Inspiring Stories and Great Achievements
Readers of all ages can find role models and heroes in these moving stories.
Younger Readers
Comeback! Four True Stories by Jim O'Connor
Color and black-and-white photographs add emphasis to these four stories of extraordinary athletes who triumphed over incredible odds to become champions.
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, illustrated by George C. Ford
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles writes a fictionalized account of Ruby Bridges, who at age 6 became the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school. Learn more.
Grade School Readers
Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Mary Rayner
When Farmer Hoggett decides to make his pig into a sheepdog, he and the pig become laughingstocks. But determination, and belief in each other, shows the farmer, the pig, and everyone else how to forget stereotypes.
Black Diamond: The Story of Negro Baseball Leagues by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack
Before Jackie Robinson, there were many terrific African-American baseball players. These are the stories of the amazing players who weren't allowed to play in the Major Leagues. Learn more.
Dan O'Brien (Overcoming the Odds) by Bill Gutman
This biography recounts how decathlete Dan O'Brien worked his way to an Olympic gold medal, tackling a learning disability and overcoming athletic setbacks on the way.
Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Photos, anecdotes, and oral histories make it easy to imagine the dangerous and exhausting life as a coal miner. The author pays special attention to the lives of child miners.
Hearts of Gold: A Celebration of Special Olympics and Its Heroes by Sheila Dinn
The background and history of the Special Olympics will remind your reader that it takes all kinds of athletes to be champions.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Unfair rules at an unfair boys' detention center seem unbeatable, until one boy takes on the authorities and digs up some awful — and incredible — truths. Learn more.
If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Anna Rich
A question-and-answer format will make it easy for your child to imagine a life when segregation was the norm and equal rights didn't exist. Learn more.
The World at Her Fingertips: The Story of Helen Keller by Joan Dash
This biography focuses on Helen Keller's triumphs, such as her college degree and her career as a lecturer, as well as the challenges she faced. Learn more.
Grades 6 and Up
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
A boy who has been kicked off the football team is sent to daily detention, where he makes unlikely friends and learns about starting over, even after the worst knockdowns.
My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
This is the moving story of a boy who is as compelled by his own artistic talent as he is by his religion, though he is not allowed to live in a world with both.
Uncommon Champions: Fifteen Athletes Who Battled Back by Marty Kaminsky
These short essays follow athletes in many sports who have conquered obstacles ranging from poverty to drug addiction to illness.
12/18/06
