While I generally think the amount of people yelling “LET’S GO” has gotten out of hand, the Olympics is an appropriate venue. You could say I’m pretty excited to watch the best athletes in the world compete in Paris. And if you get inspired to read a book about some of the summer Olympic sporting events, check out this list.
Gymnastics: Vaulting Through Time by Nancy McCabe
Sixteen-year-old gymnast Elizabeth Arlington has a lot to worry about: an embarrassing crush on her ex-best-friend Zach, and changes in her body that affect her center of gravity and make vaulting and tumbling more terrifying than they used to be. But when she makes a discovery that throws her entire identity into question, she turns to Zach, who suggests a way for her to find the answers her mother won’t give her: a time machine they found in an abandoned house. As Elizabeth catapults through time, she encounters a mysterious abandoned child, an elite gymnast preparing for the Olympic Trials, and an enigmatic woman who seems to know more than she’s revealing. Then when a thief makes off with an identical time machine, Elizabeth races to stop the thief before the world as she knows it is destroyed.
Track and field: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other but to themselves.
Swimming: Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, but, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help. With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done.
Tennis: Drop Shot by Harlan Coben
Once, Valerie Simpson’s tennis career skyrocketed; now, the headlines belong to a player from the wrong side of the tracks. But when Valerie is shot dead in cold blood and dropped outside the stadium at the U.S. Open, sports agent Myron Bolitar investigates the killing and uncovers a connection between the two players and a six-year-old murder at an exclusive mainline club. As Myron is drawn into the case–along with a dirty U.S. senator, a jealous mother, and the mob–he finds himself caught between a killer and the truth.
Boxing: Boxer Handsome by Anna Whitwham
Boxing runs in Bobby’s blood. His Irish dad was a boxer. So was his Jewish grandfather. And Bobby knows he shouldn’t be messing in street brawls a week before his big fight with Connor ‘the Gypsy Boy’, an Irish traveler from around the way. They’re fighting over a traveler girl with Connor’s name all over her. But Bobby’s handsome, like his dad; boxer handsome.
Fencing: It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango
No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was . . . until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but her body doesn’t move the way it used to. When the new number one sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can’t accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn’t the only thing holding her back.
Equestrian: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts into civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. Washington, D.C., 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse–one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.
Archery: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity.
Rowing: The Boys In the Boat by Daniel James Brown
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world.
Soccer: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
In Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising soccer star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. But her parents don’t know about her passion. And the boy she once loved is back in town. But Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings. Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambitions of a girl like her.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.
