The Playbook

January 2, 2017
Newbery Medalist Alexander (The Crossover) uses basketball as a metaphor for growth on and off the court in this stirring collection of 52 motivational poems-as-rules, grouped into four thematic sections (Grit, Motivation, Passion, and Teamwork and Resilience) that correspond to the quarters of the game. Quotations from players and coaches from across the athletic spectrum (Roberto Clemente, Mia Hamm, Pat Riley, and many more), as well as from figures like Sonia Sotomayor and Oprah Winfrey, supplement the always encouraging tone of Alexander’s poems: “When you’re hot, shoot./ When you’re not, pass./ Champions hide/ their weaknesses/ with their strengths,” reads Rule #19, framed against a silhouette of a basketball spinning on a fingertip. Spiked with accents of basketball orange, the book’s sharp, eye-catching design prominently features Neave’s dynamic b&w photographs of basketball players of all ages and colors, shooting hoops in gymnasiums, parks, and street courts. Ages 10–12.

January 1, 2017
Building on the great success of his Newbery-winning The Crossover (2014), Alexander provides advice and life lessons to young readers, drawn mostly from the world of sports and organized by a schema of "rules."Instead of chapters, the work begins with a preface called "Warm-up: The Rules" and is then divided into the four quarters of a game, each having a theme: "grit," "motivation," "focus," and "teamwork and resilience." "Passion" is included as a half-time consideration, and there is an "overtime" look at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There are brief profiles of athletes Wilma Rudolph, LeBron James, Pele, and Venus and Serena Williams, along with maxims and personal anecdotes from both male and female sports figures who've excelled in different arenas as well as a few nonathletes, including Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Sonya Sotomayor, and Nelson Mandela. Throughout there is poetry, verses that remind us why Alexander connects with readers. "Rule #45 / A loss is inevitable / like rain in spring. / True champions / learn / to dance / through / the storm." The advice never feels heavy-handed, and the author's voice shines through. The design is as much a part of the book as its lively text, set in varying font sizes and colors (black, white, or orange), differing layouts, and judicious use of photographs and illustrations. This will appeal to fans of Alexander's previous middle-grade novels as well as young sports fans. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

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January 1, 2017
Grades 7-10 Alexander uses sports as a metaphor for life in this earnest gathering of personal reminiscences. I was tall. I thought I could ball, he writes. Turns out, my passion was on a different court. He's referring to the tennis court, where he worked his way to excellence after disappointing tries at basketball and football. Still, whatever the gameathletic or otherwisehe offers advice from his experience. Many of these rules are similar in principle: learn from failures, accept and appreciate coaching, always be prepared to take the shot when it comes, and know the rules of playbut say yes to the possibility of sometimes making up your own. With its black-and-orange color scheme, the page design intersperses digestible passages of narrative with basketball-themed black-and-white photos and graphics, and pithy advice from high-profile icons of achievement. General life advice, however sound, will never be a slam dunk with teens (ask any parent), but the b-ball motif adds at least some palatability, and the lessons embedded in the author's own story may prove persuasive.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)