Beating the Odds: The Greatest Upsets in Sports

by Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Overview

Underdog miracles, dynasty defeats, and much more! In this Sports Illustrated Kids book, discover the all-time greatest upsets in sports history. Read about the Celtics’ unbelievable win against the unstoppable Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals. Discover more about USA Hockey’s miraculous defeat of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. And don’t forget the underdog Jets’ remarkable win over the Colts in Super Bowl III. With eye-popping photographs and heart-pounding text, this book will turn any sports fan into a reading all-star!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781669011248
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2023
Series:	Sports Illustrated Kids Heroes and Heartbreakers
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Thomas Kingsley Troupe is the author of a big ol’ pile of books for kids. He’s written about everything from ghosts to Bigfoot to 3rd grade werewolves. He even wrote a book about dirt. When he’s not writing or reading, he investigates the strange and spooky as part of the Twin Cities Paranormal Society. Thomas lives in Woodbury, Minnesota with his two sons.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Did That Just Happen? 6

Chapter 2 When the Mighty Fall 10

Chapter 3 Almost Perfect 14

Chapter 4 Unbelievable! 18

Chapter 5 It's Not Over 'Til It's Over 24

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Index 32

About the Author 32

Interviews

In partnership with Sports Illustrated Kids, an elite sports magazine offering a kid-first perspective to 7+ million young sports fans;

Editorial Reviews

A gripping sports-writing style pulses through the Sports Illustrated Kids: Heroes and Heartbreaks series, which gives exciting play-by ­play accounts of unexpected victories and unfathomable failures in the world of sports. One of the series' biggest strengths is the sheer variety of sports represented in its pages. Yes, football, basketball, baseball, and soccer are there, but so are hockey, tennis, boxing, golf, swimming, and gymnastics. Short passages in the second-person present bookend each title's main text, helping to reel in readers, and scattered fact boxes add historical context throughout. Beating the Odds presents sports upsets in which the underdogs came out on top, as with Naomi Osaka's 2018 defeat of Serena Williams dur­ing the U.S. Open. Tears will be shed during Dropping the Ball, as readers witness athletes at career lows, such as when hockey player Steve Smith scored on his own goal during the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to Hitting the Shot, dutch moments in sports demand amazing athletic feats performed under extreme pressure­for example, an injured Kerri Strug's near-perfect gymnastics vault during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Incredible comebacks are the name of the game in Making the Miracle, which highlights Bethany Hamilton's success as a pro surfer after losing her arm to a shark at­tack. There's never a dull moment in these books, which showcase the value of perseverance, hard work, joy, and humility.

Booklist - Julia Smith