‘Bout That Football Life

Eva
Eva

In Pittsburgh, like in hometowns across the country, football is a way of life. A football jersey is the proper attire for most parties, and representing the team is a year-round commitment. The off-season is spent telling stories about past seasons and making predictions about trades and future wins. Then, when football season comes, family events are planned around games, losses are mourned citywide, and wins keep us riding high until the next game. Like we’ve seen in the lead-up to Pittsburgh hosting the NFL draft, football has the amazing ability to bring communities together.  

As with the sport, football players also hold pride of place in the hearts and minds of the communities they represent. However, football players are also people, and they have lives to live. The books found in this list follow young football players as they navigate the world on and off the field. These teens are truly ‘bout that football life.  

Mar 5, 2026

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In the Catalog

All the Noise at Once

All the Noise at Once

DeAndra Davis

All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves. However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden’s autism will present itself on game day.

From the Catalog

From Libby

The Donut Prince of New York

The Donut Prince of New York

Allen Zadoff

Eugene Guterman’s junior year in high school is off to a rocky start. No love life, no new theater production, and if his mother has her way, no more of his favorite comfort food–donuts. Eugene would just as soon spend the year playing small, but that’s hard to do when you’re the biggest kid in your class. Things change when he accidentally tackles the school’s star quarterback and Coach sees the possibilities and recruits the plus-size playwright onto the varsity football team. Eugene is suddenly catapulted into the world of the ‘The Pops,’ the exclusive clique of popular athletes known for their parties and dating scene.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Home Field Advantage

Home Field Advantage

Dahlia Adler

Amber McCloud’s dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but after the football team’s quarterback dies in an accident and is replaced by a girl, Amber searches for unity among those not accepting of a girl leading the team.

From the Catalog

From Libby

From Hoopla

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

Derrick Barnes

Thirteen-year-old Henson Blayze strives to be seen as more than just a football player in his predominantly white small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, but when a horrific incident compels him to speak out, he must choose between playing football and seeking justice.

From the Catalog

From Libby

Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player

Amanda Woody

Cameron Morelli is hot. Worse, he knows it. With a godlike physique and a position as his varsity football team’s star quarterback, there’s nobody he can’t charm. So one might imagine his mortification when he’s rejected by Mason Gray, the team’s snarky water boy. To make matters worse, this disgrace is followed by Cam’s coach benching him until he can get his grades up. Luckily, a reliable tutor steps forward to help Cam reclaim his dignity–the boy who just humiliated him.

From the Catalog

One of the Boys

One of the Boys

Victoria Zeller

Grace Woodhouse has left a lot behind. She used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship-before she came out as trans. As senior year begins, Grace is struggling to find her place in early transition, new social circles, and a life without football. But when her skills as the best kicker in the state prove to be vital, her old teammates beg her to come out of retirement, dragging her back into a sport-into a way of life-she thought had turned its back on her forever.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Rhino's Run

Rhino’s Run

Robert Lipsyte

Ronnie Rhinehart, better known as Rhino on the field, is the captain of his high school team in Woodhaven, a small town obsessed with football. His only goal is to earn a Division I football scholarship so he can escape this town forever. Until the day he punches Josh Kremens in the face. To avoid serious punishment and stay in school, Ronnie is forced to join Group, a cast of misfits who discuss their feelings with a counselor.

From the Catalog

From Libby

From Hoopla