As a bookish (and decidedly uncoordinated) child, I loved the library. The sports field, though? Not my scene. There was no drama, no story—nothing to compete with what I found between the pages of a book. Or so I thought. I’m now realizing how captivating the world of sports can be, and I owe it all to kid lit.

I was recently blown away by Kadir Nelson’s Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game (Little, Brown; Jan. 13). Here were superheroes to rival the characters conjured up by Rick Riordan, from the lightning-fast Wilt Chamberlain to the gravity-defying Michael Jordan. These ballers brought real artistry to their work; Nelson describes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook as “ballet on the hardwood,” while Julius Erving’s power dunks on and fashion sense off the court gave the game pizzazz. In Nelson’s capable hands, basketball feels like a living thing, evolving from a slow, more ponderous game to the adrenaline-infused phenomenon we know today.

I was officially bitten by the sports bug, and young readers will be, too. True, not every kid has to be the next LeBron James or Simone Biles, but these middle-grade titles might entice sports-averse readers to step out of their comfort zones and discover an unexpected passion.

Next up to bat: Baseball’s Shining Season: America’s Pastime on the Brink of War by father-and-son team Martin W. Sandler and Craig Sandler (Bloomsbury, April 7). I’d long considered baseball dull, dominated by endless statistics, but while there are plenty of the latter in the Sandlers’ work, the emotional impact of the sport comes through most strongly. Baseball served as joyful diversion for Americans afraid of the prospect of U.S. entry into World War II; this vivid chronicle will make baseball fans—and history buffs—out of all who pick it up.

Readers who feel the need for speed will find a kindred spirit in Evelyn Rae (who competes in motocross, or off-road motorcycle racing, as Eva Knievel), the protagonist of Rebecca Caprara’s Eva to the Max (Dial Books, May 19). Eva’s a natural, much to her father’s pride and her mother’s frustration (a motocross accident left Eva’s father in a wheelchair). Caprara’s snappy free verse brings to life a fiercely competitive young athlete learning to control a hot temper while participating in a sport that’s historically been unwelcoming to girls and women. The author offers a thrilling but forthright portrait of a lesser-known sport, balancing both the dangers and the thrills of motocross.

A gifted artist, Alyssa Bermudez reluctantly signed up to run cross-country at the behest of her parents, but she drew strength from her teammates as she watched her father suffer from liver disease—events recounted in her graphic memoir Run Home (Roaring Brook Press, Jan. 27). Bermudez emphasizes that we all contain multitudes; contrary to the messaging of countless teen movies, artists can be jocks, too. And while she may not have been a track GOAT, she nevertheless found joy in pushing herself. Readers would do well to follow her example both on and off the field.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.