New Releases by John Coy

Thwaack! Whummpp! Klangg! From a park in the United States to a pitch in India, from the seaside in Nigeria to a stadium in Uruguay, there’s one game that brings the world together. Whether you call it football, soccer, or any other name, it’s the most popular sport on the planet. Follow a fast-paced soccer game around the globe, moving to a new location with each turn of the page. The game includes early morning in Chicago, USA; a nighttime matchup in Shenzhen, China; an early evening game in Kochi, India; and a midafternoon match in Lagos, Nigeria. Journey through time zones and around the globe as kids everywhere use their feet to dribble, shoot, and score all the way through to the final goooooooooal! Author John Coy and illustrator Phùng Nguyên Quang collaborated across an ocean (and multiple time zones!) to create this action-packed celebration of the power of sport to unite people worldwide!

Stokes tells the story of the NBA’s first Black superstar, Maurice Stokes, who is not as well known as he should be in part because of a career-ending injury. Coauthors and basketball enthusiasts John Coy and Ty Chapman highlight what a standout Stokes was: he was 6’7” and as they write, “nobody had ever seen a guy his size score, defend, rebound, dribble, and pass so well.” In a 1958 game against the Minneapolis Lakers, Stokes, went down hard and hit his head, losing consciousness. At the time, there was no concussion protocol, and Stokes went back into the game. A few days later, he went into a coma and woke up unable to move his body from the neck down. Players did not have any sort of financial support in situations like this, and Stokes’s teammate Jack Twyman worked with other players and Milton Kutsher to put on a benefit game during the summer at Kutsher’s hotel in the Catskills. This game became an annual tradition, and Stokes was eventually able to travel and watch the game. Wilt Chamberlain said of Stokes, “He had something transcending as a person. . . . Everybody loved him.” Back matter includes some great historical photos as well as further information about Stokes, who was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, and about the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. This picture book biography provides a fascinating look at basketball history, accompanied by Lonnie Ollivierre's action-packed illustrations.

Here is a story about how life, like sports, can be unpredictable, frustrating, and exhilarating. Eyes on the Goal by John Coy is part of the 4 for 4 series, an action-packed middle grade series for young readers about four boys from diverse backgrounds who deal with family, friendship, and school situations. Just before they're due to start middle school, Diego, Gig, Jackson, and Isaac, four sports-loving friends, all attend the same weeklong soccer camp. Diego is an experienced soccer player, and Gig has a natural ability for the sport he never realized. But Jackson and Isaac are split into another group of players—a group with younger, smaller kids. For the first time, both boys aren't the stars of their team. In fact, they can't seem to get a handle on soccer. At the same time, Jackson is having a hard time getting a handle on his mom's deepening relationship with her boyfriend, and her suggestion that they move in with him. And Gig is worried about his father's deployment to Afghanistan. "Light, enjoyable reading for those downtimes between sports seasons." — Booklist "Coy has created a story of just the right length to keep his fans engaged. It is not necessary to have read Top of the Order to appreciate this one. Hints of fall football in middle school indicate that a third book is to follow." — School Library Journal

"Outstanding in all ways, this title deserves a place in most collections and adds a wonderful opportunity for upper elementary students (and higher!) to unpack our complicated histories."—starred, School Library Journal We come from stardust our bodies made of ancient elements. We come from single cells evolving over billions of years. We come from place, language, and spirit. And each of us comes from story. We all come from something. In this unique collaboration, four authors lyrically explore where they each come from—literally and metaphorically—as well as what unites all of us as humans. Weaving together their individual stories, they explore place, ancestors, movement, struggle, determination, and hope. Powerful poetic text and richly layered illustrations bring together past and present, creating an accessible and visually striking look at family, history, and identity.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Water, air, sunlight, plants . . . we need these elements to live in this world. But does the world need us? And what would happen to the world if humans were gone? This is the premise of a thought-provoking picture book from John Coy. His insightful text explores how nature would reclaim the planet, accompanied by Natalie Capannelli's gorgeous watercolor illustrations. Back matter gives further context and discusses what kids (and all of us) can do to truly help our planet.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! 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.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Taking over a rowdy gym class right before winter vacation is not something James Naismith wants to do at all. The last two teachers of this class quit in frustration. The students—a bunch of energetic young men—are bored with all the regular games and activities. Naismith needs something new, exciting, and fast to keep the class happy—or someone's going to get hurt. Saving this class is going to take a genius. Discover the true story of how Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! With lyrical text and thought-provoking photography, Their Great Gift explores the experiences of immigrants in the twenty-first century, focusing on the lives of children. Images of families who came to the United States from many different parts of the world celebrate the diversity of our country and contain a vision of hope for the future.

Next to a speck of sand, you're huge. But gaze up into the night sky with its millions of stars, and suddenly you're tiny. So which is true? Are you big or little? Author John Coy captures the whimsical poetry of a child's perspective as he looks at everything gigantic and minuscule in the universe to arrive at a surprising conclusion: kids are both big and little--just the right size to be exactly who they're meant to be.

Celebrate all that fathers do: building, fixing, cooking, cleaning, laughing, crying, hugging, playing and more! John Coy and Wing Young Huie—the author and photographer behind Their Great Gift—reunite for a new book that shows a wide range of fathers and children, particularly highlighting families of color and lower-income families, who often aren't depicted in children's books. This beautiful book is a perfect Father's Day gift!

A tender look back at a child's first steps, On Your Way is a celebration of growth, movement, and the importance of slowing down to observe life's milestones both big and small. A mother recounts for her child "that day on the porch" when they first tried to walk. As the child totters, stumbles, and flops, young animals nearby gallop, jump, waddle, and hop. Kids will delight in the child's progress and think of the ways they're still learning to grow and move every single day now that they're on their way. A perfect book for looking back at how far kids have come...and how far they'll go.

Despite acceptance from his father's college, Cray decides to take a gap year with Rayne, who helps him find a job at a home for developmentally disabled adults, and he learns more about himself and others than any university could teach him.

From snowboarding to skydiving, here are the most extreme sports for the most daring boys. "It's that adrenaline rush, I think, that comes with extreme sports. For me it's all about the passion of sport and the goodwill that sport creates." -Robby Naish, windsurfer and kitesurfer From the rush of skateboarding to some of the most ultimate extreme sports like base jumping and ice climbing-there's so much to know about the world of extreme sports. The Olympics and the X-Games have opened our eyes to so much, but there's still so much to see. Do you want to learn more about aggressive inline skating? Do you want to read up on how to protect yourself next time you go sandboarding? If you feel the rush of adrenaline every time you think about riding that big wave, or taking that half-pipe by storm then For Extreme-Sports Crazy Boys Only is definitely the book for you!

Four friends in middle school face challenges both on and off the basketball court with issues that affect their families, friendships, school, and sports.

Middle school is full of new challenges for Jackson, Gig, Isaac, and Diego, four sports-loving friends who have always stuck together. Lockers that won't open, older (and bigger) kids, classes that are far apart, tons of homework—there's a lot to get used to. One thing the boys are looking forward to, however, is making the football team. Not every one will get what he wants, though, on the field and at home.

John Coy turns to the high-stakes world of high school basketball in this fast-paced YA novel--now in paperback with new cover art! Sophomore Liam Bergstrom just joined the varsity basketball team. His teammates made varsity because they're good. Liam's here because he's tall and Coach needs a guy who can grab rebounds. It's the chance Liam's been waiting for, but already he's playing catch-up. The other guys know what Coach expects, and they're willing to do things Coach's way, no matter what. So when Liam questions the team's practice of praying together before games, he's suddenly the odd man out. Now Liam has to find the guts to stand up for what he believes in--and take his game to a whole new level.

In his gripping debut novel, acclaimed picture book author John Coy presents the high stakes world of high school football, where doing what it takes to win doesn't always mean doing the right thing.When Miles Manning, a successful high school football player, discovers his teammates are using steroids--and one of them is his best friend--he's faced with a tough decision: Is he willing to do what it takes to win? Football is his life, and his family, especially his dad, is pinning its hopes on him. It's a lot of pressure for a high school junior to bear. This gripping look into the world of high school boys and athletes--and their struggle to be the best--is provocative and searingly honest.

Four sports-crazy 5th grade boys deal with family, school, and friendship issues against the backdrop of their baseball season. Jackson's parents are divorced and his mother has started dating. Gig's dad is in the National Guard and has been called up to serve in the Middle East. Isaac's dad wants him to go to a different middle school than all his friends. Diego is the new kid in school, a power-hitter who works with his family on the weekends and can't make every team practice. These four friends lead different lives, but on the baseball field, they're a strong team, the top of the order. In this crucial last year of elementary school, they're faced with preparing for middle school and dealing with a new member of their team—a girl! Acclaimed author John Coy takes readers into the hearts and minds of 5th grade boys, with plenty of baseball action that's sure to keep even the most reluctant readers turning the pages.

Ten-year-old James tries to hold his own and prove himself on the basketball court when the older boys finally ask him to join them in a game. Full color. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

As father and son drive into the night, they watch the sunset, talk about baseball, sing cowboy songs, and even change a flat tire before pitching camp at daybreak.