  | For the win : poems celebrating phenomenal athletes | |
| Price: $24.68 | ||
Summary:
The collection includes JaNay Brown-Wood writing about LeBron James, Jaime Adoff writing about Mookie Betts, and Kao Kalia Yang writing about Suni Lee as well as poems for twenty more athletes. It covers a wide range of sports, including hockey, football, basketball, baseball, tennis, gymnastics, golf, wrestling, swimming, and karate.
| Compiler: | Latham, Irene |
| Waters, Charles |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/01/25)
Booklist (02/01/26)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/01/2026 This engaging collection celebrates 20 outstanding, current professional athletes. Each competitor is the main subject of a poem written by a different contributor, resulting in a variety of styles, voices, imagery, and themes. The athletes represent sports that range from basketball, baseball, and football to golf, tennis, gymnastics, karate, and even professional wrestling. All of the subjects are still actively pursuing their careers, and the lineup includes several stars born in the 2000s. The poems are supported by color photos and brief biographical profiles that help kids interpret language choices and poetic allusions. There are also very brief one-paragraph introductions to each of the contributing poets, unfortunately relegated to the closing pages of the book, that emphasize how many of the writers were middle-school, high-school, or college athletes and remain fans and spectators today. Emphasizing these connections can inspire fledgling poets to write about their own passions, awakening creative possibilities. This makes a handsome addition to most middle-grade poetry collections. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
