Athletes Who Changed the Game

Ages 8 to 14, Grades 3 to 8

Learn about over 50 athletes who were the first to break barriers, rules, and records in bold and fearless ways!

Fearless Firsts: Athletes Who Changed the Game celebrates over 50 athletes who broke barriers, rules, and records, transforming the world of sports. While these athletes came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better sports world.In this book, kids will read about very famous athletes, like Jackie Robinson and Simone Biles. They'll also discover the first female drag-racing champion and the first Latino American baseball superstar. They'll meet the first Olympian with an amputated leg, the first blind Ironman racer, the first transgender college champion, and the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists. Beyond individual athletes, they'll learn how Title IX impacted sports, why the Paralympics matters, and the history behind the Haudenosaunee lacrosse team.By the time they're done reading, whether an athlete or not, kids will be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in anything they set your mind to!

About the Author

JAMES BUCKLEY JR. is one of the country’s most prolific writers of sports and nonfiction for kids, with more than 200 titles to his name, including twenty in the New York Times bestselling Who Was…? biography series, nine books in the Show Me History graphic nonfiction series, and fifteen years of writing the Scholastic Year in Sports. A former editor with Sports Illustrated and NFL Publishing, he runs Shoreline Publishing Group, a leading producer of nonfiction kids’ books for national and school-library publishers. James lives in Santa Barbara, California. ELLEN LABRECQUE has written over 100 nonfiction books for children. She has authored ten biographies in the New York Times best-selling Who Was. . .? series, including David Beckham, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. She enjoys exploring various topics and has channeled this research into other books on sports, outer space, animals, jungles, and the environment. Ellen was a writer and editor at Sports Illustrated Kids magazine for nine years, writing profiles on athletes and covering Olympics and other sporting events. She now writes from her Bucks County, Pennsylvania home with her family and her dog Oscar.STEFFI WALTHALL is an illustrator and character designer born, raised, and currently living in Virginia. From a young age, she could always be found with pencil and paper in hand. Steffi took this passion for art halfway down the east coast to Georgia, where she received her BFA in Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design. During her time in school, she developed a line-focused, graphic style. Working primarily in Photoshop, she focuses on crafting a diverse range of characters and unique stories. Steffi draws most of her inspiration from mythology, history, film, and science fiction.