Gerrit Cole: Baseball Star
(Biggest Names in Sports)

Gr 3-5--Readers interested in learning more about their favorite stars will gravitate toward this thoughtful, well-written series. Baseball fans can learn more about the early lives of Cody Bellinger, Gerrit Cole, and Ronald Acuña Jr., who all grew up playing ball (Bellinger and Acuña had fathers who played professionally). The bio for the relatively new NBA star Ja Morant shows how far he has to go before he gets on the level of veterans like LeBron James and Steph Curry. While their athleticism is the topic of their books, the activism of Bubba Wallace, the first Black driver at the Daytona 500 in almost 50 years, and Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who took a knee to peacefully protest during the national anthem, contextualize the experience of being a Black athlete in America. Chock-full of facts and photos, these titles are both useful and engaging. VERDICT For its stars and scope, this series is a first purchase.