If there was ever a genre with built-in tension, drama and dramatic endings it is sport. Triumph over adversity, growth arcs, fandoms and series. No wonder so many children, especially ‘reluctant readers’ reach for sport books. There is an ever-growing number of titles out there with fiction punching above its weight.
To help prevent you from being crushed under the teetering pile, we’ve pulled out some of the best and most beloved fiction titles (and a biography). We’ve organised them by sport, but the best stories transcend specific games so don’t be afraid to surprise your AFL-obsessive with a swimming or a basketball book. After all, how does the saying go? Play the story not the code?
Browse the complete list on our online store.
AFL/AFLW/Marngrook
Fiction about Australian football seems to dominate kids sport fiction. If you are looking for stories with good First Nations and girls’ representation, AFL fiction is a good place to start.
Picture book
Marngrook The Long Ago Story of Aussie Rules by Titta Secombe, illustrated by Grace Fielding
Australian, First Nations
Junior fiction
Japarrika Rises by Tiwi College Alalinguwi Jarrakarlinga with Shelley Ware & David Lawrence
Australian, First Nations
Little Legends by Nicole Hayes and Adrian Beck
Australian, series
Middle grade
How to Tackle Your Dreams by Fiona Hardy
Australian
Kicking Goals by Adam Goodes, Michael O’Loughlin and Anita Heiss
Australian, First Nations, non-fiction
The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan by Felice Arena
Australian
Specky Magee by Felice Arena and Gary Lyon
Australian, series
The Selwood Boys by Tony Wilson
Australian, series
Young adult
Tracks of the Missing by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Australian, First Nations
Soccer (The other, other Football)
Soccer stories give children a chance to explore Australian stories, but also let them tap into the experiences of children all over the world through a shared understanding of the sport they love. The Middle Grade and YA titles on this list are particularly good for this.
Junior Fiction
Tiny Timmy by Tim Cahill, illustrated by Heath McKenzie
Australian, POC, Series
The Winning Goal by Sally Rippin
Australian
Football Fever 1: The Kick-off by Kristen Darrell
Australian, series
Sam Kerr: Kicking Goals by Sam Kerr and Fiona Harris
Australian, POC, Series
Middle Grade
The Breakaways by Cathy G.Johnson
LGBTQI+, graphic novel
Jaz Santos vs The World by Priscilla Mante
POC
Booked by Kwame Alexander
POC, verse novel
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
LGBTQI+
Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman
Australian, POC
Kick by Mitch Johnson
Keeper: Haunted by the Spirit of the Game by Mal Peet
Series
Young Adult
He Who Dreams by Melanie Florence
First Nations (Cree)
Basketball
Basketball seems to inspire fiction that goes beyond the large series titles that show up in other sports. There are also some great YA graphic novels in the mix that are a good choice if you are buying for a teenager who can be hard to please.
Junior Fiction
Game Day by Patty Mills and Jared Thomas, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch
Australian, First Nations, series
Middle Grade
Diary of a Basketball Hero by Shamini Flint
Young Adult
Crossover by Kwame Alexander
POC, graphic novel, verse novel
Rebound by Kwame Alexander
POC, graphic novel, verse novel
Take the Shot by Susan White
Australian, chronic illness
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
POC
My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas
First Nations
Athletics and Olympics
There is a real jumble of sports covered in this section and they give children and teenagers a peek into lots of less high-profile sports. In particular there are many great YA titles in this category.
Picture Book
Born to Run by Cathy Freeman illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis
Australian, First Nations
Running
Junior Fiction
Flying Fergus by Chris Hoy
Australian, Series
Cycling
Middle Grade
Ana on the Edge by AJ Sass
Figure Skating
LGBTIQ+
The Million Dollar Race by Matthew Ross Smith
Athletics
Ride: Kit Meets Covington by Bobbi JG Weiss
Equestrian
As Fast as I Can by Penny Tangay
Australian
Athletics
Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus by Steven Herrick
Australian
Cycling
Young Adult
Fence by C.S. Pacat, illustrated by Johanna the Mad
Fencing
Australian, LGBTQI+, Graphic Novel
On Track by Kathryn Apel
Australian
Athletics
The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Volleyball
Just Breathe by Andrew Daddo
Australian
Running
Cricket
The cricket books around at the moment tend to focus on some of the biggest cricket stars. These stories are great for kids who are fans of the personalities in cricket.
Picture Book
Cricket, I Just Love it! by Alister Nicholson illustrated by Tom Jellett
Australian
Middle Grade
Pocket Rocket by Sherryl Clark and Ellyse Perry
Australian
Adam Gilchrist’s Champions of Cricket by Adam Gilchrist
Australian
Tennis
Tennis is another category that focusses on personalities and stars, which, when you consider who our Australian tennis stars are, makes for some wonderful stories.
Picture Book
Evonne Goolagong by Maria Isabel Sanches Vegara, illustrated by Lisa Koesterke
Australian, First Nations
Junior Fiction
Little Ash: Tennis Rush! by Ash Barty and Jasmin McGaughey
First Nations, Australian, series
Young Adult
Able by Dylan Alcott
Australian, disability, biography
Rugby Union/Rugby League
Rugby doesn’t feature in Australian children’s fiction as AFL, but there are still titles out there for your enthusiast.
Junior Fiction
Red vs Blue by James Tedesco, illustrated by Heath McKenzie
Australian, Series
Middle Grade
Deadly D and Justice Jones by David Hartley, illustrated by Scott Prince
Australian, First Nations, series
The First Tackle by Rikki-Lee Arnold
Australian
Young Adult
The F Team by Rawah Arja
Australian, POC
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
LGBTQIA+, graphic novel, series
Swimming
For younger children, swimming stories can be a great introduction to thinking about ways of dealing with your fears.
Picture Book
Lottie and Walter by Anna Walker
Australian
Junior Fiction
The Deep End: Billie B Brown by Sally Rippin
Australian
Middle Grade
Elsewhere Girls by Nova Weetman and Emily Gale
Australian
Up for Air by Laurie Morrison
Young Adult
Fish Out Of Water by Kate Hendrick
Australian
Girl out of Water by Nat Luurtsema
Swimming/syncronised swimming
Everything Else
If you couldn’t find your child’s favourite sport in the lists above, it might be hidden in this group. So much sport. So many books. So little time.
Picture Book
Black Belt Bunny by Jacky Davis, illustrated by Jay Fleck
Karate
Yoga Babies by Fearne Cotton
Yoga
Junior Fiction
Netball Fever: Ella and Olivia by Yvette Poshoglian, illustrated by Danielle McDonald
Australian
Netball
Middle Grade
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapin
Baseball
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
Baseball
POC, LGBTQI+
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Roller Derby
Mrs Whitlam by Bruce Pascoe
Australian, First Nations
Horse Riding
Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson
Biography
Boxing
Young Adult
Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
Australian, LGBTQI+
Ballet, AFL, Rowing
~ Gisela Ervin-Ward teaches children with learning difficulties how to read and provides literacy consulting to schools @podliteracy. She is obsessed with children’s books and writing and muses about them at @giselaervinward. www.giselaervinward.com
You can see our other articles and their accompanying book lists HERE.