Raymond Miller

In this chapter book, we journey through the life of Kobe Bryant who is a well-known basketball player around the world. Kobe Bryant joined the NBA at the brisk age of 18, and made a name for himself quickly with the help of his hard-work and dedication to the game. We learn about his childhood in Europe, and how he learned the game of basketball at an early age. Though it wasn't easy in the beginning of his NBA career, it didn't take long for Bryant to make a name for himself. Before the age of 24 he lead the L.A. Lakers to three straight NBA titles, and was already being compared to the great Michael Jordan.

I really loved how this book gave detailed information about Kobe Bryant's childhood. When we see these "star athletes" we never stop to think how they achieved this title, and we often believe they've had life handed to them. In this book we are shown the difficulties Bryant went through in order to become one of the best basketball players in the league. I found it interesting that he lived in Italy most of his life, and when he finally moved back to the United States he had an Italian accent. Bryant learned about the fundamentals of basketball in Italy, and that is what set him apart from other players in the United States. He played the game because he loved it, not because he wanted fame and fortune. I believe having books like this within the classroom is wonderful because so many kids are involved with sports. When a child is interested in a specific topic, it keeps them engaged and provides them with information they care about. I would love to have this book in my future classroom someday because I think a lot of kids believe they will make it to major leagues in sports, and that is not always the case. I would use this book as a discussion piece on why going to college is so important. Bryant went straight to the NBA after high school, and missed out on the opportunity of going to college. Though Bryant was successful, this is not the case for most athletes and I think this topic should be discussed more. This book contained a lot of useful information, but I wasn't crazy about the writing style. It seemed choppy at times, and some of the chapters lost my interest. I did like how we are provided with the glossary in the back of the book, as well as where the book got it resources from. This book was easy to read and would engage anyone who is interested in sports.… (mais)