Caitlin Clark: Basketball Superstar and Inspiration for a New Generation : ISBN 978-1-6782-1000-7 / eBook: 978-1-6782-1001-4
Pennsylvania School Library Association (PSLA), July 28, 2025
This compact, single title biography of Caitlin Clark, considered one of the greatest collegiate basketball players, traces Clark’s life from childhood to 2024 as a member of the professional team Indiana Fever. Readers interested in Clark’s early life and progress to collegiate sports greatness will not be disappointed. The slim volume addresses Clark’s competitive nature, her struggles with anger, and her advocacy for mental health. The author names Clark’s influences and supports, both familial and professional, as she played college sports and attained the coveted spot of first draft pick on the national stage. The focus of the biography is Caitlin Clark’s position as a role model for other sports-minded kids. Readers will take away not only an image of Clark as a thoughtful, concerned person but also a determined and skillful basketball player who deals with her shortcomings. As a leading woman basketball player, Caitlin Clark’s popularity is at a peak right now, and readers will snap up this cursory biography. Includes timeline, further sources, and index.
THOUGHTS: Hopefully, Caitlin Clark’s career will be long and successful. This intermediary biography will serve its purpose because of Clark’s popularity.
Caitlin Clark: Basketball Superstar and Inspiration for a New Generation : ISBN 978-1-6782-1000-7 / eBook: 978-1-6782-1001-4
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2025
Details the journey of powerhouse Caitlin Clark, whose talent and drive have reignited interest in women’s basketball.
Currie-McGhee’s account unfolds in chronological order from her subject’s origins as a talented child baller to being the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2024. Along the way, readers learn about her life in high school and college and her pro career so far. Clark has been clearly focused on her goal of playing professionally since age 9. Her journey to the top has included practicing yoga for &ldqu;increasing flexibility and preventing injuries,” taking piano lessons and playing other sports to help prevent “burnout at a young age,” and participating in therapy to protect her mental health given the high pressures athletes face. The author describes Clark’s roots in her close-knit family, whose Roman Catholic faith was central to her upbringing. Quotes from Clark and her relatives, along with vivid descriptions of sports action, bring the text to life. This highly positive account contains an interesting twist in the form of references to Clark’s learning to healthily channel feelings of anger and frustration, often stemming from “her passion for winning.” The text in this colorful and visually appealing work is broken up with photos and text boxes, including one describing Clark’s direct criticism of people who used her identity as a white woman to further their own “racism and misogyny.”
An engaging deep dive into the life of a rising basketball superstar. (picture credits, source notes, timeline, for further research, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)