About Bea Mullins Takes a Shot: A League of Their Own meets The Mighty Ducks in this fierce and heartfelt queer middle grade contemporary novel about learning to face your fears even when your goals are on thin ice.

Thanks in large part to the runaway success of Jacob Tierney’s Heated Rivalry TV series (based on the Game Changers books by Rachel Reid), queer sports romances are having a moment. Whether it’s falling for a teammate or getting together with a rival player, there’s something about the high-intensity environment of sports that pairs so perfectly with the heightened emotions of a romance novel. Plus, let’s be honest: who can resist seeing their crush in a uniform?

While the Game Changers series is aimed at adult audiences, there’s a whole world of queer sports romances out there for kidlit readers, too. If you’re searching for stories that are just as full of feelings as Heated Rivalry but tailored to a younger crowd, look no further than these eight queer middle grade contemporary novels. From sporty tweens facing first crushes to young athletes on journeys of self-discovery, there’s something here for everyone waiting for the next episode of Heated Rivalry to drop.

Bea Mullins Takes a Shot by Emily Deibert

Yes, I wrote this one, but it’s hard not to recommend my own sapphic ice hockey novel when we’re talking about a queer hockey romance! Twelve-year-old Bea would rather spend middle school on the sidelines, but after reluctantly joining her school’s ragtag girls’ ice hockey team, she winds up falling for the sport—and the team’s star player, Gabi. When a lack of funding threatens her team’s future, Bea has to face her insecurities to keep her friends (and her crush) on the ice. There are high-action hockey scenes, wintery skating dates…and maybe even a kiss in the hockey rink’s locker room!

Crushing It by Erin Becker

This dual-POV first-crush romance sees ex-besties and current soccer teammates Mel and Tory falling for each other without realizing it in a You’ve Got Mail or Love, Simon style twist. After a fight breaks apart their friend group, Mel and Tory are at odds with each other both on and off the soccer field—and at the same time, both girls are connecting with anonymous new friends through their school’s messaging app. This book is fast-paced and swoony, and interspersed with the girls’ texts and poems throughout. It totally brought me back to that butterflies-in-stomach feeling of being thirteen years old and hopelessly crushing on someone.

It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Fans of rivals-to-crushes romances will love this poignant novel in verse by Newbery Honor-winning author Andrea Beatriz Arango. After a life-changing accident, champion fencer Vale struggles with her sense of identity and her feelings toward fencing when she returns to her gym. Complicating matters is new girl Myrka, a fencing prodigy who’s all but replaced Vale…and the fact that Vale can’t quite decide if she wants to be Myrka, or just plain wants her. This was an incredibly moving exploration of queer identity, disability, and self-discovery that will appeal to anyone who’s ever grappled with what it means to be the best at something.

Vote for the G.O.A.T by Ali Terese

Burned-out soccer star Meg and chronically ill overachiever Jo have to team up to save their school’s missing goat mascot (and yes, it’s an actual goat!) in this zany middle school heist with the cutest romantic subplot. Sporty Meg and lone wolf Jo don’t initially have much in common, but become friends through their shared campaign to save their school’s goat mascot, Babette—and the way their friendship develops throughout this laugh-out-loud story is incredibly sweet. This book also has a great message about bodily autonomy in the context of sports, and culminates in what might just be the most adorable school dance scene of all time!

Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas (and the sequel You Owe Me One, Universe!)

Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas remains one of the most tender, heartfelt explorations of identity and tween friendships I’ve ever read. In this dual-POV story, basketball teammates Brian and Ezra become close after problems at home lead Brian and his younger brother to run away. Ezra tries to help Brian through his struggles with anxiety, while at the same time coming to terms with the fact that he’s started developing feelings for Brian, which he’s not sure that Brian reciprocates. This book (and its fantastic sequel, You Owe Me One, Universe) will have you laughing one moment and crying the next. 

Skating on Mars by Caroline Huntoon

Skating on Mars is another novel set in the world of ice skating, but this time it’s figure skating that takes center stage. Nonbinary tween Mars is dealing with the recent death of their father (who they never got to come out to), while also trying to find their place in a historically gendered sport. The rink is where Mars feels most at home, but when a hotshot figure skater challenges them to compete as a boy, Mars has to grapple with the binary expectations of the sport they love. At the same time, Mars develops a seriously sweet crush on new girl Jade.

Kenzie Kickstarts a Team by Kit Rosewater (and the rest of the books in the Derby Daredevils series!)

This illustrated series about a group of roller derby-loving tweens is perfect for readers on the younger end of middle grade. In the first book, Kenzie and Shelly (aka Kenzilla and Bomb Shell in the derby world) need to wrangle together three new teammates in order to compete in their city’s new junior derby league. But things get awkward when Shelly recruits Kenzie’s neighbor Bree—who also happens to be the girl Kenzie’s secretly crushing on. Full of humor, heart, and lots of roller derby action, I adored this entire series!

The Queen Bees of Tybee County by Kyle Casey Chu

Written by Kyle Casey Chu, aka Panda Dulce (a founding queen of Drag Story Hour!) The Queen Bees of Tybee County sees basketball-loving Derrick discovering a love for drag. Although Derrick’s initially reluctant to spend the summer with his fashion-loving grandmother, things change when she introduces him to the world of beauty pageants—and Derrick starts to realize that maybe he’d like to compete, too. At the same time, he’s worried about what his dad will think, while also starting to wonder whether he might like his best friend JJ as more than just a friend. A must-read for anyone trying to discover their authentic self!

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