We’re midway through football season! If the games (whether real life or video games) aren’t enough, Teen Services has plenty of books about football featuring a diverse variety of protagonists to satisfy your craving.
Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler Amber is thrilled to be cheer captain, but things get more complicated after her high school’s quarterback dies and Jack (short for Jaclyn) replaces him. Some of the players and her fellow cheerleaders don’t want a girl quarterbacking their team. Amber is torn between wanting to keep her place as squad captain, wanting the team to succeed with Jack and her developing (mutual) feelings for Jack.
Kneel by Candace Buford Russell knows football is the way out of his hometown and as a Tight End with Division I scholarship offers, he’s close to seeing it through. After his friend and teammate is wrongfully arrested, Russell wants to speak out. Inspired by Colin Kaepernick, he begins kneeling in protest which leads to anger and hatred directed towards him. Russell has to figure out how to both follow his dreams and strive for justice.
Final Season by Tim Green Sixth grader Ben has football in his blood. His brothers play college football and his father played in the NFL as a defensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons. He loves playing Quarterback and being coached by his dad. After his dad is diagnosed with the incurable disease ALS, likely as a result of playing football, Ben’s mom wants him to stop playing. He and his family have to decide whether this will be his final season. Like Ben’s father, author Tim Green played for the Falcons as a defensive lineman and is living with ALS. This book is a 2026 Caudill Award Finalist that can be found in our new Caudill Award display.
Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach After Isaiah’s sister dies, his family starts to fall apart and he starts causing trouble. Football gives him discipline and helps his family reconcile. He even becomes a local hero in his football-obsessed Southwestern Wisconsin small town and gets college scholarship offers. After he’s knocked out cold in a game and suffers serious post-concussion symptoms, he has to decide whether it’s worth the cost.
Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin After Mara is kicked off her high school basketball team for fighting, she decides to join her brother Noah and play her other favorite sport, football. She quickly shows how talented she is and other girls decide to join the team. This complicates things in her social life (her crush is one of the new players), her small Oregon town (not ready to accept girls playing football) and even her own family.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock Fifteen-year-old DJ has a lot to say, but a lot is unsaid in her small town Wisconsin family. Besides family secrets, she also has to navigate trying out for her school’s football and a crush on a rival school’s quarterback who works on her family’s dairy farm.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin American Indian boarding schools contributed to discrimination and violence against Native Americans as well as the erasure of their history and culture. Against that backdrop, the young Native American men at Carlisle Indian School overcame incredible obstacles to dominate bigger, more privileged white schools. Featuring future Pro Football Hall of Famer (and Olympic medalist) Jim Thorpe and eccentric white coach Pop Warner (who founded the famous youth football league named after him), they were called “the team that invented football” for their innovativeness.
You can find physical copies of these books and more in our Teen Lounge area. Some of them are also available as e-books which you can download using your free DKPL library card. Your friendly Teen Services Staff is always happy to help you find your next book. If you’re interested in more information feel free to contact Teen Services Staff in the Teen Room at 815-756-9568 (ext. 2450) or by e-mail at [email protected].