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Books about sport

Get into the mood for the London 2012 Olympics with these stories about sport. Whether you prefer football or cycling, ballet or basketball, there's something for everyone on our list.

  • Friendly Matches

    Friendly Matches

    by Allan Ahlberg
    Puffin
    Friendly Matches is an entertaining, and at times thought-provoking, collection of poetry about football.
    Read about 'Friendly Matches'
  • Willy the Champ

    Willy the Champ

    by Anthony Browne
    Walker Books
    Another book about Willy the chimpanzee who doesn't conform to the macho stereotypes and so comes in for a lot of hard times and bullying.
    Read about 'Willy the Champ'
  • Fat Boy Swim

    Fat Boy Swim

    by Catherine Forde
    Egmont
    This is a wonderful story, brilliantly told in the Glaswegian dialect, and despite containing distressing accounts of bullying, it also reveals the complexities of human nature
    Read about 'Fat Boy Swim'
  • Wonder Goal

    Wonder Goal

    by Michael Foreman
    Andersen Press
    Being the new boy on the football team is no fun, especially for one little boy who trips over the shoelaces his team-mates have tied together.
    Read about 'Wonder Goal'
  • Tall Story

    Tall Story

    by Candy Gourlay
    David Fickling Books
    Engagingly told in alternate chapters by four-foot, thirteen year-old Andi, in the UK, and her eight-foot, sixteen year-old half brother Bernardo, in the Philippines
    Read about 'Tall Story'
  • Hero on a Bicycle

    Hero on a Bicycle

    by Shirley Hughes
    Walker Books
    The first novel from much-loved author and illustrator Shirley Hughes is a thrilling and moving story about a boy and his bicycle, set against a dramatic background of war-torn Italy
    Read about 'Hero on a Bicycle'
  • Keeper

    Keeper

    by Mal Peet
    Walker Books
    In this excellent football story, set in modern-day South America, a hackneyed football reporter sits down with El Gato (the Cat), a World Cup-winning goalkeeper, to look back on his amazing life and career.
    Read about 'Keeper'
  • Dream On

    Dream On

    by Bali Rai
    Barrington Stoke Ltd
    Much to the disapproval of his parents, Baljit is mad on football and when he is invited to trials at Leicester City, he has to lie about his whereabouts.
    Read about 'Dream On'
  • Blood Runner

    Blood Runner

    by James Riordan
    Frances Lincoln Children's Books
    A moving and powerful story about the struggle to escape racism and oppression in Apartheid South Africa
    Read about 'Blood Runner'
  • I Want to Win!

    I Want to Win!

    by Tony Ross
    Andersen Press
    The Little Princess is used to getting her own way, which means that when she plays games at home she always wins. But at school, the rules are different.
    Read about 'I Want to Win!'
  • Dreamer Ballerina

    Dreamer Ballerina

    by Sarah Rubin
    Chicken House
    A dance story with a difference, Dreamer Ballerina tells the story of small town girl Casey Quinn, who just can’t keep her toes from tapping.
    Read about 'Dreamer Ballerina'
  • The One Dollar Horse

    The One Dollar Horse

    by Lauren St John
    Orion Children's Books
    Casey Blue lives with her father in a tower block in Hackney, London , but despite her urban existence, she dreams of one day becoming an equestrian champion.
    Read about 'The One Dollar Horse'