Choose a Sport, Get a Book Rec By Stefanie Hoffman Choose a Sport, Get a Book RecDo the thing! Score the points! Go team go! While I was definitely the kid who tried nearly every sport growing up, I definitely didn’t excel at every sport growing up. But you don’t have to be the world’s greatest athlete in order to enjoy watching the spectacle! So whether you’re a star athlete or prefer to watch from the sidelines, we have a great read picked out for you. Go ahead—choose a sport and get a new recommendation!<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/sidelined">Sidelined</a><a href="https://www.thenovl.com/sidelined"></a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/karabietz"></a><a href="https://www.thenovl.com/karabietz">Kara Bietz</a>Whether you’re facing off in a gridiron game of your own, or prefer to cheer from the sidelines, if pigskin is your pick, <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/sidelined">SIDELINED</a> should be your next read.Julian Jackson has a short to-do list for his senior year at Crenshaw County High School in Meridien, Texas: football, football, and more football. He knows he's only got one chance to earn a college scholarship and make it out of his small town, and keeping his head down, his grades up, and his cleats on the field is that one chance. And then Elijah Vance walks back into his life, throwing all of his carefully-laid plans into a tailspin.Elijah and Julian used to be best friends, maybe even on their way to something more than just friends. But three years ago, Elijah broke into the school to steal money from the coach's office, and Julian was the one who turned him in. After that, Elijah and his family disappeared without a trace. And now he's back, sitting at Julian's grandmother's kitchen table.But time and distance haven't erased all of their feelings, and Elijah knows that he finally has a chance to prove to Julian that he's not the same person he was three years ago. But with secrets still growing between them and an uncertain future barreling towards them, it may be harder to lean on each other than they thought.<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/onceandfuture">Once & Future</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/capettamccarthy">A. R. Capetta + Cory Mccarthy</a>If the thought of wielding a sword is appealing, imagine wielding THE sword. An ancient, magic sword. Once & Future is the book for you. My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur. Now I’m done hiding.When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind. No pressure. <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/throwlikeagirl">Throw Like a Girl</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/sarahhenning">Sarah Henning</a>This may look like a football story, but here’s a curveball: it’s SO much more. And definitely a home run.When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she'll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched... Every. Single. Day. Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with perfect hair and an even more perfect plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he'll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland's halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who's got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/amatchmadeinmehendi">A Match Made in Mehendi</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/nandinibajpai">Nandini Bajpai</a>If you love the fast-paced nature of soccer with all its fancy footwork, and you love love, then A Match Made in Mehendi is your perfect match!Fifteen-year-old Simran “Simi” Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole-matchmakers-with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the “gift.”But Simi is an artist, and she doesn’t want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah’s social status. Armed with her family’s ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service-via an app, of course.But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys’ soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/theothersideofperfect">The Other Side of Perfect</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/marikoturk">Mariko Turk</a>Anyone who has laced up one pair of pointe shoes, or tap-danced their way onto any stage knows that dance can be both brutally difficult and breathtakingly beautiful. The Other Side of Perfect is the perfect choice, whether you’re a prima ballerina or just enjoy watching from the wings.Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but one terrifying fall shatters her leg—and her dreams of a professional ballet career along with it. After a summer healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and binging ballet videos on YouTube), she is forced to trade her pre-professional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the school musical. However, rehearsals offer more than she expected—namely Jude, her annoyingly attractive cast mate she just might be falling for. But to move forward, Alina must make peace with her past and face the racism she had grown to accept in the dance industry. She wonders what it means to yearn for ballet--something so beautiful, yet so broken. And as broken as she feels, can she ever open her heart to someone else? Touching, romantic, and peppered with humor, this debut novel explores the tenuousness of perfectionism, the possibilities of change, and the importance of raising your voice. <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/daughterofsparta">Daughter of Sparta</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/clairemandrews">Claire M. Andrews</a>The Greeks literally created the Olympics. So why not read a little ancient mythology with a crazy-awesome twist? Trust us, you’ll be sprinting through this in no time. Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world.Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis—who holds Daphne’s brother’s fate in her hands—upends the life she’s worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods’ waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother’s life will be forfeit.Guided by Artemis’s twin-the handsome and entirely-too-self-assured god Apollo-Daphne’s journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves.<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/fierce">Fierce</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/alyraisman">Aly Raisman</a>Gymnasts are superhuman! Aly Raisman tells her story in this powerful biography, as she goes from tiny tot to Olympian. Fierce inspires everyone to be just that—FIERCE!Aly Raisman first stepped onto a gymnastics mat as a toddler in a "mommy & me" gymnastics class. No one could have predicted then that sixteen years later, she'd be standing on an Olympic podium, having achieved her dreams.But it wasn't an easy road to success. Aly faced obstacle after obstacle, including naysayers who claimed that she didn't have the talent to compete at an elite level and classmates who shamed Aly for her athletic body. Through it all, Aly surrounded herself with supportive family, friends, and teammates and found the inner strength to believe in herself and prove her doubters wrong. In her own words, Aly shows what it takes to be a champion on and off the floor, and takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey before, during, and after her remarkable achievements in two Olympic Games—through her highest highs, lowest lows, and all the moments in between.Honest and heartfelt, frank and funny, Aly's story is enhanced with never-before-published photos, excerpts from the personal journals she's kept since childhood that chronicle memorable moments with her teammates, and hard-won advice for readers striving to rise above challenges, learn to love themselves, and make their own dreams come true.<a href="https://www.thenovl.com/courtoffives">Court of Fives</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/kateelliott">Kate Elliott</a>If the thought of picking just one event is too much, then Court of Fives is for you. Would you be able to compete in The Fives? Trust us, it’s unlike any competition you’re familiar with.In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first bestselling young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors–one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy–causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death. <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/lighttheabyss">The Light at the Bottom of the World</a> by <a href="https://www.thenovl.com/londonshah">London Shah</a>If the thought of not swimming makes you feel like a fish out of water, The Light at the Bottom of the World is for you. The story takes place underwater AND features some heart-pounding racing. Guaranteed you’ll be holding your breath at some points too.From debut author London Shah, comes a thrilling futuristic Sci-Fi mystery perfect for fans of Illuminae and These Broken Stars.In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind wavers between hope and fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.When sixteen-year-old submersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the city’s prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture-or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.Choose a sport!
