Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Only Game | 2015 | Mike Lupica | Buy |
| 2 | The Extra Yard | 2016 | Mike Lupica | Buy |
| 3 | Point Guard | 2017 | Mike Lupica | Buy |
| 4 | Team Players | 2018 | Mike Lupica | Buy |
The Home Team series runs four books from 2015 to 2018, each following a different young athlete in the same community. The Only Game, The Extra Yard, Point Guard, and Team Players cover different sports while the shared hometown creates connections between the characters. Mike Lupica uses the series format to build a community of young athletes whose stories overlap.
The Only Game (2015) centers on baseball, while The Extra Yard (2016) moves to football. Point Guard (2017) shifts to basketball, and Team Players (2018) rounds things out with softball. Each book can be read on its own, but characters from previous entries appear in later books as supporting figures.
Lupica has written youth sports fiction for decades, and the Home Team books are designed for the middle-grade audience. The writing is straightforward, the sports action is accurate, and the personal stakes feel real for the age group. The community-building aspect sets this series apart from his standalone sports novels like Heat or Travel Team.