Ever wonder what it’s like inside your favorite team’s locker room? Well, it’s probably not that different from the one you have in your school gym — wait, you DO get your own personal flat-screen HDTV and Playstation 3, right? Okay, maybe not, but each player on the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks does! And this is just one of the very cool inside looks at the world of sports in Sports Illustrated Kids All Access.

The book gives you three unique views into professional sports, from the athletes that wow us, to the amazing state-of-the-art places where it all goes down and the gear these athletes can’t do without. You’ve probably seen Derek Jeter hit a baseball, but do you have any idea how his bat was made? Did you know that every bat Jeter uses is etched with his signature, and that he goes through about 100 of them each season? Sports Illustrated Kids All Access even shows you a close-up view of what actually makes up the inside of the baseball that Jeter is trying to smash into the outfield bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium.

I really enjoyed Sports Illustrated Kids All Access. It’s very visual, and the great detailed photos make you feel like you’re right there in the thick of the action. One of my favorite parts of the book is the Places section. You go behind Fenway Park’s famed Green Monster to see how one of two remaining manual scoreboards in the MLB is operated during game time, and take a look at how the crew at Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center can turn an ice hockey arena into a basketball venue in just a few hours. I’ve always been amazed by the magnitude of professional sporting events, so learning about some of these inner workings was pretty awesome.

If you like sports, then you’ll probably enjoy Sports Illustrated Kids All Access as much as I did. It’s a book that you just might find yourself flipping back through the next time you watch your favorite team play.

— Brent

Brent enjoys music, sports, the Charlotte Bobcats, and reading nonfiction; and he used to carry a 204 bowling average. These days, he can often be found training for his next half-marathon.




Review copy provided by the publisher.

So grab your cleats/mitt/helmet/bobsled and take a listen:

(13:09) 
Download the MP3 (12.6 MB)
• Sports memories from us and Avi! — aka our mystery book revealed
• In the outfield, over hill, and on the gridiron — our sports book picks, plus one from you (Out Standing in My Field, Stone Fox, and Million-Dollar Throw)
• Nancy’s past as a sports champion (WHA?!)

And don’t forget: in honor of Valentine’s Day, our next theme is romance! So watch our latest Mystery Book Theater video and check out these books involving romance that’ll make you swoon — in a good way.
— Nancy and Karen

PS – In Part 1 of the podcast, Karen mentions her favorite scuba diving experience and Nancy mentions an embarrassing snowboarding moment. Here’s digital proof of both (in the video, Nancy’s the one in white):

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is about a boy named Nate “Brady” who has a chance to win a million dollars at a patriots game. His best friend has an eye condition that someday she will go blind. Will Nate make the through and help his friend get her eyesight back?

Consider these the MVPs of the sports book world (not necessarily in medal order):

Fiction:

1. Out Standing In My Field by Patrick Jennings (Karen’s pick)
2. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (Nancy’s pick)
3. Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
4. Baseball Card Adventures series by Dan Gutman
5. There’s a Girl in my Hammerlock by Jerry Spinelli
6. Football Hero by Tim Green
7. Summerland by Michael Chabon
8. The Kid Who Only Hit Homers by Matt Christopher
9. The Melting of Maggie Bean by Tricia Rayburn
10. The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter
11. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
12. My Thirteenth Season by Kristi Roberts
13. Surfer Dog by Elizabeth Spurr
14. The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane
15. Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff
16. Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
17. Skinnybones by Barbara Park

Nonfiction:

1. Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics written by Sue Macy, photos by Peggy Fleming
2. How Hockey Works by Keltie Thomas
3. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers
4. Nascar (DK Eyewitness Books) by James Buckley
5. The Greatest Moments in Sports by Len Berman
6. Sports Illustrated Kids Year In Sports 2009

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite sports book!

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite sports book!

UPDATE 2/9/10: We revealed the answer to our Sports Mystery Book Theater in the “We Are THE CHAMPIONS!” Podcast, so take a listen if you want to know the answer. Or just tune in if you want to hear about Karen’s ridiculous sports injury.

Heat by Mike Lupica

The season may be over, but if you’re a baseball fan, you don’t have to wait until spring training to get your fix. Kidsmomo to the rescue! Just check out Heat, written by famous sports columnist Mike Lupica.

The book is about 12-year-old Michael Arroyo, who has an amazing arm and dreams of making it to the major leagues. And he’s already on his way as the star player for his little league team.

But then a rival team’s coach accuses him of being too old for the league. No problem, right? Michael can just show everyone his birth certificate, can’t he? Actually, no. Because his birth certificate is stuck in Cuba, and Michael is an orphan living with just his older brother — even though it’s against the law, it’s just the two of them fending for themselves. And no one can know, or else they’ll be sent to foster care, or worse, back to Cuba.

Oh, and did I mention that Michael has girl trouble too? (Of course he does.)

PLUS, with the recent World Series match-up, the timing couldn’t be better to pick up this book — it takes place in the Bronx, and Michael’s goal is to pitch in the Little League World Series at Yankee Stadium! So if you’re a Yankees fan, then you can continue your celebrations, and if you’re a Yankees hater, then you can get worked up all over again. Either way, you’ll at least root for Michael.

Don’t believe me? Read an action-packed excerpt from the book for yourself, or check out these book trailers made by Heat fans:

This one was created by J.C. at Dowdell Middle Magnet School — minor spoiling warning!

Of course, if you’ve read Heat already, add your voice to the mix! You don’t have to make your own video (dude, we’re not slave drivers here); just leave a comment with your opinion on the book.

— Karen