The Greatest Moments in Sports

November 30, 2009
These insightful books take a fresh look at diverse historical topics.
The Greatest Moments in Sports
Len Berman
. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky
, $16.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-4022-2099-9

Veteran sportscaster Berman offers his selections for the most groundbreaking moments in sports, with color photographs and stats throughout. The broad grouping kicks off with Michael Phelps's swimming victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; other highlights include Hank Aaron beating Babe Ruth's home run record, Billie Jean King's match against the boastful Bobby Riggs (“it may not have been the greatest of sports moments... but it was certainly one of the most memorable”), and the U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer win in 1999. It's an eclectic roundup that's likely to have readers mulling their own personal favorites. An audio CD featuring broadcasts of 10 featured moments is included. Ages 7–up.

November 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Following the same format he used in The Greatest Moments in Sports History (Sourcebooks, 2009), Berman offers his take on 25 of the most unexpected victories. From boxing to baseball and football to figure skating, he puts his sportscaster past to good use with lively writing and exciting photographs that place readers right in the middle of the action. Youngsters learn about Billy Mills's surprise win of Olympic Gold for the 10,000 meter run in 1964, and Mexico's Little League World Series win of 1957. Text boxes help break up a somewhat lengthy narrative with fast facts, biographical information, and quick glimpses into the records of the "champions" versus the "underdogs." The accompanying CD offers additional insight from Berman on 10 of the upsets, with snippets of live coverage woven in. While the sports that are included are quite varied, only three of the anecdotes focus on women. Sports are always popular with middle-grade students, and while many may prefer to follow more current events, those who enjoy sports history will appreciate how Berman's enthusiasm comes through in both his writing and in the CD. Purchase this book where the author's first collection has a following.Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.