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From Challenge to Champion: 12 Inspiring Sports Stories for New Readers
Awaken your child’s inner champion—and love of reading—with these motivational sports stories for kids ages 6�9.
Do you have a sports-obsessed kid eager to learn more about their favorite stars? Thrill them with From Challenge to Champion, a collection of stories about legendary athletes from soccer, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, and more. They’ll learn how these athletes overcame incredible challenges—whether injury, doubt, burnout, or difficult beginnings—and emerged victorious. From Simone Biles and Serena Williams to Lionel Messi and LeBron James, each athlete’s tale is a testament to hard work and perseverance that is sure to inspire and empower your child. Perfect for bedtime reading, classroom libraries, or as a gift to young readers, this book is sure to become a treasured early chapter book.
What’s inside?
12 uplifting sports heroes. Dive into the lives of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, Jessica Long, Megan Rapinoe, Jackie Robinson, Allyson Felix, Patrick Mahomes, Chloe Kim, Tom Brady, and Lionel Messi—top athletes from America’s most beloved sports.Life lessons that go beyond sports. Valuable insights on resilience, growth mindset, and the importance of believing in oneself inspire young readers to go after their own dreams.Additional athletes to know and love. 12 more short biographies of breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and C. J. Stroud.Easy-to-read format that’s a slam dunk for new readers. Short chapters, fun illustrations, and simple language keep kids engaged and motivated to read more.
Do you have a sports-obsessed kid eager to learn more about their favorite stars? Thrill them with From Challenge to Champion, a collection of stories about legendary athletes from soccer, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, and more. They’ll learn how these athletes overcame incredible challenges—whether injury, doubt, burnout, or difficult beginnings—and emerged victorious. From Simone Biles and Serena Williams to Lionel Messi and LeBron James, each athlete’s tale is a testament to hard work and perseverance that is sure to inspire and empower your child. Perfect for bedtime reading, classroom libraries, or as a gift to young readers, this book is sure to become a treasured early chapter book.
What’s inside?
12 uplifting sports heroes. Dive into the lives of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, Jessica Long, Megan Rapinoe, Jackie Robinson, Allyson Felix, Patrick Mahomes, Chloe Kim, Tom Brady, and Lionel Messi—top athletes from America’s most beloved sports.Life lessons that go beyond sports. Valuable insights on resilience, growth mindset, and the importance of believing in oneself inspire young readers to go after their own dreams.Additional athletes to know and love. 12 more short biographies of breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and C. J. Stroud.Easy-to-read format that’s a slam dunk for new readers. Short chapters, fun illustrations, and simple language keep kids engaged and motivated to read more.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 9, 2025
From Challenge to Champion by Sklyer Trepel explores the lives of twelve sports stars. The illustrations are by Lorenzo Fornaciari. The book is written in a way that is easy to read and seems to be aimed at six-to-nine-year-olds. However, older children and even adults may learn something new as well. It ties sports and inspiration together by featuring athletes who have overcome challenges in both their personal and professional lives.
While children who love sports and want to learn more about selected athletes will likely enjoy this, the message can be inspiring to all. All twelve athletes have a page with common information such as hometown and teams, but also breakout moments, top achievements, and more. This is followed by more details of their personal and professional lives, including how they have overcome adversity.
Some athletes are more familiar than others. Both current athletes and past athletes are included. This is followed by a section of questions to consider and a short biography of 12 more athletes who are inspiring. These last twelve biographies are very short and not nearly as detailed.
Overall, this was a well-done children’s nonfiction book that contains a great message and is informative.
Zeitgeist � Z Kids and Skyler Trepel provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date was March 25, 2025.
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My 4.38 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
While children who love sports and want to learn more about selected athletes will likely enjoy this, the message can be inspiring to all. All twelve athletes have a page with common information such as hometown and teams, but also breakout moments, top achievements, and more. This is followed by more details of their personal and professional lives, including how they have overcome adversity.
Some athletes are more familiar than others. Both current athletes and past athletes are included. This is followed by a section of questions to consider and a short biography of 12 more athletes who are inspiring. These last twelve biographies are very short and not nearly as detailed.
Overall, this was a well-done children’s nonfiction book that contains a great message and is informative.
Zeitgeist � Z Kids and Skyler Trepel provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date was March 25, 2025.
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My 4.38 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
February 16, 2025
Thank You Net Galley and Zeitgeist for a the e-arc of this book.
As a school Librarian I love bringing what the kids love into the library. This book, is a nonfiction, sports book dream! The author and illustrator did a phenomenal job with this book. The kids love books about sports and their favorite athletes. In this book you get stats and info about the athletes along with a short inspiring story. This book is perfect for grades 4-8. I would recommend this book to any middle grade child that loves sports. I hope to get a physical copy for my school library for my students to enjoy.
As a school Librarian I love bringing what the kids love into the library. This book, is a nonfiction, sports book dream! The author and illustrator did a phenomenal job with this book. The kids love books about sports and their favorite athletes. In this book you get stats and info about the athletes along with a short inspiring story. This book is perfect for grades 4-8. I would recommend this book to any middle grade child that loves sports. I hope to get a physical copy for my school library for my students to enjoy.
February 11, 2025
4 â�
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Zeitgeist and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I really really liked the format of this. I'm a big sports enthusiast, and as I said in other reviews I'm always on the lookout for new cool books for my nephew. This is definitely one I will take into consideration for the future.
The book, as stated in the title, presents the stories of 12 different athletes, from a variety of sports, in a way that can grab the attention of a child. I feel like this does a good job in sharing the facts and making them enjoyable for the children. I also really liked the illustrations for each athlete, they are beautiful and capture perfectly these important figures.
The additional 12 athletes to follow in the future was a nice touch, I appreciated it a lot.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Zeitgeist and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I really really liked the format of this. I'm a big sports enthusiast, and as I said in other reviews I'm always on the lookout for new cool books for my nephew. This is definitely one I will take into consideration for the future.
The book, as stated in the title, presents the stories of 12 different athletes, from a variety of sports, in a way that can grab the attention of a child. I feel like this does a good job in sharing the facts and making them enjoyable for the children. I also really liked the illustrations for each athlete, they are beautiful and capture perfectly these important figures.
The additional 12 athletes to follow in the future was a nice touch, I appreciated it a lot.
March 19, 2025
The tales of twelve sport heroes brings inspiration and shows that hard work and determination can pay off.
Twelve athletes are presented in these pages, some often mention and others will be new. Each one is a hero in their sport...and this covers a broad range of types. From soccer to gymnastics and more, these athletes come from every direction and offer diversity in other ways as well. This makes for a well-rounded list. At the end of the read, twelve more athletes are mentioned along with a shorter summary of their accomplishments.
Each athlete begins with a list of facts and statistics as to name, size, and such. This is a nice way to give readers a quick and enjoyable run-down of the individual before diving into the story surrounding their struggles and victories. This later part is written in third-person and brings across the information in a way, which keeps younger readers in mind. This flows well enough and brings across the material in an understandable way. The vocabulary, font size, and sentence length isn't necessarily for 'new' readers, but rather, fits those who have a good grip on their words and are dipping their toes into the lower end of more difficult middle grade reads already (I'd slide it to 8 to 10 more). The illustrations also add a nice touch to help make each athlete easier to connect with.
It's a lovely book for sport fans, who are curious about life stories behind athletes.
Twelve athletes are presented in these pages, some often mention and others will be new. Each one is a hero in their sport...and this covers a broad range of types. From soccer to gymnastics and more, these athletes come from every direction and offer diversity in other ways as well. This makes for a well-rounded list. At the end of the read, twelve more athletes are mentioned along with a shorter summary of their accomplishments.
Each athlete begins with a list of facts and statistics as to name, size, and such. This is a nice way to give readers a quick and enjoyable run-down of the individual before diving into the story surrounding their struggles and victories. This later part is written in third-person and brings across the information in a way, which keeps younger readers in mind. This flows well enough and brings across the material in an understandable way. The vocabulary, font size, and sentence length isn't necessarily for 'new' readers, but rather, fits those who have a good grip on their words and are dipping their toes into the lower end of more difficult middle grade reads already (I'd slide it to 8 to 10 more). The illustrations also add a nice touch to help make each athlete easier to connect with.
It's a lovely book for sport fans, who are curious about life stories behind athletes.
April 8, 2025
The 12 profiles featured in this book consist of the GOATs of different sports, from soccer to swimming to baseball and more. The book also features lesser-known sportspeople, along with a few bonus profiles at the end!
The format and layout of the book are interesting where we see beautiful, action-packed illustrations by Lorenzo Fornaciari set up with some fun and informative facts about the players! This would be a great book for sports fans and readers will learn about what it takes to excel in your choice of sports, how the players have led a relatable life about struggles and determination, and will leave readers excited to watch these players and sports next time!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The format and layout of the book are interesting where we see beautiful, action-packed illustrations by Lorenzo Fornaciari set up with some fun and informative facts about the players! This would be a great book for sports fans and readers will learn about what it takes to excel in your choice of sports, how the players have led a relatable life about struggles and determination, and will leave readers excited to watch these players and sports next time!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2025
This is such a well done book highlighting famous athletes from many different sports.
It was too advanced for my 6yr old to read on his own, but we enjoyed reading it together. He loved the info about each athlete and hearing their stories. I certainly learned a lot as well, and enjoyed it too!
We liked the creative drawings of each athlete that looked like sports cards. There’s also a bio section of each athlete, as well a “breakout moment,� “top achievement� and “did you know?�
Overall, a really great book for anyone interested in learning more about these professional athletes and their stories.
Thank you to Zeitgeist for providing a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
It was too advanced for my 6yr old to read on his own, but we enjoyed reading it together. He loved the info about each athlete and hearing their stories. I certainly learned a lot as well, and enjoyed it too!
We liked the creative drawings of each athlete that looked like sports cards. There’s also a bio section of each athlete, as well a “breakout moment,� “top achievement� and “did you know?�
Overall, a really great book for anyone interested in learning more about these professional athletes and their stories.
Thank you to Zeitgeist for providing a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
February 20, 2025
Twelve aspirational biographies of American sports stars � well, eleven, plus Messi. They all start with a data page and image as if they were on a collectable card, and then we get a few illustrated pages of their story and what it teaches us about sticking to our guns, or ignoring racism, or helping team mates. It's standard fare, but it's done well, and includes names that certainly aren't always talked about in such books (ie it's pretty exclusively for a USA audience only). For those in need of such life stories, a decent four stars.
March 22, 2025
Well written and very engaging. A great read for young readers and mature readers alike, and a great book for parents to share with their children.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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