Go for the Gold- Olympic Book List

Women Olympic Champions Nathan Aasang

DB054640

Profiles the lives and struggles of seven outstanding female Olympic champions from various time periods, nations, and events: Sonja Henie, figure skating; Babe Didrikson, track and field; Fanny Blankers-Koen, running; Dawn Fraser, swimming; Lydia Skoblikova, speed-skating; Nadia Comaneci, gymnastics; and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, heptathlon. 2001.

Grades 5-8, Biography, Download Only

The Story of the Olympics Dave Anderson

DB050298

Traces the history of the Olympics from its beginning in 776 B.C. to modern times. Relates stories about medal-winning athletes who participate in events such as track and field, gymnastics, swimming, diving, figure skating, skiing, and speed skating. 2000.

Grades 5-8, History, Download Only

The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936 Susan D. Bachrach

DB052698

Examines the 1936 games in the historical context of Nazi beliefs and propaganda. Describes the systematic exclusion of non-Aryan--Jewish, part Jewish, and gypsy--athletes from German sports and Hitler's treatment of African American Olympic champions. Discusses world reaction to these events. Vividly recounted by Susan Bachrach, author of Tell Them We Remember. 2000.

Grades 5-8, History, Download Only

Jim Thorpe, Original All-American Joseph Bruchac

DB068057 Fictional autobiography of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe (1887-1953). Recounts his early life on an Oklahoma reservation and at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where he excelled in sports. Describes winning two Olympic gold medals and the scandal of losing them on a technicality. 2006.

Grades 6-9, Historical Fiction, Native American Interest

Fire on Ice: Autobiography of a Champion Figure Skater Sasha Cohen

DB063785

Olympic Silver Medal-winning figure skater from California (born 1984) chronicles her career from the age of seven through the 2006 winter games in Torino, Italy. Highlights the hard work, injuries, and adversities she overcame to achieve success in her field. 2005.

Young Adult, Biography, Figure Skating, Download Only

Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith Gabrielle Douglas

DB076347

Autobiography of Olympic gold-medal gymnast Gabrielle Douglas. Recounts her early life in Virginia, her professional training in Iowa, and the sacrifices she and her family made to support her dream. Credits her faith and family for her success at the 2012 London games. 2012.

Young Adult, Biography, Gymnastics

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion Russell Freedman

DB050066

Biography of the "greatest woman athlete of all time," who broke records in golf, track and field, and other sports in an era when there were few opportunities for female players. Discusses her childhood and her career after winning three medals in the 1932 Olympics. 1999.

Grades 5-8, Biography, Download Only

Jim and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure Dan Gutman

DB069022 Joe Stoshack's longtime enemy Bobby Fuller asks Joe to use a vintage baseball card to time travel with him. The boys want to meet Jim Thorpe, the twentieth century's greatest athlete and Bob's great-grandfather, but they arrive in 1913--after Thorpe's Olympic medals were taken away. 2008.

Grades 4-7, Adventure Fiction

Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Champion Athlete Geri Harrington

DB046556

Discusses the training and successes of the Olympic gold medal-winning athlete in track and field. Despite the fact that exercise triggered her asthma, Jackie Joyner-Kersee excelled in the heptathlon and long jump events. 1995.

Grades 5-8, Biography, Track and Field, Download Only

Special Olympics Mike Kennedy

BR015084

Short history of Special Olympics--the winter and summer athletic games held every four years for competitors who are mentally retarded. Discusses this condition and explains how these special participants are chosen. 2002.

Grades 3-6, Disability Interest

Athletes with Disabilities Deborah Kent

DB057300

Discusses the history of athletic events for people with disabilities, including the Paralympics and the Special Olympics. Also profiles several individuals who have competed in them. 2003.

Grades 4-7, Disability Interest, Download Only

Hour of the Olympics Mary Pope Osborne

DB054426, BR014203 When Jack and Annie travel back in time to ancient Greece to find a lost story, they arrive during the Olympics. They discover that girls did not have many rights in those days. 1998.

Grades 2-4, Adventure Fiction

How to Train with a T. Rex and Win Eight Gold Medals Michael Phelps

BR019007 (In Process)

Michael Phelps describes his six years of physical training to win eight gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Olympics. Measures his eating in calories and pizzas, his swimming practice in meters and miles, and winning his last race by a fingernail! 2009.

Grades K-3, Biography, Swimming

Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali Charles R. Smith

DB067173

Rap-inspired verse celebrates the life of American boxing champion Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay in 1942. Covers Ali's 1960 Olympic gold medal, his conversion to Islam, objections to the war in Vietnam, attitudes towards racism, and battle with Parkinson's disease. Coretta Scott King Honor Book. 2007.

Grades 5-8, Biography, Poetry, Boxing, Download Only

On the Field with...Mia Hamm Glenn Stout

DB057997, BR016814

Biography of one of the top female soccer players in the United States. Describes how Mia Hamm helped her team win a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and a victory in the 1999 World Cup championship. Includes a chronology of Hamm's career highlights. 1998.

Grades 4-7, Biography, Soccer, Download Only

Wilma Rudolph: Sports Heroes and Legends Thomas Streissguth

BR017959 Biography of African American track and field star Wilma Rudolph (born 1940), who became a successful athlete despite a childhood battle with polio that left her unable to walk. Describes her career and highlights the 1960 Olympic Games, where Rudolph won three gold medals. 2006.

Grades 4-7, Biography, Track and Field