All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis - ESSENTIAL

All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis, 384 pages. Atheneum (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $20.

 

Language: R (85 swears 14 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG13 (bloody fight, police brutality, taunting, football violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

16yo Aiden wants to play on his brother's high school football team, and it's finally the year they can do it. 17yo Brandon is a senior and the number one recruit in the nation, but when Aiden, who is a good player, but also has autism, has an episode at tryouts, it looks like the boys won't get to play together after all. When a spot opens and Aiden does gets on the team, some of the other players are unhappy, and resent him because they think he's only playing because his brother is the star quarterback. At a team party after a win, one player picks a fight with Aiden, which turns into chaos, the police are called and several boys on the team are arrested. Including Brandon, who as far as Aiden remembers, wasn't involved. But the police say he assaulted an officer and resisted arrest. Aiden feels this is all his fault, and is desperate to clear his brother's name and save his future prospects. 

There's a lot going on in this engaging, heart wrenching, moving story. Davis hits on racism, social issues, high school football, the legal system, and being a child with autism. At one point he confronts his coach with honest questions and anger about how he has been treated by adults - differently because he's black? because he had autism? because of his brother? Those questions don't have a neat easy answer. A good mix of black and white players on the team, as well as a gay couple. A nice companion to Come Home Safe by Brian Buckmire. 

Aiden and Brandon are black, many of the team is too, most are white. 

Lisa Librarian  

Goalkeeper (Tangerine #2) by Edward Bloor - ESSENTIAL

Goalkeeper (Tangerine #2) by Edward Bloor, 192 pages. Harper Collins, OCTOBER 2025. $20

Language: PG (7 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (physical threats)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Paul Fisher has finished his 7th grade year at a Catholic school, but is looking forward to going back to Tangerine Middle School for 8th grade and back to his soccer team. His older brother Erik is under house arrest, not for the death he caused, but for the burglaries. A so-called Christian sub shop owner has come to town and Paul’s dad has bought into the patter. Between drama on the soccer field, drama between friends, drama with Erik, and huge drama caused by the subshop, Paul’s life is topsy-turvy once again. 

It has been almost 20 years since Tangerine was published - it has always been a favorite of mine.  Even though it took so long, I am so happy with Bloor’s sequel! He juggles the multiple strands of the story that none of them feeling left out or overwhelming. I also want to point out that Bloor accomplished all of this in under 200 pages - great for reluctant readers.

The characters are mostly white, with some Latinx.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Hoops Academy: On the Line by J.B. Duncan - ADVISABLE

Hoops Academy: On the Line by J.B. Duncan, 104 pages. Darby Creek (Lerner), 2025. $12

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Nadia has made the JV basketball team as a freshman and is totally jazzed about that. She would be even more excited if she were doing better in algebra. Hoops Academy demands excellence on and off the court and if her grade drops below a B she can't play. Nadia doesn't seem to be the only one struggling with grades and someone on the team may be cheating, which could also keep Nadia from playing. 

Nice that the books aren't just about basketball. Nadia's situation is relatable and you find yourself rooting for her. Super quick read. Though it becomes fairly predictable, it's satisfying and you won't be sorry you picked it up. Race is not specified. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Hoops Academy: Numbers Game by J.B. Duncan - ADVISABLE

Hoops Academy: Numbers Game by J.B. Duncan, 104 pages. Darby Creek (Lerner), 2025 $12 

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Kaita is in her senior year at Hoops Academy and everything seems to be going her way. She is varsity team captain and finally gets to wear her lucky number on her jersey. Except that her jersey keeps disappearing, and soon, her team mates begin finding things missing from the locker room as well. Mistrust eats at the team, making it difficult to play. Kaita has to find out what's happening before their team implodes. 

Short and to the point. Books in this series alternate between male and female protagonists, and don't have to be read in consecutive order, though it may help a little. The story is quickly paced and has some positive vibes about getting along, teamwork, and seeing others' points of view. No race is specified. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Hoops Academy: Boxed Out by J.B. Duncan - ADVISABLE

Hoops Academy: Boxed Out by J.B. Duncan, 104 pages. Darby Creek (Lerner), 2025. $12

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Murph and Mike are twins who have played basketball together all their lives. Mike makes the varsity team, while Murph is on the JV team. Murph is completely bugged by this and doesn't take his coach's guidance seriously. When Murph gets an unexpected opportunity to move up to varsity, he has to decide if he really has what it takes to make it. 

Short and sweet and high interest. This is a great hook for reluctant readers who like basketball. Murph is relatable, with his faults and dreams of glory, and the underlying messages of having to work and be a team player are a happy bonus. Race and culture are not specified. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Black Star (Door of No Return #2) by Kwame Alexander - ESSENTIAL

Black Star (Door of No Return #2) by Kwame Alexander, 384 pages. Little, Brown, 2024. $18.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (lynching mentioned) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

12yo Charlene (Charley) is good at baseball. She can pitch with both hands and hits well, too. But except for Cool Willie Green and Henry, called Socks, she doesn't have a team. Being black in the segregated south in the 1920s leaves her few options, so when the town bully challenges Charley and her "team" to a baseball game at the church picnic, Charley accepts, even though 3 kids aren't really a team. 

Black Star is the 2nd in Alexander's novel in verse trilogy, The Door of No Return. Kofi from the 1st book is now Charley's wise and beloved grandfather. I was on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book, loved Nana's stories and the glimpses of his history. Alexander now has a Basketball title (Crossover), a Soccer Title (Booked) and now this one about Baseball. An essential purchase, especially if you have The Door of No Return. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Right Call by Tommy Greenwald - ESSENTIAL

The Right Call by Tommy Greenwald, 253 pages. Amulet, 2025. $19.

Language:  G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (pushing ends up with umpire in coma)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Something has changed in Cal’s pitching and now he is attracting attention from powerful people. All that changes after his Dad injures the umpire in a fit of anger after a game.  Now, with his Dad in serious trouble, Cal has lost his love of the game.  Plus his coach’s incessant training has injured Cal’s throwing arm.  Cal wants to go back to the games that he has always loved, but doesn’t really see a path forward on his own.

Using police transcripts, text messages, news articles, among others, Greenwald again brings us right into the controversies around a sport culture that exploits children at earlier and earlier ages. He shines the light on the anger and competitiveness among parents of “superstar” athletes. I’m glad Greenwald is writing books that are about sports, but that also address them on a deeper level - 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Shadowed by Carl Deuker - OPTIONAL

Shadowed by Carl Deuker, 352 pages. Harper Collins, 2024. $19

Content: G (a death mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Nate and his neighbor across the street, Lucas, both love basketball, but they haven’t been friends since Nate said something disparaging about Lucas’s special needs sister. It isn’t until high school, when Nate decides to pursue basketball, instead of his family’s beloved soccer, that Nate reconnects with Lucas - but only outside of school.  Can Lucas’s fierceness on the court help Nate make-up for all the years he is behind in learning the game? As Nate tries to prove himself to his rival, Colin, Lucas gets caught in the crossfire.

Shadowed is deeper, slower roll of a book - more complicated than anything Deuker has written before. It does follow Nate through all four years of high school - diving deep, crafting heartbreak.  Some will not persist and find the heart of the book.  Those that do will find a gem.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Messi Mania by Luis Miguel Echegaray - ESSENTIAL

Messi Mania by Luis Miguel Echegaray, 160 pages. NON-FICTION Holler (Quarto), 2025. $16

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Sports reporter Echegaray gives an intimate feeling look into the life and career of soccer superstar Lionel Messi. Interestingly, he doesn’t follow Messi’s life in a linear manner - instead he mixes the chapters up a bit, which I enjoyed. Much better than a conventional biography.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage by David A. Robertson - ADVISABLE

The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage by David A. Robertson, 192 pages. Highwater Press, 2024. $13

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G ; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Alex Robinson is 11yo and in 6th grade when his world is upended. He has to move from the rez to Winnipeg when his father gets a new job. Alex is worried he won't fit in. He is Indigenous, and even though he makes the hockey team, he faces racism he never had to face on the reservation.

This is book one of the Breakout Chronicles. The author is a member of Norway House Cree Nation, so he draws from experience. There is a nice balance between the racism issues and the plot. The hockey game descriptions are fast paced and realistic and even readers new to hockey will appreciate them. The print is small and the cover didn't do wonders for me, but readers will be well rewarded if they get past cosmetics. Alex is a member of Norway House Cree Nation.

Michelle in the Middle 

Keeper by Alan Gibbons - ADVISABLE

Keeper by Alan Gibbons, 76 pages. Middle Grade Union Square, 2024. $9 

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Shane is the new kid at the middle school. He is a talented soccer player but his temper makes him pretty intense. His father is almost unbearable at games, and Shane's teammates begin to worry that something may be really wrong in Shane's life. 

The book doesn't look like much because it's so short, and I was prepared not to like it. However it intersperses interesting facts about soccer into the story and the story brings up deeper themes of abuse and fitting in. The book is reader friendly and is high interest for reluctant readers. Race is never specified. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Shaken by James Preller - ESSENTIAL

Shaken by James Preller, 240 pages. Feiwel (Macmillan), 2024. $18

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Kristy may only be in middle school, she already plays on the high school’s varsity soccer team - and she is their first good hope to win the playoffs. A bad move and kick to the head later and Kristy can barely get out of bed, let alone face a soccer ball. No one seems to understand the state her concussion left her in - she can’t just shake it off and “get back out there”. Her teammates, her parents, most of the kids at school (when she can make it to school) are all putting pressure on her. Only her doctor and her psychologist are actually listening, it feels. 

Wow - Preller dissects another important issue.  If you haven’t read his YA works, you really should. And I not only have a lot of soccer girls at my school, but I remember a teacher who daughter played soccer and received a severe concussion several years ago and Preller feels like he talked to this mother and daughter to write this book! Would be great for any coach of any sport to read.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

We Are Big Time by Hena Khan, illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui - ADVISABLE

We Are Big Time by Hena Khan, illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui, 234 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Random House, 2024. $14 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some name calling)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Just a couple of months into her freshman year, Aliya's family moves from Florida to Milwaukee to be closer to their grandparents. While she's excited to go to a Muslim school along with her two brothers, she is disappointed to leave her friends and her County Rec. basketball team. But she enrolls in the new school in time to tryout for their girl's team - they have a new coach who has plans to turn these girls into quality high school athletes. 

Girl's basketball - how fun with some nice ballgame action. The team was unique in that there aren't many Muslim girl's basketball teams. Their opponents underestimated them, but they still had to work very hard to become a good team. The family dynamics are fun, Dada talks about Kareen Abdul Jabar. 

Lisa Librarian 

Eyes on the Ice by Anna Rosner - OPTIONAL

Eyes on the Ice by Anna Rosner, 180 pages, Groundwood Books, 2024. $15.

Language: G (0 swear, 0 "F"); Mature Content: G; Violence:  PG (gun brandished, threats)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

In 1963 Czechoslavakia, 10yo Lukas and 12yo Denys are hockey mad. Though they don’t have the best equipment, their talent shines through.  They are offered places on a prestigious team – but in their Communist-controlled country, everything comes with a price. Then their father is arrested and they know that somehow, if their father returns to them they must escape.

Rosner takes some known historical facts of actual escapes to weave together her story. If you have a student who loves hockey and is also willing to read historical fiction, add this to your library.

Cindy, MS Library Teacher

Tryouts by Sarah Sax - ADVISABLE

Tryouts by Sarah Sax (The Brinkley Yearbooks #2), 286 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Knopf (Random House), 2024. $22 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

13yo Alexandra Olsen lives for baseball. She's played on little league teams forever, but has aged out. She wants to be on the middle school team but it's an all boy team. She tries out anyway. With a tenth consecutive championship on the line, her team isn't working together well at all. What's a girl to do? 

Ali is a great character. She's a go-getter and she really just wants to play. Her friends are doing different things at the middle school and this book is really a celebration of what makes students thrive, whether it is sports or something different. Great themes of friendship and that life is not all about winning or losing, but about people. I totally loved the unexpected ending. There is hope for middle schoolers with this book! Race or culture isn't mentioned. Ali has red hair and freckles and there are a variety of skin tones throughout the book. 

Michelle in the Middle 

True True by Don P. Hooper - OPTIONAL

True True by Don P. Hooper, 384 pages. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. $17 

Language: PG-13 (67 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (Subject matter. Smoking. Drinking); Violence: PG-13 (Bullying)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

17yo Gil Powell lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is interested in robotics but there is no robotics program at his school. There is a private school in Manhattan that has an intense robotics program. Gil advocates for himself and gets accepted to Augustin Prep school and receives a scholarship. Also, Gil is a martial arts expert and participates in a neighborhood martial arts studio with local friends. Gil is targeted by a fellow student and "forced" to display his martial arts skills. He gets in trouble and is placed on probation. Other students of color at APS are isolated and they form a club and demonstrate against the inequalities at the prep school. Gil turns to the book The Art of War to devise a plan to keep his placement at APS. 

Gil is a likable character, and his work ethic is admirable. Some of the instances he has questionable ethics in his interpretation of what is allowable and not allowable. The angst between the neighborhood and friends and those at the prep school seem fairly typical. The students at the prep school work well together to create and devise plans to teach the prep school community about their racism from people and the institution. Gil is a second-generation Jamaican living in a Jamaican neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. He lives with his grandmother, who is suffering from dementia, and his mother. His father is in Jamaica trying to secure legal status in the US. 

Bryant Baird, Librarian 

Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido - OPTIONAL

Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido, 272 pages. Viking Books for Young Readers, 2023. $19

 Language: R (100+ swears 3 'fs'); Mature Content: PG-13 (Bullying) Violence:  PG-13 (Boxing violence, Teenagers fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME 

Agbayani Bobby is a gay, Filipino student at Westlake High School in Southern California. He keeps in the closet until he is outed by a fellow student. Rather than deny or cover up he decides to come out. He is bullied by fellow students who steal his bicycle. The bicycle is an important memento to Bobby as it was a gift from his deceased father. His best friend is Rosie, a quick witted, fierce, and loyal Latina friend. Bobby decides to counter the bullies by signing up at a local boxing gym. He gets a job there to pay for the fees. Luke, the owner of the gym, becomes Bobby's boxing coach and instructor. 

This is a heartfelt story of coming to terms with who you are and how to make your way in the world while navigating tricky events that occur. I loved that the chapters were called "Rounds". The story flows and is good. There is a lot of bullying. The plot seems predictable, and the characters are what might be expected. Bobby grapples with being gay in high school and culturally not acceptable. His hero the Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao, is running for political office and denounces homosexuals, which crushes Bobby. 

Bryant Baird, Librarian 

Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald - OPTIONAL

Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald. 261 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2023. $19 

Language: R (217 swears 44 'f's); Mature Content: PG-13 (Passionate kissing. Mentions of sex, masturbation, and pornography. Sexually graphic homophobic slurs. Inappropriate images are drawn on a boy's locker.) Violence: PG-13 (Verbal and physical bullying, fist fights. A boy is intentionally hit by a car while riding his bike. A man aims a shot gun at two teenagers.) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Barclay is a high school basketball star and the high school and the town love him. But on his 16th birthday, he decides a pep rally is the best place to announce that he is gay. All of the people he thought loved him have now turned on him. With his team against him, he turns to his best friend Amy. She gets him involved in her voting rights group. Barclay starts to find purpose and new friends off the court. Through the group, he meets the talented and handsome Christopher. It is a slow process but with time Barclay learns that some of his actions have been selfish and how to combat that. He learns to show up for his family who are all still grieving the recent death of their grandfather. He learns how to show up for his friends. And he learns how to be his complete self. 

At its heart, this is a good coming out story. I appreciate that Barclay does not have it all figured out at the beginning but he speaks his truth anyway. Over the course of the book he learns and grows and it is enjoyable to watch. He also learns that he is not the only one struggling with things and figures out that he can help others as well as himself. The book has excessive swear words that distract from the message and the homophobic slurs are sexually graphic in nature. Barclay his family and Christopher are white. No other ethnicity is specifically mentioned. 

A. Snow 

Strikers by Kiel Phegley, illustrated by Jacques Khouri - OPTIONAL

Strikers by Kiel Phegley, illustrated by Jacques Khouri, 168 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Graphic Universe Lerner, 2023. $19 

Language: PG (9 swears, 0 F); Mature Content: PG (alcohol, mom's multiple partners); Violence: PG (hockey violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

11yo Evan just wants to win a hockey game. His friend, Bobby, spends most of his time in the penalty box because he would rather fight than win. Their underdog team, the Strikers, doesn't have much going for it. They are made up of a rag-tag bunch of kids with hand-me-down coats and not much in the way of equipment or even a coach. The kids just want to take the ice and get a win. The setting is 1986 in Flint, Michigan, where it may have been easier to get on the ice than it is today. 

This is sort of a gritty love story for anyone who loves a sport so much that they can't leave it alone even when the odds are stacked against them. There aren't many graphic novels about hockey, so that is a draw. Hockey fans will totally relate. The characters are largely white with a variety of ethnicities on the different teams. 

Michelle in the Middle

Fox Point' Own Gemma Hopper by Brie Spangler - ADVISABLE

Fox Point' Own Gemma Hopper by Brie Spangler, 264 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Knopf (Random House). 2023. $22 

Language: G (1 swear, 0 F); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Middle schooler, Gemma Hopper, is going through a lot as she balances cooking and looking after her younger brother while navigating school and friendship. Gemma's parents aren't around much and neither is her older brother, Teddy, who is a standout baseball player. When Gemma takes the mound to pitch to Teddy, she can escape and be Gemma Hopper, star pitcher. Baseball could either be Gemma's ticket to the big leagues or end her family as she knows it. 

I loved Gemma! She is taller than most of her classmates and her challenges are real and relatable. This book perfectly captures the angst of middle school while capturing the thrill of baseball. The illustrations are done in shades of green. You will find yourself cheering for Gemma and see shades of yourself in her story. Gemma seems Caucasian, though it's hard to be definitive from green illustrations. 

Michelle in the Middle