If you loved

Books like Football Genius

An energetic, high-stakes sports story about a young underdog trying to prove his unbelievable talent to the pros. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Football Genius.

energetic
high-stakes
triumphant

01
The million dollar throw
Mike Lupica · 2009
A high-stakes sports story wrapped around a tender core of friendship and family resilience.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
02
Winger
Andrew Smith
A hilarious, hormone-drenched boarding school romp that unexpectedly shatters your heart into a million pieces.
Feels:
- chaotic
- nostalgic
- angsty
03
November Blues
Sharon M. Draper · 2007
A poignant, issue-driven exploration of how sudden tragedy forces young people to rapidly rewrite their futures.
Shares:
- earnest
04
The stars beneath our feet
David Barclay Moore
A poignant and grounded journey of a young boy navigating the heavy currents of grief and the tense realities of his neighborhood.
Shares:
- earnest
05
Powerless
Matthew Cody · 2009
An action-packed, comic-book-infused mystery that explores the bittersweet transition of growing up and the hidden strength of being ordinary.
Shares:
- energetic
- earnest
- suspenseful
- hopeful
06
The Million Dollar Shot
Dan Gutman
A high-energy, wish-fulfillment sports fantasy that champions the underdog and the sheer power of practice.
Shares:
- energetic
- earnest
- hopeful
07
Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli · 1990
A kinetic, big-hearted modern tall tale about a boy running from grief and straight into the fractured soul of a divided town.
Shares:
- energetic
- earnest
- hopeful
08
Hero
Mike Lupica
A high-stakes coming-of-age adventure where a grieving son must decide whether to shoulder his father's dangerous, super-powered legacy.
Shares:
- high-stakes
- earnest
- determined
- suspenseful
09
Big Nate in the Zone
Lincoln Peirce
A high-energy, laugh-out-loud ride through the chaotic highs and lows of middle school superstition.
Shares:
- energetic
10
Towers falling
Jewell Parker Rhodes
A tender, inquisitive exploration of how history we didn't live through still shapes the homes and hearts we inhabit today.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
11
Out of my mind
Sharon Mills Draper · 2010
A deeply empathetic and triumphant journey inside the brilliant mind of a girl fighting to be heard.
Shares:
- earnest
12
Ghost
Jason Reynolds
A breathless, big-hearted sprint of a story about outrunning your demons and finding a team that helps you carry the weight.
Shares:
- energetic
- earnest
- hopeful

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