Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game Library Edition

(Hardback)

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Description

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.

Reviews

"[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

-- (8/17/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"[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

-- (7/15/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"[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

-- (11/8/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"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

-- (11/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"It's a great story. . . . [Use] for a readaloud on teams who challenged segregation."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

-- (12/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"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

-- (9/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"This interesting but little-known story is an important one. . . . A strong work with themes of sports, history, and human kindness."--School Library Journal

-- (8/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

Author Bio

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, and If We Were Gone. 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. Randy DuBurke has been a professional illustrator for over twenty 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.