We are the Ship : the Story of Negro League Baseball

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship The Story of Negro League Baseball. New york: Jump At The Sun, 2008.

Children's Literature Annotation:

Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947.

Awards and Honors:

• Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2009 Winner Author United States
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2009 Winner United States
• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books, 2008 Winner United States
• Society of Illustrators' Award, 2008 Silver Medal United States

Review:

Ian Chipman (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 11))

Starred Review* Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one’s own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the “us” and “them” mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it’s the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play. With enormous blue skies and jam-packed grandstands backing them, these players look like the giants they are. The stories and artwork are a tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, who were much more than also-rans and deserve a more prominent place on baseball’s history shelves. For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that. Grades 5-8

Collection Suggestion:

This book is definitely geared to a middle school audience but it such an under-told and interesting part of America's cultural history that it would also be good for reluctant readers or special education students at the high school level. I also think that Nelson's award winning art would really appeal to students of all ages. I would recommend middle school librarians to add this to their collection and high school librarians who need more books for students with IEPs.

In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle

Blais, Madeleine. In these girls, hope is a muscle. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1995.

Barnes & Noble Annotation:

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of a high school girls' basketball team's championship season and their fierce, funny, sisterhood-is-powerful quest for excellence. Reminiscent of A Sense of Where You Are and Friday Night Lights, Blais's book takes readers through an incredible season of the Lady Hurricanes of Massachusetts.

Awards and Honors:

• National Book Critics Circle Award, 1995 Finalist in General Nonfiction
• ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1996
• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 1999 Good Sports

Review:

Publishers Weekly, January 1996

When Pulitzer Prize-winner Blais pokes gentle fun at Amherst, Mass., where an infuriated teen-aged athlete in the heat of the fray may yell, "You ignore your inner child!" you suspect this will be a special book. And it is, as the reader follows the Amherst High girls basketball team-the Lady Hurricanes-in the 1992-93 season, from game one on December 15 to the final game on March 16, when they all but obliterated Haverhill, 74-36, to win the state championship. While this is the story of well-bred, upper-middle class, genteel girls who learned to be tough, it is also a picture of a changing period in American sports history, when a town rallied around its female athletes in a way that had previously been reserved for males. Alternately funny, exciting and moving, the book should be enjoyed not only by girls and women who have played sports but also those who wanted to but let themselves be discouraged.

Collection Suggestion:

While the story of this team would appeal to readers of all ages, the story may drag at points for younger readers when the author goes into detail about Amherst, MA, the hometown of the hometown team. For this reason, I would recommend it to high school librarians but not necessarily middle school librarians. That said, this book begins to fill a huge void of decent literature about female athletes so even middle school librarians might consider the book if they have students who might not want to wait until high school.

Let Me Play : The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed The Future of Girls in America

Blumenthal, Karen. Let Me Play : The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed The Future of Girls in America. New York: Antheneum Books, 2005.

Teammates Blogger Annotation:

Blumenthal shows readers what life was like for girls before Title IX, not only in terms of school sports but academics and extra curricular activities as well. Along with visual aid like political cartoons of the time, government bureaucracy as never been so interesting as Congressional committees find a way to let girls play.

Awards and Honors:

• Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2006 Winner Books for Older Children
• Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2005 Recommended
• Society of School Librarians International Book Awards, 2005 Honor Book Social Studies - Grades 7-12

Review:

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 1))

The history of the small but wildly influential amendment known as Title IX receives a thoughtful, enlightening and inspiring treatment from the Sibert Honor-winning Blumenthal. Her narrative begins with the story of Donna de Varona, the Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who watched her male colleagues receive swimming scholarships to college even as her own career abruptly ended. From this miscarriage of justice to the present, the text compellingly lays forth both the legislative fight to enact Title IX and the struggle to interpret the rules subsequent to its passage. Although the revolution Title IX created on the sports field gets the majority of the attention, the author is quite clear in detailing the overall educational advances women were able to make thanks to Title IX. This really splendid story receives absolutely criminal treatment from the designer, however, allowing page turns and sidebars to split sentences over whole pages, resulting in a sadly fragmented effect. Magnificent backmatter, including a time line, "then and now" comments from key players, extensive source notes, and suggested resources for further information, complement the narrative in making this a nearly perfect book, were it not for the execrable design. 2005, Atheneum, 160p, $17.95. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 10 and up.

Collection Suggestion:

This is another book that many reviews suggested for readers as young as 5th graders, all the way through 12th grade. While many aspects of the book might make it appealing to such young readers, such as the use of pictures and stories from female students before Title IX, a large chunk of the book is about the Congressional process of passing and then interpreting this ground breaking legislation. Middle school libraries could add this as a reference book so as to expose students to what the educational system once looked like. Otherwise, they probably will not have much interest in how Title IX was passed and implemented until high school government class.

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The Commercial that Inspired the Title ...