Game Changer
John McLendon and the Secret Game
When they piled into cars and drove through Durham, North Carolina, the members of the Duke University Medical School basketball team only knew that they were going somewhere to play basketball. They didn’t know whom they would play against. But when they came face to face with their opponents, they quickly realized this secret game was going to make history.
Discover the true story of how in 1944, Coach John McLendon orchestrated a secret game between the best players from a white college and his team from the North Carolina College of Negroes. At a time of widespread segregation and rampant racism, this illegal gathering changed the sport of basketball forever.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
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978-1-4677-2604-7
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$13.49 | |
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978-1-4677-9055-0
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$22.99 | |
|
978-1-7284-6476-3
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$34.99 | |
|
978-1-7284-6475-6
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$6.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 2 - Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 2 |
| Genre | Picture Books, Social Studies |
| Category | 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: D Relationship Skills, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning |
| Copyright | 2015 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Carolrhoda Books ® |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Publication Date | 2015-10-01 |
| Reading Counts! Level | 10.6 |
| Text Type | Narrative Nonfiction |
|---|---|
| BISACS | JNF054020, JNF053140, JNF025210 |
| Dewey | 796.32307'7 |
| Graphics | 1-color illustrations, Full-color illustrations |
| Dimensions | 10.625 x 8.875 |
| Lexile | 1170 |
| ATOS Reading Level | 5.7 |
| Accelerated Reader® Quiz | 175363 |
| Accelerated Reader® Points | 0.5 |
| Features | Afterword, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Reviewed, and Starred Reviews |
Author: John Coy
John Coy is the author of young adult novels, the 4 for 4 middle-grade series, and nonfiction and fiction picture books including Hoop Genius, Game Changer, Their Great Gift, Dads, If We Were Gone, and Where We Come From. He has received numerous awards for his work including a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, and the Burr/Warzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children’s Literature. John lives by the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
Illustrator: Randy DuBurke
Randy DuBurke has been a professional illustrator for over thirty years. He has done comic book art, animation, editorial illustration, book covers, and children’s books. He lives in Switzerland with his wife and two children.
Awards
- Bluestem Readers' Choice Award Master List
- South Carolina Book Award Nominee
- Sequoyah Book Award Nominee
- Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year - Outstanding Merit
- Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award
- Notable Books for a Global Society Notable Book
- Delaware Diamonds Program
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book
Reviews
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“It’s a great story. . . . [Use] for a readaloud on teams who challenged segregation.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The New York Times Book Review
“[T]he kind of story from which ‘inspirational’ movies are made. . . . This book adds new heroes to the pantheon.”—The New York Times Book Review
The Horn Book Magazine
“Coy’s succinct narrative is well paced, compelling, and multilayered. . . . A fascinating story, with appeal far beyond sports and history fans.”—The Horn Book Magazine
Booklist
“This book offers a slice of history and an inspiring portrait in courage . . . [An] exciting account of a landmark game played ahead of its time.”—starred, Booklist
Publishers Weekly
“[A]n account brimming with suspense and emotional tension . . . skillfully highlights both the energy and importance of the game and the dangerous social climate in which it was played.”—starred, Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
“This interesting but little-known story is an important one. . . . A strong work with themes of sports, history, and human kindness.”—School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
“[A]rresting illustrations play up the basketball action and the emerging camaraderie that conjured the possibility of defeating Jim Crow….[A] charming read for young basketball fans.”―Kirkus Reviews