if you like Sports...

How did author Edgar Allen Poe influence the naming of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens? What major historical events inspired the naming of the Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers, and Oklahoma Sooners? And what caused the NBA's Washington Bullets to change their name to the Wizards? In That's My Team! The History, Science, and Fun behind Sports Teams' Names, Paul Volponi shares the answers to these questions and more. Leading readers on a fast-paced journey through different parts of the United States and the world, Volponi reveals fascinating pieces of information on pop culture, history, science, literature, and a slew of other subjects through the lens of sports. While examining how teams from a variety of sports received their names, he also includes segments on Native Americans, minorities overcoming prejudice, and the growth of women's sports. That's My Team! features fifteen challenges that test the knowledge readers have gained through the chapters, while three "timeouts" provide readers with opportunities to create meaningful names for their own brand new sports teams. Both reluctant and sports-crazed readers, teens and preteens alike, will find this book an exciting way to learn about a variety of subjects through their favorite sports teams. (Goodreads)

"With short, fast-paced chapters, Deuker’s realistic novel pits poverty, friendship, teamwork, self-reliance, and supportive adults against wealth, privilege, overambition, and overbearing helicopter parents. Even readers who don’t like baseball will be riveted to this human-interest, underdog story."—Booklist, STARRED review

"Josh's voice is engaging and conversational, and readers will relate as they laugh along at his misadventures. From a disastrous putt-putt date to just general, suffusing awkwardness, Josh (who grew up to be a Paralympic ski racer) discovers that revisiting the past can be both embarrassing and enlightening. Irresistible fun."―Booklist

“In Furia, Saied Méndez captures both the breathless beauty of fútbol and the depth of its political power. Sports intersect with gender, class, race, and identities around the world, and there’s still so much ground to be covered in telling the stories that live at these intersections. This novel is a thoughtful, vibrant addition. Camila shows readers that they can have it all, even if it’s not exactly as they planned it. She insists girls have every right to dream, to want, to live, and it is a pleasure to watch this character do all three things with love and fury in equal measure.”

—Chicago Review of Books

“Hoose does a brilliant job of portraying the surrounding historical context, exploring the migration of black families from the South to Indiana, showing how Jim Crow practices were just as present in the North as in the South, and describing the deep groundswell of support for basketball in Indiana. . ..Attucks! doesn't pretend that we've outlived the racism of the American past, all the while showing readers how being grounded in one's self-worth and committed to the pursuit of excellence can have a lasting impact on a community. A powerful, awe-inspiring basketball-driven history.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review