Bowen, Fred. Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2022. 978-1-534-46043-0. 99 p. $19.99. Grades 3+.

Sports writer and popular middle grade author Fred Bowen teams up with illustrator James E. Ransome to present a lush walk through hoops history. Young basketball fans who view Michael Jordan as ancient will enthusiastically expand their knowledge of the sport. Working with 75 years of history, Bowen does a respectable job of selecting individuals, teams, and events to highlight, beginning with a well crafted summary of the game’s creation. Readers will ooh and aah over nuggets of information from the early days of the sport, from players hitchhiking to games, to the development of the 24-second clock in an effort to resuscitate the league. Along the way, the book, divided into four quarters comprised of short, easily digestible chapters, features numerous luminaries, the names fans should know. Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Dr. J to name just a few, as well as less known but equally important players. But the book does not just dwell in the past; current players such as Stephen Curry are included as well. The picture book sized volume concludes with four pages of league statistics, as well as a comprehensive index. Complementing Bowen’s easy to read prose is Ransome’s artwork. An unusual approach for a sports book, the illustrations leap off the page, conveying the action and excitement of the event, as well as the power and athleticism of the players. The only downside to this approach is the complete lack of captioning, unfortunately leaving readers in the dark as to the identity of the individuals pictured. This is a delightful volume to skim, skip, and browse as well as read cover to cover. 

THOUGHTS: The subject and the writing both should attract middle grade and older readers, but the size of the book may make it a less practical option for older students.

796.323   Basketball            Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD