Colin Kaepernick

April 15, 2014
Grades 2-5 In the same way that photographs reinforce text, televised football games may help reinforce the contents of these pleasant easy-entry titles in the Football Stars Up Close series. The general sameness of the content (childhood interests, high-school and college sports, and eventual NFL glory) makes for a smooth experience, with much of the pop coming from football-shaped fun facts and, of course, the bright professional photography set against a green turf background. Colin Kaepernick was a high-school pitcher with a stunning 92 miles-per-hour fastball, but it was football he loved, so he accepted the only college offer he got and then forged a career out of stepping in and succeeding when the first-string QBs in front of him got injured. A short time line closes out these fluffy but amiable sports bios.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)