Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. 2010. 473p. 836 mins. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

A child of Italian immigrants, Louis Zamperini was a troubled youth. Always breaking the law and causing trouble, he would steal pies, hop trains, and try to avoid the law. His older brother Pete tried to keep him on the straight and narrow, but even he could be taken in by Louis’ antics. As they grew up in the 1920s, Pete spent time on the school’s track and field team, while Louis pursued girls. Pete suddenly realized that Louis could run faster than most people on the team. He helped his brother redirect his energies into running, and soon Louis began eclipsing marks. First it was the high school’s fastest run. Then the county. Then the state. Sent to New York to participate in the U.S. Olympics tryout, he finished third, earning a spot to the Berlin games in 1936, where he met Hitler. There were high hopes that he would be the first person to break the 4 minute mile mark.

With the Second World War looming, Louis joined the air force but immediately realized he didn’t enjoy flying. Called back to service, Louis trained to be a bombardier, the man who aims the bombs dropped by a bomber, and ended up posted in the Pacific. During a mission, his plane ran out of fuel and crash landed in the water, killing all but three of the crewmembers. Louis survived in a raft with the other two, surrounded by sharks. Although many planes flew above, none of them spotted them. Louis and Russell survived their ordeal while their third companion perished on the raft, and the men drifted for 42 days before being captured by the Japanese.

Transferred to prison camps, Louis was brutally abused by the Bird, a sadistic Japanese guard. Surviving in camps for two years, the war ended with Japan’s surrender and Louis was freed. Reunited with his family that had thought him dead, Louis attempted to resume running, but was unable to do so due to his injuries. Confronted by old demons from his years in captivity in Japan, it wasn’t until he heard Billy Graham speak at one of his crusades, and he became deeply religious.

Louis’ perseverance and determination helped him surmount obstacles and triumph over his abusers. He became a motivational speaker and even ran the Olympic Torch during the 1998 Nagano, passing by the location of his old camp. An inspiration to all, Louis’ story of survival and dedication is well worth listening to.

Head Hunter

Howling, Eric. Head Hunter. 2017. 125p. ISBN 978-1-4594-0967-1. Available at FIC HOW on the library shelves.

As the captain of the football team and as the best defensive player, Colt Taylor has a lot of credibility with his teammates. The team’s coach, who is also Colt’s father, was a famed NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980s, and has spent his retirement coaching high school football. Colt idolizes his dad, and they used to go to football games in Edmonton and watch it on television together. This year, however, Colt’s father suffers from bad headaches, is angry all the time, and takes it out on his team and on Colt at home. They haven’t been spending time together, and Colt now tries to avoid him as much as he can.

With the Warriors season in full swing, Coach Taylor is aiming for a undefeated season. His headaches are getting worse, and it’s becoming increasingly hard for Colt to please him. When the team is in danger of losing a game, Coach orders his defensive players to aim for the quarterback’s knees to cripple him. Colt refuses to do so, and Gunner is the only one who follows through. The quarterback has to leave the game. Colt feels horrible about what just happened, but doesn’t know how to deal with this situation.

As the season progresses, Colt finds himself confronted with more demands from his coach. Faced with the choice of hurting another player or being benched, what decision will Colt make?

Dealing with the consequences of concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), this book examines the impact of CTE on people who no longer play the game yet remain affected by it.

Snow Soccer

Trifunov, David. Snow Soccer. 2017. 125p. ISBN 978-1-45941224-8. Available at FIC TRI on the library shelves.

The civil war in Syria has upended many lives. Samirah and her parents lived in Aleppo before it became a battleground for the various factions. Fortunately, her father recognized the danger and they were one of the first families to flee to a refugee camp in Turkey. Passionate about soccer, Samirah plays as much as she can, and she’s very good. When she discovers that the family has been accepted as refugees by Canada, Samirah is anxious, but looks forward to a new life.

Arriving in Saskatchewan, Samirah quickly discovers the rude winters that blast Arctic-cold winds on the Canadian prairies. The locals are not all welcoming of the Syrian refugees, but Samirah still quickly integrates in her school and local community. The kids play soccer at recess all of the time, and her new best friend plays on an elite girls’ team as well. Samirah joins in, much to the dismay of Tamsen, another girl and the captain of the girls’ team. When snow finally arrives, Samirah is shocked to learn that the kids continue to play outside, in full snow gear. Wearing a thick winter coat and heavy boots is tough on her game, but she quickly realizes that it’s not much different than playing in the sands of Syria or Turkey.

Observed by the coach on the girls’ team, Samirah is given a position. Tamsen remains opposed to her presence, however. It will take more than skills for Samirah to win over Tamsen’s respect and to prove that her participation in the biggest city tournament of the year is not because of Canadian charity towards Syrian, but because her skills and talents for the game she loves are good enough to play at the elite level.

Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom

Kootstra, Kara. Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom. 2017. 182p. ISBN 978-0-670-06940-8. Available at FIC KOO on the library shelves.

One of the best hockey player in Parry Sound, Ontario, Jay Roberts lives and breathes the sport. His idol is Bobby Orr, who also grew up in Parry Sound. Jay proudly wears the #4 for his team, the Parry Sound Shamrocks. This year, he encounters a challenge he dimly expected but now must face full on. In music class, he gets an instrument, and he will be expected to perform in front of his entire class. If Jay doesn’t want to repeat 6th grade, he must quickly learn how to play an instrument.

Unfortunately for him, instruments are assigned in alphabetical order. By the time his music teacher gets to him, he gets stuck with the saxophone, this strange instrument that must be assembled every time. To say that Jay has no ear or rhythm for music is an understatement. Instead of cradling a saxophone, Jay would rather hold a hockey stick and push a puck forward.

Though one of the best players on his team, Jay’s often bullied by Mick Bartlet, a classmate who’s bigger and meaner. Avoiding Mick can be done at school, but it’s harder on the ice. With the saxophone now present in his life, Jay is not sure which one is worse: Mick or the sax? As the school year progresses, Jay will have to draw inspiration from his hero Bobby Orr and find a way to transform the saxophone in his clumsy hands into an instrument he can use to play passable music. What if learning how to play the saxophone was just like learning how to play hockey? On the ice or in the band room, Jay’s year is about to get challenging!

Ten: A Soccer Story

Flint, Shamini. Ten: A Soccer Story. 2017. 176p. ISBN 978-0-544-85001-9. Available at FIC FLI on the library shelves.

The year is 1986, and the soccer World Cup is being played in Mexico. Eleven-year-old Maya considers herself to be the Brazilian team’s biggest fan, and she especially loves Zico, a dashing midfield and arguably one of the best players of the game. Maya’s enthusiasm for all things Brazil and Zico include watching the games even if they are late at night, and reliving the games in her head. Itching to play soccer, Maya is a typical girl. Except for the fact that she is Malaysian, has never touched a soccer ball in her life, and doesn’t know of any girls’ teams in the area.

When she gets her first soccer ball, she’s really excited. She cannot wait to be the best soccer player ever. But playing soccer is hard, especially if there is no one to teach you how to play. Her English father and her Indian mother are experiencing a rocky patch in their marriage, and life at home is hard with her older brother Rajiv. Slowly gaining skills, Maya manages to attract more girls to her group during recess at her private school. As her parents’ marriage disintegrate, soccer is the one thing that keeps her centered. When a girls’ soccer tournament is announced in town, Maya is hopeful that her small group will be able to play. The only question is, are they ready or, like Brazil’s Zico in 1986, will they fail spectacularly?

A great sports novel, Ten realistically portrays the struggles of a girl trying to do something different, and provides a good exposure to a culture most Americans are not familiar with. Fans of girls overcoming the odds in the sports world will appreciate this book. Readers who enjoy this book should look to DJ’s basketball tribulations in Dairy Queen and  Lucy's adventures in Playing with the Boys.

Texas Fridays: San Antonio

Moussavi, Sam. Texas Fridays: San Antonio. 2017. 206p. ISBN 978-1-68076-496-3. Available at FIC MOU on the library shelves.

James Baker’s passion is football. He lives and dreams football, but up to his high school senior year he was more of a bench warmer than a player. He spent most of the summer getting ready for football season, disrupting his routine of taking a foreign trip with his professor father, who lives in California. Baker, as he likes to be known, worked out, exercised, and drilled constantly, much to the chagrin of his single mother, also a professor currently teaching at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

The hard work has paid off, and Baker is ready to join the team as a starter. His coaches notice his no-nonsense attitude and his work ethics, and during the last intra-squad scrimmage of the training season he is assigned the starting receiver position. During one of the plays, Baker effortlessly catches the ball but loses sight of the defending player and the two of them collide, helmet to helmet. Baker sees stars, his ears are ringing, and he feels nauseous. The medical staff determines that he does not have a concussion, but he is pulled from the game nonetheless. The next morning, Baker experiences symptoms of dizziness and nausea, but he goes back to bed, and it passes. Informed by the medical staff on the team that he needs to advocate for himself if he is hurt, he decides not to report his symptoms so as to not lose his starter position.

Spending Sunday on campus with his mother, Baker meets Tiffany, a freshman at UT-SA and a former all-star high school basketball player. Tiffany explains to him that she got injured one too many times and abandoned basketball because her body simply could not keep up. To her, education is more important than playing a sport she most likely will never make a living at. Baker invites him to his Friday lights debut, and she eagerly accepts to join him.

With everything on the line, Baker is determined to remain a starter. Untreated concussions, however, can be dangerously lethal. What is more important for Baker, being a starting receiver for his high school team, or his health and potentially his life?

Baker is a strong character with conflicted views on his own health. His identity is completely wrapped up in being a football player, but Tiffany’s support shows him there is another way. The game itself is well described and the reader feels in the middle of the action. And unlike other sports books, Texas Fridays: San Antonio does not cover the entire season, but focuses on three specific games and the consequences of Baker’s decisions. Fans of Gutless will like this book. Consider checking out Dairy Queen and Playing with the Boys if you enjoy football stories.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Johnson, E. K. Exit, Pursued by a Bear. 2016. 387 mins, 248p. ISBN 978-1-10199458-0. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Palermo Heights is a small Canadian high school where cheerleading is the most competitive and highly rated sport. Forget football, basketball and hockey. Cheerleading is the sport every serious athlete participates in. For three years Hermione (her parents were big Harry Potter fans) has worked hard. The only freshman with her friend Polly to join the varsity squad, she has climbed the cheerleading pyramid to become captain her senior year. Even Leo, her boyfriend, is a member of the squad.

Every summer, during the last two weeks of August, cheerleading teams from many Ontario high schools meet at a camp where they train to get ready for the new season. The Palermo squad is looked up to, but when the time comes to share a dedication at the beginning of camp Hermione aims to end once and for all a curse that has plagued the team since the death of a student seven years ago: Every year, one of the cheerleaders has become pregnant and has had to drop out of the squad. This is the year that the curse ends.

However, when someone slips a drug in Hermione’s drink and then rapes her, she becomes that girl from the curse. Pregnant, Hermione has some hard decisions to make. How does she regain control when she can’t remember anything that happened that night? How does she deal with Leo’s jealousy and the rumors that spread around school? Can she avoid becoming this year’s cautionary tale cheerleaders will talk about at future camps? And will a run to the provincial cheer championship trigger her into a total meltdown when she has to return to the site of the attack? Readers will appreciate the hard choices Hermione makes to deal with this situation and end her senior year on a hopeful but inconclusive note.

Readers who enjoyed this book will appreciate Speak, where Melinda finds herself in a similar situation but deals with it in a completely different way.

Fat Angie

Charlton-Trujillo, E. E. Fat Angie. 2013. 264p. ISBN 0763661198. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Angie has never been thin, but she’s always had her sister and her adopted brother to protect her from bullies and those who torment the weak and the different. Her sister was dedicated and worked hard towards her goals. A champion basketball player, she turned down a full scholarship and joined the military before being deployed to Iraq.

Nine months ago, she went missing in Iraq and has not been seen since. Angie’s world ended on that day. Called Fat Angie at school by the well-meaning kids and worse names by beautiful Stacey and her clique, Angie attempted suicide during a school assembly, in front of everyone. With divorced parents who don’t care, with a brother now on the skids as well, and with her sister gone, Angie thought she had nothing left to live for and wanted to make a statement. Only she didn’t die. She survived her attempt, and had to return to school after a bout with therapy. Her miserable existence continues, and only the hope that her sister will be found alive sustains her.

Then KC Romance arrives in her little Ohio town. KC is everything Angie is not: bold, outspoken, pretty, thin. But, like Angie, she’s got several secrets. She’s a cutter. She’s gay-girl gay. And she’s attracted to Angie, whom she does not see as fat but rather as exceptional. With someone new in her life, someone who loves her for whom she is, Angie’s life has just gotten more complicated.

This book really has it all: bullying, divorce, homosexuality, body issues, harassment, parental neglect, self-harm, depression, sports competition, and intense sibling rivalry. Readers interested in any of these topics will find their fill by reading the sad, tragic, but ultimately redeeming life of fat Angie.

Ghost Most Foul

Grayson, Patti. Ghost Most Foul. Coteau Books. 2015. 192p. ISBN 978-1550506143. Available on the library shelves at FIC GRA.

At fourteen, Summer Widden breathes and lives basketball. As the tallest girl on her middle school team, she’s looking forward to a great season. Coach Nolan even believes this team could make it to the Provincials. And, as she tells them, it’s not about winning, it’s about how you win.

Summer suddenly jolts up in terror in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. That same night, Coach Nolan’s plane goes down in the Caribbean, and there are no survivors. Suddenly, the team gets a new coach, and the group dynamics Coach Nolan had worked hard to suppress are back. Summer’s friends do not like Dodie and pick on her, and Coach Rogers plays favorite. Worse, Summer now sees the ghost of Coach Nolan, who is trying to convey a message to Summer. Amid counseling and mental breakdowns, with a basketball season hitting the skids, can Summer discover what the ghost want before it’s too late to salvage the Provincials?

New England Patriots

Wyner, Zach. New England Patriots. 2015. 32p. ISBN 978-1-4896-0854-3. Available at 796.33 WYN on the library shelves.

So you think you know everything about the New England Patriots? Did you know that they have the record for most wins during a 10 year period? That they changed their uniforms? That Belichick and Brady have the most wins of any player / coach duo?

This short book presents an overview of one of the NFL’s powerhouse teams, describing its history and providing background information on everything from Gillette stadium, their uniforms, the mascot, and their records. The stars of today and the legends of the past are also explored, as is the coaching staff.

This book is a must read for fans of this great football team!

The Scorpio Races

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. 2011. 409p. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1. Available at FIC STI on the library shelves.

Every year on the first day of November, the Scorpio Race takes place. Thisby Island’s best riders compete against each other with the best horses to win the race and the purse that’s attached to it. Most riders ride the fabled capail uisce, the fearsome water horses. Carnivorous and temperamental beasts, they hail from the Scorpio sea and are notorious for their foul mood and their deadly anger. Caught, stabled, and trained, most capail uisce are still bold enough to make for the water during the race, sometimes trampling and killing their riders.

Sean Kendrick has worked as a stableboy then as a trainer for Malvern stables. The stables are owned by Benjamin Malvern, the richest horse master on the island. People come from as far away as America to purchase a Malvern horse. The pride of the stable is the red uisce, Corr. Sean has ridden Corr in the races four times, and each time he has come in first. This year, he expects this will be no exception. Unfortunately, his life soon collides with Puck Connolly.

Katherine Connolly, or Puck to her friends, has always ridden. When her parents died on a fishing trip, victims or the capail uisce, she was left orphaned with her brothers Gabe and Finn. As the November race draws near, Gabe announces he will be leaving the island like so many other young people to work on the mainland. And the house is about to be seized by Benjamin Malvern, the landlord, for nonpayment of rent. Puck decides that the only way to save the family homestead is by competing in the Scorpio Race, and win.

But to do so her small mare Dove will need more training than she’s getting, and better food than what she’s been eating. Puck’s entrance in the race is about to throw into disarray the tradition that only male riders have been in the Scorpio Race. As Sean begins to help her, Puck realizes that winning the race may solidify her dream of remaining on the island, but it may cost Sean everything...

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season

Ballard, Chris. One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season. 2012. 272p. ISBN 140132438X. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

In 1971, Macon, Illinois was a small town with a population of about 1,200. Its small high school was unremarkable in every way, except one. Its baseball team, made up of local athletes, packed enough talent and worked hard enough to turn that spring season into an unlikely run to the State Championship.

Written by an expert sports writer for Sports Illustrated, this book tells the story not only of the players on the team, but also of their coach, and, more importantly, of life in their little town in 1971. The author also visits with the surviving protagonists and describes how, forty years later, the road to the Championship changed their lives.

This action-packed nonfiction book really brings home what the concept of team and hard work are, and will be appreciated by sports fans!

Winger

Smith, Andrew. Winger. 2013. 439p. ISBN 1442444924. FIC SMI on the library shelves. This book was been nominated for a Flume Award in 2015.

At fourteen, Ryan Dean West is the youngest junior at Pine Mountain Academy in Oregon, a school for students who are both rich and neglected at home by their self-absorbed parents. Ryan Dean, who goes by the nickname Winger for his position on the rugby team, has been assigned to Opportunity Hall, the worst dorm on campus where students are only a step away from suspension or expulsion. Worse, his roommate is none other than Chas, the meanest and biggest rugby player on the team.

Madly in love with Annie, his best friend and confidante, he has revealed to her many times his attraction, but she’s always blown him off because he’s so young. But this year, Winger plans on becoming a changed man, and that means getting Annie to love him back. Oh, and survive rugby season and Chas’ bullying.

But when Winger begins making out with Megan, Chas’ girlfriend, it could land him in a host of trouble, with Chas, with Annie, his friends, the rugby team and even the whole school. Will Winger step up and win the girl of his heart, or will he think with his, well, you know?

Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, Winger is a book you won’t want to put down.

Fans of this book will appreciate another of Andrew Smith’s books, Grasshopper Jungle; Jesse Andrews’ Me, Earl and the Dying Girl; Antony John’s Busted.

The Off Season

Murdock, Catherine. The Off Season. Dairy Queen Series, Book 2. 2007. 277p. ISBN 0618686959. FIC MUR on the library shelves.

This hilarious yet heartbreaking story continues the tale of D.J. Schwenk and her family. In Dairy Queen, D.J. joined the football team and became a starter linebacker for the Red Bend High school team. She still has feelings for Brian Nelson, the rival quarterback from Hawley, and she’s still in charge of many of the dairy farm’s operations.

As her junior begins, D.J. realizes that she stands out more than her usual 6 feet self used to, now that she’s a football star. Kids who wouldn’t giver her the light of day at school are now talking to her, which she finds weird because she doesn’t like to attract attention to herself. All everyone can talk about is how she intercepted Brian Nelson’s pass during a pre-season scrimmage, and their hope she will repeat the exploit during the biggest game of the year.

D.J. is still trying to figure out who she is, and what she really wants, however, as is her brother Curtis. In 8th grade, he has a girlfriend and they are working on scientific experiments together, instead of playing football as his father would like. D.J. stands up to a freshman’s bullies and gets suspended from football, which lets everyone down. The farm is facing financial difficulties, and her best friend Amber is a lesbian and dating an older girl called Dale.

All of these problems pale in comparison to what happens to her older brother Will when, as quarterback for the University of Washington, he is tackled and breaks his spine. Now confined to a wheelchair and lacking the will to live, D.J. is Will’s only hope at recovery, but only if she can help herself first.

Playing with the Boys

Shepherd, Nicole Leigh. Playing with the Boys. 2008. 244p. ISBN 978-1-59514-113-2. FIC SHE on the library shelves.

Following the death of her mother, Lucy and her father move from Ohio to California as an attempt to leave the pain behind. The star of her high school varsity soccer team, she tries out for her new school’s team, but despite the fact that she has the most accurate kick, she does not even make the junior varsity squad of Beachwood High. In frustration, she kicks the ball across half of the field and storms off.

Observed by the football coach, Lucy is approached and asked to try out for the varsity football team as it needs a new kicker. At first, Lucy is not entirely comfortable with the idea. Football, after all, is a guy sport. But during the tryouts she realizes that as the kicker, she’s in complete control of the ball and of the results on the field, and that makes her forget about the pain of her mother’s death. Plus, the quarterback, Ryan Conner, is very cute.

Unfortunately, no one else wants her on the team. Not her teammates, not the school administrators, and not her father, who has always tried to protect her. Can Lucy surmount these obstacles and become the best kicker the team’s ever had, or will she cave under the pressure and the scrutiny?

Fans of Dairy Queen will enjoy Lucy taking on a male sport as they cheered for DJ in a similar plot.

Front and Center

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Front and Center. Dairy Queen Series, Book 3. 2009. 256p. ISBN 978-0-618-95982-2. FIC MUR on the library shelves.

Returning to school after taking some time off to help her brother after his horrible accident in The Off Season, DJ hopes to once again blend in the background and return to her anonymous status. But an article in People Magazine on her relationship with football and Brian, scouting by Division I coaches, and the pressures of dealing with her broken relationship with Brian and a new blossoming one with Beaner.

DJ’s basketball season is interspaced with the recruiting efforts of coaches, her training of Ashley, a senior who can’t play ball, her brother’s needs to have a purpose to his life by helping her get into college, and DJ’s own confusing feelings for Brian and Beaner. Continuing the hilarious journey that is DJ’s life, Murdock brings the conclusion of the Dairy Queen trilogy to a satisfying end, but fans of DJ will be left wanting more. 

Straight Punch

Polak, Monique. Straight Punch. 2014. 256p. FIC POL on the library shelves.

Tessa loves to tag buildings with her brand of graffiti art, but when she gets caught for the third time tagging the principal’s garage, she gets assigned to New Directions, a school in Montreal North for at-risk teens. Mornings are dedicated to academic work, but in the afternoon students train as boxers and play bouts against each other.

Tessa, who has always been afraid of violence and bullies, is intimidated at first by the other students but she slowly learns their stories and how they ended up there. With her controlling and jealous boyfriend, and a incensed neighbor trying to close what she perceives is a school for delinquents, Tessa must step in a leadership role to save the school, and herself.

Monique Polak wrote another compelling story called What World is Left about a Dutch Jew girl during Second World War.