Central Kansas Library System

In the summer of his seventeenth year, Samuel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basketball tournament. He has never been away from home, nor has he ever been on an airplane. The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true. During the tournament, Samuel receives devastating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan,...

Jayla loves to play soccer. There's just one problem. Sometimes, she forgets the rules. Luckily, a teammate has a great idea that helps Jayla and the team, too!

Picked last for kickball, Amelia Bedelia gets another chance to prove her athleticism when her class holds a mini-Oylympics.

Tam is new to the cheer squad, and from the first day of practice Maren, the squad captain, seems determined to make her look unprepared and incompetent--but with the backing of a new friend she finally finds the courage to stand up to the bullying.

Mira Ravi is the first-seed singles star on Hilltop Middle School's tennis team, but her life off the court is a much harder match to win as she juggles tough responsibilities at home, in school, and with her team.

Best friends Olivia and Jessica are good runners, but Olivia is uncomfortable with competition, so when her friend talks her into joining the track team and Olivia is assigned to a long distance race, she is suddenly overcome by a fear of failure.

Mo is new to ice hockey and is having trouble staying upright on the ice, but his desire to help the team motivates him to keep getting better.

As her third-grade class makes its selections for the "Graveyard of Boring Words" and learns about "superb synonyms," slow-footed Nancy enthusiastically plays on the soccer team, with the goal of just being mediocre, or maybe even a little better than average.

"Set in a diverse neighbourhood in Scarborough, Ontario, this book follows Michaela as she goes from a solitary runner to an athlete who contributes to the success of her cross-country team. Discouraged by an incident at her mostly-white summer camp, Michaela comes into her own as part of her racially diverse school track team. Focusing on themes of persistence, friendship and overcoming rivalries, this book illuminates traits of connection, empathy...