Start with high-confidence football stories books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
Touchdown Kid
Tim Green
Final Season
Rocket Arm
Rhino's Run
Robert Lipsyte
QB 1
Mike Lupica
Friday Night Lights
H. G. Bissinger
Eyes on the Goal
John Coy
Backfield Boys
John Feinstein
Before the Ever After
Jacqueline Woodson
Second Impact
David Klass, Perri Klass
Game Change
Joseph Monninger
Gutless
Carl Deuker
Game Changer
Tommy Greenwald
Dinged
The Right Call
Saving the Team
Alex Morgan, Paula Franco
The Academy
T.Z. Layton
The Academy II: the Journey Continues
The Academy III: Tournament of Champions
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze
Derrick Barnes
Coach
Jason Reynolds
