How Basketball Works
Gr. 5-8. This guide to basketball offers information about the game's origins, history, and equipment as well as positions, training, skills, and stats, even the players' shoes. Let other books drone on about the rules of the game (covered here in a single page, right before the lengthy glossary); this offers tips, fascinating factoids, and need-to-know anecdotes, such as how Michael Jordan was motivated by his failure to make the varsity team in high school or how Sheryl Swoopes worked as a bank teller before the 1996 Olympics spurred the birth of the WNBA. The writing style is razzle-dazzle energetic, and many sections of text conclude with an exclamation point or a pun. The layout features numerous sidebars and brightly colored  photos and digital drawings. Even longtime fans will learn something from this engaging, enthusiastic book.Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.