As we approach the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, we had a patron ask for books about the Olympics. We decided to make a mini bibliography of some titles surrounding several aspects of the Olympics and their history. Enjoy!
How to Train with a T. Rex and Win Eight Gold Medals, BR019007, by Michael Phelps and Alan Abrahamson
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! PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2009.
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, DBC09714, by Pat Zietlow Miller
Growing up in the segregated town of Clarksville, Tennessee, in the 1960s, Alta's family cannot afford to buy her new sneakers--but she still plans to attend the parade celebrating her hero Wilma Rudolph's three Olympic gold medals. For grades K-3. 2021.
The Gold Medal Mess MVP book 1, DB087575, by David A. Kelly
Five friends are ready for their school's Olympics field day. But not everyone wants to play fair, and someone is trying to ruin the events. The kids in the Most Valuable Player club must solve the mystery in time to save the Olympics. Commercial audiobook. For grades 2-4. 2016.
Hour Of the Olympics: Book 16, Magic Tree House, BR014203, and DB054426, by Mary Pope Osborne
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. For grades 2-4. 1998.
Going For Gold, BR012816, by Andrew Donkin
Provides a brief history of the Olympic Games and discusses six sporting events. Includes information on athletes in each sport, including track legend Jesse Owens, gymnast Kerri Strug, and tennis champion Jennifer Capriati. For grades 2-4. 1999.
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, DB043739, by Kathleen Krull
African American Wilma Rudolph weighed only four pounds when she was born in 1940, and she had nineteen older brothers and sisters. Childhood polio left her leg paralyzed, but Wilma exercised until she not only walked but became an Olympic gold medal runner. For grades 2-4. 1996.
On The Court With...Shaquille O'Neal, BR015063, by Matt Christopher and Glenn Stout
Describes the life and career of the basketball superstar and center for the Los Angeles Lakers up until the 2002 season. Tells how O'Neal became a professional player winning many awards and championships, including a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 1996 Olympics. For grades 4-7. 2003.
Who is Simone Biles? DB114357, by Stefanie Loh
In 2021, Simone Biles shocked the world when she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympic Games after experiencing the 'twisties'--a scary feeling during which gymnasts lose control of their bodies while mid-air. Audiences had expected Simone to dominate these games. That summer, however, Simone became more than just a legendary athlete. She became an advocate for mental health and protecting yourself even when the world is watching. Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6. 2023.
Special Olympics, DB056862, and BR015084, by Mike Kennedy
Concise 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. For grades 3-6. 2002.
Olympic Dream, DB045362, by Matt Christopher
Fourteen-year-old Doug loves to eat, and his body shows it. Then he meets Red, a medical student who is serious about cycling. Through Red, Doug develops an interest in bicycle touring and racing that changes his attitude about many things. For grades 4-7. 1996.
Olympic Games, DB008775, by Wolfgang Girardi
Survey of the Olympics from 776 B.C. to 1972. Emphasizes the drama and excitement of the 20th-century contests. For grades 5-9. 1972.
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany, DB097507, by Andrew Maraniss
Recounts the history of first-ever US Olympic basketball team, in the 1936 Summer Games in Germany. Spans from the invention of basketball by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, to the events and propaganda surrounding the sport's Olympic debut. Commercial audiobook. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2019.
The Summer Olympics, DB024673, by Caroline Arnold
Describes the beginnings and the organization of the Olympic games and eight main events of the summer games. Simple reading for junior and senior high readers. 1983.
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: the Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, DB098792, by Deborah Riley Draper, Travis Thrasher, and Blair Underwood
Set against the turbulent backdrop of a segregated United States, sixteen black men and two black women are torn between boycotting the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany or participating. Follow five of these athletes, who knew that attending meant representing an America that considered them second-class citizens. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August, DB093361, by Oliver Hilmes and Jefferson S. Chase
A German historian examines the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin from the point of view of Nazi leaders, foreign diplomats, journalists, competitors, and ordinary Berliners. Translated from the 2016 German edition. 2018.
The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph, DB119093, by Oksana Masters and Cassidy Randall
Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine in the shadow of Chernobyl with the odds stacked against her. She came into the world with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias. Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents, salvation came at age seven when American Gay Masters, rescued Oksana from her circumstances. In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Determined to prove herself and fueled by a drive to succeed, Oksana is now considered one of the world's top athletes, and is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic. Commercial audiobook. 2023.
Amazing Athletes: An All-star Look at Canada's Paralympians, BRG04485, by Marie-Claude Ouellet, Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott
Though the Paralympics are the third largest sporting event in the world, they don't always get their due. Chantal Petitclerc, Benoît Huot, Alison Levine, Ahmad Zeividavi and many others tell us about their journeys as athletes, challenges they've faced along the way, and insights into the particularities of parasports. Created in collaboration with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Amazing Athletes promotes the Paralympic movement that continues to change perceptions of excellence, diversity, and disability around the world. Profiles athletes from across Canada representing diverse cultural and social backgrounds, from newcomers to veterans in their sports. The portraits are inspiring and positive, and encourage determination, perseverance and doing your best. Includes photos. 2021.
The Watermen: the Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man's Fight to Capture Olympic Gold, DB118959, by Michael Loynd
In the early twentieth century, few Americans knew how to swim, and swimming as a competitive sport was almost unheard of. That is, until Charles Daniels took to the water. On the surface, young Charles had it all, but the scrawny teenager suffered from extreme anxiety. His only source of joy was swimming. But he struggled with technique-until he caught the eye of two coaches determined to build a competitive U.S. swim program. Set in the early days of a rapidly changing twentieth century, The Watermen-a term used at the time to describe men skilled in water sports-tells an engrossing story of grit, of the growth of a major new sport for Americans, and of a young man's determination to excel. 2024.
The Games: A Global History of the Olympics, BR022356, and DB091775, by David Goldblatt
An expert on the sociology of sports looks at the history of the modern Olympic Games. From the founding of the contemporary Olympics in 1896 in Athens through the grand spectacles of more recent years, he stresses the political and social forces that impacted the games. 2016.