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Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball: World Series Heroics! Greatest Homerun Hitters! Classic Rivalries! And Much, Much More!

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Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball: World Series Heroics! Greatest Homerun Hitters! Classic Rivalries! And Much, Much More!

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Overview

“With the LEGENDS series, Howard Bryant brings to life the best that sports has to offer—the heroes, the bitter rivalries, the moments that every sports-loving kid should know.”—Mike Lupica, #1 bestselling author of Travel Team, Heat, and Fantasy League

Experience baseball's most exciting moments, World Series heroics, greatest players, and more!

Baseball, America's pastime, is a sport of moments that stand the test of time. It is equally a sport of a new generation of heroes, whose exploits inspire today's young fans. This combination makes for a winning debut in Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball.

This is no traditional almanac of mundane statistics, but rather a storyteller's journey through baseball's storied game. Told in fun, accessible chapters and accompanied by iconic photos, a slew of Top Ten lists for kids to chew on and debate, and a Timeline of the 40 Most Important Moments in Baseball History, this collection covers some of the greatest players from Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron; the greatest teams to take the field and swing the bats; the greatest social triggers, such as Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier; the greatest playoff rivalries, including the 2004 showdown between the Red Sox and Yankees that turned into an instant classic; and, of course, the edge-of-your-seat World Series moments that left some cheering while others wept. This is the perfect book for young fans eager to learn more about the sport that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Praise for LEGENDS:

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

* "A terrific gathering of heroic hacks and legendary near misses."—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

* "Each story is engaging and offers readers a glimpse into baseball’s past and American history. [A] terrific addition to engage reluctant readers."—School Library Connection, STARRED REVIEW

"[T]his is clearly a book for sports lovers. A strong choice for rounding out sports collections, this work knocks it out of the park."—School Library Journal

"Any fan of baseball will enjoy this compilation . . . Fans of all ages will find this a useful guide; teachers might find this an interesting mentor text for a student reporting on a particular topic since the approach is unique."—VOYA

"[T]his book will attract all manner of analysis and discussion among lovers of America’s favorite pastime. Fans of other sports will cheer: this is only the first in a series devoted to sports."—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698172586
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/03/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Lexile:	1100L (what's this?)
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Howard Bryant (www.HowardBryant.net) is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author; sports journalist; and radio and television personality. He is the author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston; The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron; and Juicing the Game. The only two-time winner of the prestigious Casey Award for baseball writing, Howard is also a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, and appears frequently on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" and on ESPN Radio. Follow @hbryant42

Read an Excerpt

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH HOWARD BRYANT!

Q. You have written three award-winning non-fiction books for adult readers. You’re also frequently in the public eye – on TV and radio. Why did you choose to turn your attention to younger readers?

A. The biggest reason I turned to younger readers is because my nine-year old son, Ilan, is a voracious reader and budding tennis player. He loves to read and enjoys sports and Penguin gave us the opportunity to do something collaborative. It is a wonderful challenge to write subjects he may be interested in. The other reason is just as personal. I love words. I live to write and I loved reading when I was a child. Then, as I reached middle school and became devoured by my love of playing sports, I read less and less and didn't rediscover my love of reading until after high school. I hope this series offers young athletes who love both sports and reading to have both, to serve as a reminder that you can play sports while learning about them at the same time.

Q. Why the inclusion of so many Top Ten lists within the book?

A. Baseball has such a great history, we realized by the end of the book that some of the greatest names in the game were not mentioned, so the Top 10 lists were designed to be a fast way to give respect and mention to some of the greats--like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio--as well as include some lesser-known but important moments in baseball. A few of the lists provide statistical leaderboards so readers can learn about some great names they've likely never heard of.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for LEGENDS:

“With the LEGENDS series, Howard Bryant brings to life the best that sports has to offer—the heroes, the bitter rivalries, the moments that every sports-loving kid should know.”—Mike Lupica, #1 bestselling author of Travel Team, Heat, and Fantasy League

• "A terrific gathering of heroic hacks and legendary near misses."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

Praise for LEGENDS:

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

“With the LEGENDS series, Howard Bryant brings to life the best that sports has to offer—the heroes, the bitter rivalries, the moments that every sports-loving kid should know.”—Mike Lupica, #1 bestselling author of Travel Team, Heat, and Fantasy League

* "A terrific gathering of heroic hacks and legendary near misses."—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

* "Each story is engaging and offers readers a glimpse into baseball’s past and American history. [A] terrific addition to engage reluctant readers."—School Library Connection, STARRED REVIEW
"[T]his is clearly a book for sports lovers. A strong choice for rounding out sports collections, this work knocks it out of the park."—School Library Journal

"Any fan of baseball will enjoy this compilation . . . Fans of all ages will find this a useful guide; teachers might find this an interesting mentor text for a student reporting on a particular topic since the approach is unique."—VOYA

"[T]his book will attract all manner of analysis and discussion among lovers of America’s favorite pastime. Fans of other sports will cheer: this is only the first in a series devoted to sports."—Booklist

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 3–6—This collection of short pieces outlines the history of baseball. The text is divided into three sections: "Spring," which showcases standout players; "Summer," which focuses mostly on teams; and "Fall," which highlights memorable playoffs and the World Series. A sports writer with ESPN and formerly with the Boston Herald and Washington Post, Bryant often takes a big picture view, considering events in a historical context. But there are plenty of moments of individual glory, such as Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Jackie Robinson when the latter was being showered with racial epithets and Willie Mays's "perfect catch" over his shoulder in game one of the 1954 Series. Bryant doesn't shy from the darker chapters in the game's history, including the 1998 steroid scandal, which destroyed the reputations of sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and the player strike of 1994. An upbeat, exuberant tone runs through this work. Some sections are thick with statistics, but this is clearly a book for sports lovers, who likely won't be dissuaded. The volume concludes with 12 pages of photos and a time line of key moments. VERDICT A strong choice for rounding out sports collections, this work knocks it out of the park.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

School Library Journal

★ 2014-12-06
A sports fan's delight: historical highlights (and lowlights), tributes to great players and lots of "Top Ten" lists ripe for vigorous second guessing.ESPN columnist and NPR sports correspondent Bryant leads off with Babe Ruth and seals the win with the dramatic 2011 Cardinals/Rangers World Series. Using a seasonal organization, he lines up first a select set of players ("Spring"), then teams ("Summer") and finally memorable World Series ("Fall"). In between the essays (a half-dozen per season) he offers lists of statistical leaders or of personal choices for most dominant players in an era, best nicknames and other hot-stove topics. He often angles his spotlight away from the usual feats and milestones to focus, for instance, not on Jackie Robinson's entry into the major league in 1947, but on his career year of 1949 or on teams that won hearts and minds if not always games. An account of the sensational but steroid-spoiled home-run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa is at once exhilarating and thought-provoking. A woefully stingy set of photos highlighting a few players and triumphs is the only whiff here. A terrific gathering of heroic hacks and legendary near misses, ideal as a companion for systematic histories such as Lawrence Ritter's ripe-for-updating Story of Baseball (3rd edition, 1999). (timeline, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews