Books like 'Slam!'
Readers who enjoyed Slam! by Walter Dean Myers also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary action / adventure sports realistic coming-of-age high-school teens drama black-mc poc-mc
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Murder Mamas by Ashley Antoinette, JaQuavis Coleman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRobyn and Aries are "The Murder Mamas," contract killers taking no prisoners in Los Angeles. It doesn't take them long to link up with Hollywood's biggest drug kingpin, who hires them to take out a snitch and a judge. But the plans backfire and they only complete half the job. Robyn gets caught and put on Death Row, and Aries goes on the run... -
![The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen]()
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAn award-winning and inspiring novel. When Jessica's dreams are shattered, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg... -
![Dying for Revenge by Eric Jerome Dickey]()
Dying for Revenge by Eric Jerome Dickey
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA fast-paced story about a steamy, seedy underworld of crime, 'Dying For Revenge' spans the entire globe and features hit man Gideon, a troubled character, dealing with a world of violence he can never really escape... -
![Jabari salta by Gaia Cornwall]()
Jabari salta by Gaia Cornwall
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back... -
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![Me & My Boyfriend by Keisha Ervin]()
Me & My Boyfriend by Keisha Ervin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHere comes a honey colored, hazel-green eyed St. Louis bombshell named Meesa. With money in the bank, designer clothes in her closet and true friends by her side, Meesa still longs for more. All of her life she's wanted for one thing and one thing only, love. When she meets the infamous Black, a street pharmacist from the North side of The Lou, finally love is in her grasp... -
![All the Little Secrets: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers High School Romance by S.J. Sylvis]()
All the Little Secrets: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers High School Romance by S.J. Sylvis
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEnglish Prep has always been known for housing the most uppity, privileged rich kids in all of Pike Valley. That is what has been driven into my brain since attending the opposing prep academy in the area since middle school. So, when I am hastily pulled out of Wellington Prep and thrown into English Prep my junior year, it feels like I am being thrown to the wolves...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic sports action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
![16 on the Block by Babygirl Daniels]()
16 on the Block by Babygirl Daniels
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA girl's sixteenth birthday is supposed to be sweet, but for Summer Flynt, it was the day that her life changed forever. Young, fly, and beautiful, Summer is under the wing of her older sister, Trish. But when Trish steals something that doesn't belong to her and gets involved in a lifestyle she can't handle, she pays with her life... -
![Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper]()
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt. A brutal stepfather with a flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable... -
![The Golden Hustla by Wahida Clark]()
The Golden Hustla by Wahida Clark
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnly New York Times bestselling author Wahida Clark could take street lit to the next level in this incendiary tale of a hustler facing a game more lethal than any 'hood . . . THE GOLDEN HUSTLA She's the star sales associate of a profitable Atlanta "advertising" firm, WMM. She lives for top-of-the-line everything . . . and making enough money to finally reunite with her children... -
![Not a Day Goes By by E. Lynn Harris]()
Not a Day Goes By by E. Lynn Harris
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJohn "Basil" Henderson has always played the field, both as a professional football player and as an equal opportunity lover. After retiring his jersey for a career as a sports agent, the dashing playboy is surprising everyone--including himself--by deciding to settle down and commit to his new love, Yancey Harrington Braxton... -
![Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon M. Draper]()
Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHope shines in the face of fear in this conclusion to Sharon M. Draper’s award-winning Hazelwood High trilogy.In her senior year, things are finally looking a little brighter for Keisha. Still haunted by the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Andy, she finds comfort in the attentions of the new track coach, twenty-three-year-old Jonathan Hathaway, the principal’s son... -
![Dime Piece by Tracy Brown, Kevin J. Calloway]()
Dime Piece by Tracy Brown, Kevin J. Calloway
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCeleste Styles is a woman torn. On one hand, she has found happiness with the love of her life, Raheem "Rah-Lo" Henderson. He is unhappily married with children, and Celeste is his well-kept secret. He loves Celeste without question, proving his affection for her by financing her dream- a beauty salon called Dime Piece... -
![Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker]()
Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJimmy Winter is a born star on the baseball field, and Seth Barnam can only dream of being as talented. Still, the two baseball fanatics have the kind of friendship that should last forever. But when Seth experiences an unthinkable loss, he's forced to find his own personal strength--on and off the field...Categorized as:
high-school realistic sports 20th-century action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
![Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper]()
Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMelody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is now a year older and a year braver. But not as brave as she wants to be, as she’s terrified of horses. Even though she loves horses—loves loves loves them—from afar... -
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![Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez, Sol Madariaga]()
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez, Sol Madariaga
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life... -
![Tyrell by Coe Booth]()
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn astonishing new voice in teen literature, writing what is sure to be one of the most talked-about debuts of the year.Tyrell is a young, African American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail... -
![Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson]()
Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this striking new novel by the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he's still alive. Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed...Categorized as:
black-mc coming-of-age drama high-school poc-mc realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith]()
Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.She's been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she's stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania. Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality... -
![Picture Perfect by Holly Smale]()
Picture Perfect by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek." It's the hilarious third book in the No.1 bestselling, award winning GEEK GIRL series! Harriet Manners knows more facts that most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon... -
![Defenseless Hearts: A Standalone Sports Romance by Mika Jolie]()
Defenseless Hearts: A Standalone Sports Romance by Mika Jolie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the game of love, winning is harder than it looks. River Baldwin is sexy as puck. Carved abs, strong muscles. His talent with his hockey stick elevates him to godlike status. He’s also in trouble. The center for the Brooklyn Cobras has a PR crisis only I can solve. But he’s arrogant, stubborn, and used to getting his way—all things that make my job harder... -
![What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau]()
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsClara Luna's name means "clear moon" in Spanish. But lately, her head has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents. Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school poc-mc realistic action-adventure book children children-books -
![Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, Denisa Lesniaková]()
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, Denisa Lesniaková
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsIt’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama high-school realistic sports teens 21st-century action-adventure -
![Rez Ball by Byron Graves]()
Rez Ball by Byron Graves
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis debut novel by Byron Graves tells the story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be. These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident... -
![Bang! by Sharon G. Flake]()
Bang! by Sharon G. Flake
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs violence continues in his community, a 13-year-old boy must make some difficult choices to set his life on another course.Bang! Guns really sound like that, you know. Bang! And people bleed from everywhere, and blood is redder than you think. And little kids look funny in caskets. That's 'cause they ain't meant to be in one, I guess... -
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![Turning the Page by Katrina Abbott]()
Turning the Page by Katrina Abbott
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCelia Thomas should be living a charmed life; as the niece of Hollywood's current it guy, whose whole family is on the payroll, she doesn't have to worry about money or future job prospects. Except maybe she doesn't want to go into the family business... -
![Wrecked by Kat Ransom]()
Wrecked by Kat Ransom
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWe’re best friends. The original forbidden fruit.We have to stop this before it wrecks us both.JoI moved away from my best friend when I was fifteen. It nearly killed me.A decade later, he disappeared after a devastating Formula 1 crash left him a shattered, broken, husk of a man.I had no choice.His demons control him... -
![Almost True by Keren David]()
Almost True by Keren David
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRuthless killers are hunting Ty so the police move him and his mum to a quiet seaside town. But a horrific attack and a bullet meant for Ty prove that he's not safe.On the road again, Ty's in hiding with complete strangers . . . who seem to know a lot about him. Meanwhile he's desperate to see his girlfriend Claire, and terrified that she may betray him... -
![The Alexanders: Volume 1 by M. Malone]()
The Alexanders: Volume 1 by M. Malone
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings~ a USA TODAY Bestseller ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Teasing Trent: Ever since Mara walked into her brother's dorm room freshman year and came face to face with a shirtless Trent, she's known he was The One . She finally has a plan to get him exactly where she wants him. In her bed. One More Day: On the run from a murderer, Ridley Wells has nowhere else to turn... -
![Dime by E.R. Frank]()
Dime by E.R. Frank
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe startling realities of teen prostitution are revealed in this eye-opening, heartbreaking story from the author of "America," which "Booklist "called a piercing, unforgettable novel and "Kirkus Reviews "deemed a work of sublime humanity. As a teen girl in Newark, New Jersey, lost in the foster care system, Dime just wants someone to care about her, to love her. A family... -
![Collateral Damage by Katie Klein]()
Collateral Damage by Katie Klein
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTrue love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Parker pretending not to care. . . . Parker Whalen and Jaden McEntyre are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary fiction -
![Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli]()
Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAudrey Lee is going to the Olympics.A year ago, she could barely do a push up as she recovered from a spine surgery, one that could have paralyzed her. And now? She's made the United States' gymnastics team with her best friend, Emma, just like they both dreamed about since they were kids. She's on top of the world... -
![We Were Here by Matt de la Peña]()
We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe story of one boy and his journey to find himself.When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face... -
![A French Girl in New York by Anna Adams]()
A French Girl in New York by Anna Adams
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMaude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the north of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt... -
![Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita]()
Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores... -
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![Travel Team by Mike Lupica]()
Travel Team by Mike Lupica
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe #1 Bestseller!Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court -- but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy... -
![Winger by Andrew Smith]()
Winger by Andrew Smith
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsRyan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama high-school realistic sports teens 21st-century action-adventure -
![Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West]()
Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWillow Creek, Montana. With bold strokes on a large canvas, Stanley West has drawn an entire village of curious and outlandish characters who have been cast so vividly that one can see them, hear them, laugh with them, feel with them - people as real as relatives... -
![Jackpot by Nic Stone]()
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin --which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life... -
![Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin]()
Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary family female-mc -
![From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller]()
From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.” "Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?” For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning... -
![The Hoopster by Alan Sitomer]()
The Hoopster by Alan Sitomer
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAndre Anderson is an African American teenager with a bright future. He loves to play basketball. He loves to hang out with his friends. He loves to laugh. Andre has skills, brains, and heart. He also has a dream. Then he is viciously attacked. Now everything he ever believed about the world has been called into question. Even his deadly jump shot... -
![Chasing Forever Down by Nikki Chartier]()
Chasing Forever Down by Nikki Chartier
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen seventeen-year-old Haley Sullivan is dragged to a corporate party with her parents, she's searching for one thing - the nearest exit. Instead, she finds a mysterious stranger who plays by his own rules and chases his own dreams, and he's definitely cute enough to disappear with for the night...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic sports action-adventure book california contemporary -
![Three by Twyla Turner]()
Three by Twyla Turner
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSimone Dyani Staton yearns for family after losing her father at age five and her mother at eighteen. All she has is her best friend Amber and Amber's family that have taken her in as one of their own. Though she still feels that there's something missing... -
![Painting the Black by Carl Deuker]()
Painting the Black by Carl Deuker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen a hard ball is coming at you fast, and when it's dancing, too, every single nerve in your body is alert and ready. Your eyes are wide open, and the adrenaline is pumping. It's not a feeling you want to give up, any more than you want to get off a roller coaster...Categorized as:
high-school realistic sports action-adventure book children-books contemporary family -
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![The Serial Cheater PT 1 by Silk White]()
The Serial Cheater PT 1 by Silk White
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCam is a young man with a bright future in the music business, that seemed to be on his way to the top after signing one of the hottest R&B singers in the world a singer that goes by the name "Honey" Cam and Honey hit it off hot and heavy as they mix business with pleasure. The sky is the limit for the young power house couple, the only problem is Cam's fiancé Yolanda... -
![Dirt Bikes, Drones, and Other Ways to Fly by Conrad Wesselhoeft]()
Dirt Bikes, Drones, and Other Ways to Fly by Conrad Wesselhoeft
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWinner of the "Reading the West" award for young-adult fiction. Seventeen year-old dirt-bike daredevil Arlo Santiago catches the eye of the U.S. military with his first-place ranking on a video game featuring drone warfare, and must reconcile the work they want him to do with the emotional scars he has suffered following a violent death in his family... -
![How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta]()
How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn emotionally riveting novel for fans of Ibi Zoboi and Erika L. Sánchez about two sisters in Nigeria and their journey to break free of an oppressive home. Sisters Cheta and Zam couldn’t be more different. Cheta, sharp-tongued and stubborn, never shies away from conflict—either at school or at home, where her mother fires abuse at her... -
![How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles]()
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMoshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home... -
![Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman]()
Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn... -
![My Double Life by Janette Rallison]()
My Double Life by Janette Rallison
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHer whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia's photo filters through the Internet, she's offered a job to be Kari's double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia's mother has always warned her against celebrities. Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life...
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