11/01/2023
Gr 4–6—Who doesn't love an underdog story? Reporters laughed when Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would beat the Colts in Super Bowl III, so they were stunned when he led his team to victory. The Boston Red Sox were cursed from the moment they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees—that is until the 2004 Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees in the World Series. From Roberta Vinci beating Serena Williams and upsetting 300-to-1 odds, to Jeremy Lin's rise from an undrafted guard to the peak of "Linsanity," these books walk readers slowly along the path to the reveal of the underdog moment. Unfortunately, while there are a decent amount of facts and stats throughout these titles, the writing is dry and drawn out. Ultimately, there are better reads out there on sports underdogs with those same benefits. VERDICT Pass on this sleepy series.
