Ben McBain is every football team's dream player. He's a jack-of-all-trades guy that can handle almost any position. When the game is on the line, Ben's number is the one being called for the final play. But Ben wants to be the starting quarterback and the one thing standing in his way is the coach's son.  Shawn O'Brien looks the part. He has been groomed by his father, a former professional quarterback. But despite his size and arm strength, Shawn is struggling.  Ben is torn between being a good teammate and going after his own dream. As Ben finds out, Shawn isn't the easiest person to help. And when Ben gets an unexpected opportunity, the entire game will change for the both of them.

Review:  Read this with my 10-year old son. The bulk of the book is actual descriptions of football games. So of course, it's great for kids more obsessed with sports than reading.  I think it was great that Ben always did the right thing, but I think some kids would have trouble relating.  I think in real life more kids tend to behave like the protagonist than the main character.  It would have been more interesting if he had struggled a little more, the way most kids do in real life.  My son enjoyed it, as did my husband who listened in.  I am pretty sure my "tween" girls even wanted to know how the book turned out!  Good book for reluctant readers!

Off Side

Title: Off Side
Author: M. G. Higgins
Pages: 109
Content: PG13
Language: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Between finishing late school projects and looking after her brothers and sister, Faith Patel barely has time to play soccer. And when she's at practice, surrounded by girls who can afford to play in club leagues, she doesn't even feel like part of the team. So when Coach Berg starts to give Faith extra attention, she feels . . . really special.   It might be crazy, but suddenly Faith has a crush on her coach. Can she keep her head in the game? The situation gets worse after Faith's frenemy Caitlyn decides that Faith's getting special treatment. Will Caitlyn tell the rest of the team—and make Faith into a total outcast? 

Review: A short, easy read for teens who love sports. Common teen issues are presented and dealt with as Faith tried to continue doing what she loves - playing soccer. Although some of the issues may be too mature for younger readers, the storyline is presented an interesting way to keep the reader involved in Faith's story.

Riptide

Title: Riptide
Author: Lindsey Scheibe
Pages: 288
Language: PG13
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  For Grace Parker, surfing is all about the ride and the moment. Everything else disappears. She can forget that her best friend, Ford Watson, has a crush on her that she can’t reciprocate. She can forget how badly she wants to get a surf scholarship to UC San Diego. She can forget the pressure of her parents’ impossibly high expectations.  When Ford enters Grace into a surf competition— the only way she can impress the UCSD surfing scouts—she has one summer to train and prepare. Will she gain everything she’s ever wanted or lose the only things that ever mattered?

Review: This book was a fun change from the dystopian genre that is so popular right now.  Although I know absolutely nothing about the surfing world, I was drawn into the life that Grace leads and the love that she has for the sport.  Dealing with pressures from school, parents, friends, and surfing buddies, teen readers can identify with Grace and the decisions that she must make.

Catching Jordan

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Pages: 281
Content: PG13
Language: PG13/R (40+ swears, 10 "f")
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though- she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Greeen moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line? "A beautiful novel with a real and captivating depiction of high school relationships, Catching Jordan shows the same reverence for the human heart that it does for the game of football."

Review: Loved the storyline, hated the language.  I realize that this book centers around sports, but it is full of locker room talk.  I was disappointed in the amount of swearwords, "f" words, but mostly how casual the topic of sex is handled.  I wish the story could be re-written for a more conservative audience, because the story and the issues in this book are great.

Boy21

Title: Boy21
Author: Matthew Quick
Pages: 256
Level: High School
Content: PG
Language: PG
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: You can lose yourself in repetition—quiet your thoughts; I learned the value of this at a very young age.

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights, and Finley is left to take care of his disabled grandfather alone. He's always dreamed of getting out someday, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.  Russ has just moved to the neighborhood, and the life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won't pick up a basketball, but answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.  As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, a unique friendship may turn out to be the answer they both need.

Review: Although some parts of this book were a little quirky, I enjoyed the book.  Based around 2 basketball players with some inner-struggles, the book was quick and easy, yet enjoyable.  Good read for any student who enjoys basketball, or likes space!

Confessions of A Murder Suspect

Title: Confessions of A Murde Suspect
Author: James Patterson
Pages: 384
Language: G
Content: PG
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently wealthy Angel family . . . and the dark secrets they're keeping from one another. On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. 3) She can't trust anyone--maybe not even herself. Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?

Review: I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book.  I was pleasantly surprised with the twists, turns, and insights that were found throughout the entire book.  I did however, find myself needing to pay close attention to the names  - they came fast and furious at the beginning!  Not super intense, but a safe read for teens.

Foul

Title: Foul
Author: Paul Hoblin
Pages: 112
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Easy Read

Summary: Rhino is one of Bridgewater's best basketball players—except when it comes to making free throws. It's not a big deal, until he begins receiving strange threats. If Rhino can't make his shots at the free throw line, someone will start hurting the people around him. Everyone's a suspect: a college recruiter, Rhino's jealous best friend, and the father Rhino never knew—who recently escaped from prison.

Review: I have been looking for some small, easy to read books for teen.  This one fits the bill.  Interesting enough to hold the reader's attention, yet small enough to tell the full story.

Rush For The Gold

Title: Rush For The Gold
Author: John Feinstein
Pages: 320
Language: PG 13
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Bestselling sportswriter and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back with another sports mystery featuring Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson—this one set at the summer Olympics in London. In this book, Susan Carol isn't a reporter—she's an Olympian, competing as a swimmer at her first Olympic games. Stevie is both proud and envious of her athletic prowess. And he's worried by the agents and sponsors and media all wanting to get up close and personal with Susan Carol. But the more disturbing question becomes—how far might they go to ensure that America's newest Olympic darling wins gold?

Sports novels abound, but Feinstein's books are all stars. They combine sports action, high-stakes mysteries, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of big-time sporting events.

Review: This book follows the life of a young olympic hopefully.  The author gives us a unique view inside the world of competitive swimming at the world championship level.  I read this book right after the 2012 Olympics had ended, and it put a new perspective on a few things for me.  The little bit of mystery added intrigue and only added to an already good book.

Curveball

Title: Curveball
Author: Jordan Sonneblick
Pages: 285
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.   Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class?

Review: I enjoyed this book...I also enjoy photography...so this book was a match for me.  I love the development of the characters, and the issues that Peter has to deal with during his freshman year in high school.  Good read for boys and girls alike.

The Final Four

Title: The Final Four
Author: Paul Volponi
Pages: 244
Content: PG
Language: PG13-ish
Swears: 20+
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary:Four players with one thing in common: the will to winMalcolm wants to get to the NBA ASAP. Roko wants to be the pride of his native Croatia. Crispin wants the girl of his dreams. M.J. just wants a chance.March Madness is in full swing, and there are only four teams left in the NCAA basketball championship. The heavily favored Michigan Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet in the first game in the semifinals, and it's there that the fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J. intertwine. As the last moments tick down on the game clock, you'll learn how each player went from being a kid who loved to shoot hoops to a powerful force in one of the most important games of the year. Which team will leave the Superdome victorious? In the end it will come down to which players have the most skill, the most drive, and the most heart.

Review: Told through alternating views, this book dives into the heart of March Madness . ..with a glimpse of the competitiveness, heart, and soul that the players must deal with. For those who enjoy sports and want an inside glimpse, the book is great. There isn't a lot of character developement, and I would have liked to see more of what made the characters tick.