Clara Hughes has won multiple medals in both summer and winter Olympic Games. As a cyclist and speed skater, Clara pushed through pain to get to the finish line, trying to have her best race every day. Few knew that the same determination and focus were also needed to fight her own personal battles. Abusing drugs and alcohol from her early teens, C …

Marcus has it all: charm, good looks, successful parents, endless opportunities and anything money can buy. Along with his best friend, Tom, and Tom's crush, Yasmin, he escapes to his parents' resort condo during a school trip to Whistler, B.C. And he can't refuse when drinking makes Yasmin determined to hook up with him instead of Tom. The three d …

The inner-city Blues baseball team is having a lousy year. Shortstop Nash and the Blues can't seem to win. They especially hate losing to their archrivals, the rich kids of the Parkhill Pirates. When all-star player Jock joins the team, it looks like the Blues might be able to turn the season around. The only problem? When the Pirates find out that …

Maurice and Vijay are thrilled to be the only grade nine students to make the junior football team. But it soon becomes clear that their coach, Bob Jones, who has just been elected mayor, has his own reasons for giving his two new players preferential treatment.

Massive media coverage of the outspoken Coach Jones starts turning up allegations of ill …

Cody and the Lions are playing great soccer, even if their team has only eleven players. But the arrival of an international company to build a factory on a nearby lake splits the team in two: Cody and his teammates who are worried the factory will pollute the lake vs. the players whose families will benefit from the jobs and opportunities the comp …

As captain of the Westside Warriors, Colt plays clean and hard. But lately his coach has been losing his temper and ordering the team to win at any cost, even if it means playing dirty. What makes it worse is that Coach is Colt's father, and his erratic behaviour at home and on the field has Colt wondering if something is seriously wrong with his d …

Paul Bidwell dreams of playing on a hockey team but knows that his mother can't afford to pay for the registration fees or the equipment. So he plays boot hockey with his friends and practises alone every night on the open-ice rink in the park. When the flu and mononucleosis hit Paul's school and his best friend, Vincent, is laid up with a concussi …

Tyler Josten has never caught a break. Abandoned by his mother, physically and emotionally abused by his father, he grows up with a wild temper, fighting anyone he sees as a bully -- including the police. When he gets into trouble with the law, his grandmother gives up on him, and he is placed in foster care to wait for his court date.

The Conways w …

Professional hockey is a fast game, and a dangerous one. Skates slice like razors; a hard-shot puck can take out an eye; and the ice surface is as hard as rock, especially when skulls are slammed against it. Innovations in equipment make the game faster and more exciting -- and have to be countered by measures that keep it safe for players.

From hoc …

Rubin Carter was in and out of reformatories and prisons from the age of twelve. At twenty-four, he became a winning professional boxer and was turning his life around. But Carter was also very vocal about racism in the local New Jersey police force. In 1966, local policemen arrested Carter and a friend for a triple murder. The two were convicted a …

When Coach Gordon suddenly retires, Quinn Brown has to prove to a new coach that he deserves to remain the Spartans' starting quarterback. But Coach Miller's style seems to be throwing Quinn off his game -- and big-mouthed second-string Luke is gunning for Quinn's position.

To top it off, Quinn has been paired up with a peer tutor for math, and the …

With the arrival of a mysterious letter from Cales estranged father, what looked to be a dull, hot summer becomes an exciting adventure for the Seven Stair Crew!

A series of clues sends the boys on a quest to find "The Empire" -- four super-secret skateboard sites with some of the most thrilling, gnarly set-ups around. Even Toby, the clumsy SSC wann …

It's awkward enough for any kid going to a new school, but Rose, whose family belongs to a Mennonite community, feels even more out of place. Then, one day, she picks up a baseball.

Inspired by her own childhood memories, Laurel Dee Gugler paints a touching portrait of a young girl throwing herself into a new game and fresh possibilities.

Maurice Richard was the greatest hockey player of the 20th century. He was also the most popular and respected hero of French-speaking Canadians. His career paralleled the dramatic changes that occurred in Quebec after the Second World War, when the Quebecois people asserted their equality and their rights.

This new biography of Richard records his …

Playing ball is what keeps Podium Sports Academy's basketball captain going when things get rough. When there's trouble back home, Allie turns to basketball. Ditto when her relationship is in trouble or when she's at odds with her friends. But then tragedy strikes when an old knee injury resurfaces and Allie is told she might not be able to play a …

Jazz Smith-Mohapatra is the toughest and best player on her basketball team -- and this year she's determined to lead the team to a championship win. But in the last game of the regular season, Jazz sets an offensive move called a pick and roll. A player on the other team doesn't see it coming; she crashes into Jazz, and then onto the floor. Though …

Over eight months worth of planning, hundreds of hours of hard physical training, amassing a team of dedicated crewmates, approaching sponsors and collecting donations -- and finally, swimming for twenty-seven hours across the cold, rough waters of Lake Ontario.

Why would a fourteen-year-old girl take on such a challenge?

For Annaleise Carr, the moti …

Martin's been diagnosed with ADHD, but he feels something about his diagnosis isn't right. The Ritalin he's prescribed doesn't seem to make a difference. When Martin's grades continue to sink no matter how hard he tries, his father writes him off as lazy and just plain stupid. His dad is convinced that Martin just needs to focus more on his studies …

This is a history of black major league baseball players and the crumbling of the colour barrier in sport, and the story of how Fergie Jenkins rose to the top to become Canada's first inductee into the American Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fergie Jenkins grew up in the era when Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play major league baseball, and …

It's the last run of the day and hotdog skier Luc isn't afraid to go out of bounds to get the most out of a downhill experience. Though his girlfriend, Cass, is a bit more cautious, she's not going to let Luc go on his own. But as the weather takes a turn for the worse, the skiers become lost.

When Search and Rescue gets the phone call that the skie …

Cale Finch has just won second place in a skateboarding competition when he's ambushed on his way home by a member of a rival crew, the Mental Posse. They steal the money that Cale was going to use to replace his broken skateboard. Cale feels embarrassed by what happened, so he doesn't tell anyone right away.
Eventually, Mark Skinner, an older skat …

Scott has one obsession: to fulfill his late father's dream of racing in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races, the most dangerous and prestigious motorcycle road race in the world. Far from their home in British Columbia and still reeling from a recent tragedy, Scott and his roommates-turned-pit crew have only five days during Practice Week to secu …

Thirteen-year-old Cody is aching to get back onto the pitch. Last year he had a tumor removed from his leg. Though it's a struggle, Cody tries out for the Lions and makes the team as a "super sub" -- one of eleven players who jokingly named themselves that because they're never allowed to play. Secretly Cody is relieved, since he hasn't told anyone …

Aboriginal snowboarder Jax has it made. He's in his last year at Podium Sports Academy and he's got a sponsorship from a big snowboarding company in the bag. But then his older brother, always the troublemaker in the family, shows up in Calgary unexpectedly. Suddenly Jax's sponsorship is threatened when the police come asking questions about a brea …

The Ottawa Senators have had a long and storied history as one of the original -- and dominant -- Canadian hockey franchises. Stocked with skilled and adventurous players, the early Senators were known for their aggressive play and never-say-die attitude. The fascinating story of the team continues into the present with the thrilling account of how …

In 1917, the Montreal Canadiens became one of the four founding teams of the National Hockey League. Since then, the team has enjoyed countless breathtaking triumphs. Not only have they won more Stanley Cup Championships than any other team in the NHL, they have also boasted some of the best players the league has ever seen. Through it all, they ha …

"Since its construction in 1931, the Maple Leaf Gardens had seen its share of powerful, memorable moments and held its share of championship glory. But there was something different about this evening of May 2, 1967."
This book will be especially facinating for readers interested in hockey or sports. The Toronto Maple Leafs is one of Canada's great …

Allie loves baseball. It's the one thing that has been consistent in her lately complicated life. Allie's father left recently, and now Allie has a new family -- her mother's new girlfriend, Phyllis, and son Miles have moved in. It's taking some adjustment, mostly because Miles seems determined to get under her skin. Things start looking up when Al …

Cale Finch's plans for Spring Break? EAT, SLEEP, SKATE.

Cale's determined that this time he'll successfully ollie the set of seven stairs that mark initiation into the Seven Stair Crew, a group of older, junior-high skaters. But Cale soon finds that not all local skaters are welcoming to grommets (new skaters) like him. He has to find his voice, lea …

Podium Sports Academy's star goalkeeper wants nothing more than to play on Canada's National Team. Parmita works hard at school and on the pitch, so if it seems like she's avoiding boys, she hopes everyone will think it's because she wants to be the best, and not because she's secretly attracted to girls.

The team's new assistant coach may actually …

Gavin and his friends Mido and Critter are starting high school this year, which means moving from a school with a championship-winning soccer team to a school that doesn't have a team at all. With a little encouragement from his friends and granddad, a former "footballer" from England, Gavin musters up his courage and makes a deal with the school …

Willie O'Ree quietly made NHL history at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958, when he became the first black player to take to the ice. In the dressing room before the game, his Boston Bruins teammates told him not to worry. If any one of the Montreal players said anything to him, they'd have his back.

There was a round of applause when O'Ree ste …

Abby and Sarah are as different as two sisters can be, but they get along well -- that is, until they join the same school basketball team. Older sister Abby is bound and determined that their team will win this season. But outgoing and carefree Sarah seems to treat practices as a chance to goof off with friends, when she bothers to show up at all. …

It wasn't until Canadian teams started losing in international tournaments in the mid 1950s that an epic hockey rivalry between Canada and the Soviet Union began. Canadians believed hockey was
"their game." So Canadians were in for a rude awakening when they lost Game One of the 1972 Summit Series to the Soviets. The eight-game tournament quickly …

Nicknamed "Cyclone" for his breathtaking speed, Fred Taylor was hockey's first superstar. Though known for his squeaky clean game, Taylor was often caught up in the politics and turmoil of hockey's early professional years. Star Power is the story of one of Canada's greatest athletes and a game in transition.

[Fry Reading Level - 4.8

The sons of Icelandic immigrants and friends since boyhood, the Winnipeg Falcons were a superbly talented team of just eight players who brought home Canada's first Olympic gold medal in hockey in 1920. But before they became world champions, the Falcons endured years of prejudice on and off the ice.

Author and renowned hockey historian Eric Zweig b …

George Chuvalo only wanted one thing: to become a boxer. When Chuvalo stepped into the ring, he was fearless. In ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979, boxing everyone from George Foreman to Muhammad Ali, he was never once knocked out. But this heavyweight boxing legend never had it easy. After losing many loved ones to drugs, Chuv …

Kayak Combat is set in the highly competitive sport of kayak racing.
When it's announced that Cody's Calgary kayaking club will host a Canada-wide competition, no one doubts that Cody will represent them. He is the team's best paddler, after all. But Cody and the others aren't counting on a new guy from Ontario arriving who can out-paddle them al …

Samantha Aqsarniq Keyes is used to a life on the move. Her military family has been transferred across Canada, and she's grown up with stories of her Inuit ancestors exploring the far north. For Sam, soccer has been the one constant in her life. But now that she's thirteen, her home base isn't the only thing that's changing.
Sam longs to show up C …

Matthew Eagletail is the star player for the Warriors, his basketball team on the Tsuu T'ina First Nation near Calgary.
When his mother remarries, everything in Matthew's life is suddenly different and new: a new school, a new father, five pesky new sisters, a new dog named Precious. Worst of all, he has to quit the Warriors. When he's asked to j …

Between 1915 to 1940, the Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball Club ("the Grads") went from a small-city, girl's high school team to world champs with an unparalleled winning record. Sports journalist Richard Brignall tells the story of this talented upstart team, whose sportsmanship and unwavering determination inspired generations of female a …

Hockey rules in Branko Stimac's new hometown, where its star players get the royal treatment. Any other sport -- like soccer, where Branko excels -- is considered second-rate. This means the sacrifices Branko's Croatian immigrant father made so he can play in Canada go unnoticed, as does Branko's stellar goalkeeping.

When Branko makes it onto the Ed …

Toronto synchro swimmer Carrie Munroe is Podium Sports Academy's team flyer and the school's best prospect for making it at the upcoming Vegas tryouts -- fulfilling her dreams of being in a glitz-and-glamour professional show. Carrie feels there's only one thing holding her back -- the weekly poolside weigh-ins. Her coach agrees, and Carrie is put …

Fresh off the plane from Vancouver, sixteen-year-old hockey player Aaron Wong is excited to be starting his first year at Podium, the Calgary school for top teen athletes. Aaron has to make friends and fit in at a new high school, while also adjusting to a new home and a family with a different culture than his own. Luckily, he finds a tight-knit g …

In 1931, a group of ten teenage girls from Preston (present-day Cambridge), Ontario, enlisted the help of the top women's sport journalists of the era, and the Preston Rivulettes hockey team was born. Within a decade the team became so good that no other team would dare to play against them. Yet the struggles these young women faced are ones that w …

At the first-ever women's hockey world championships in 1990, Canada dressed its National Women's Team in pink. Offending many, the controversial decision nevertheless drew media and public attention to the series and subsequently registration in girls' hockey went up 40%. Lorna Schultz Nicholson offers an insider's look at the power behind the pin …

Fast-paced sports action novels that get kids reading.

In this sequel to Interference, Josh is off to an elite hockey camp for the summer, where he shares a room with a talented player from the Northwest Territories named Peter Kuiksak. Peter is skilled enough to give Kevin, the star junior player, some serious competition, which creates trouble on …

Jay Hirtle plays on the basketball team at Richmond Academy in a small rural Nova Scotian town. The team to beat is Centreville, where star player Mike Murphy is seen as Richmond's number one opponent. After the Hirtle house is destroyed by fire, Jay's family moves in with his grandfather and the kids must switch schools until the end of the school …

Normie Kwong's parents immigrated to Canada from China in the early 1900s. For them, and many other Asian immigrants, moving meant having to face both the government's anti-Asian policies and society's attitude of Chinese exclusion. But Normie overcame it all and, despite his small stature, in 1948 he became the youngest footballer ever to play in …

"Bad" Joe Hall and Newsy Lalonde were bitter enemies on the ice. Crowds were drawn as these two roughneck hockey players battled it out for victory. But the game changed during WWI, when many of Canada's hockey players left the game to become soldiers and fight for their country. Rivals Joe and Newsy were then forced to play side by side as teammat …