Grades 3 – 7
Moderated by Ismery Pavon, program coordinator at Miami Book Fair.
Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict the legendary boxer’s life up to age 17 in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Readers will learn about Clay’s family and neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky, and how, after a thief stole his bike, Clay began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. Before long, he won his first Golden Gloves bout and began his transformation into the unrivaled Muhammad Ali. Fully authorized by and written in cooperation with the Muhammad Ali estate – and vividly brought to life by Dawud Anyabwile’s dynamic artwork – Becoming Muhammad Ali captures the budding charisma and youthful personality of one of the greatest sports heroes of all time.
Punching the Air, a novel in verse, tells the story of Amal Shahid, who has always been an artist and a poet. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
FREE bonus download: Becoming Muhammad Ali Educator’s Guide