John Coy

John Coy is the author of the award winning picture books Night Driving, Strong to the Hoop, Vroomaloom Zoom and Two Old Potatoes and Me. Both Night Driving and Strong to the Hoop have been adapted as plays, and Strong to the Hoop has been published in Spanish as Directo al Aro. As part of the Read to Achieve Program, John wais a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx and NBA All-Star Reading Teams.

His picture book Two Old Potatoes and Me is based on his own potato growing and is illustrated by Carolyn Fisher. His young adult novels Crackback and Box Out explore controversial issues in high school sports and have received enthusiastic reviews.

Recently John has been working on the 4x4 series about four friends who play four different sports. Top of the Order and Eyes on the Goal are the first two titles in this series, with Love of the Game following soon. John has been working with fifth-grade editors to bring an up-to-date reality to these books.

John lives in Minneapolis and works as a visiting author and writing specialist in schools around the country.




					Eyes on the Goal Feiwel and Friends, 2010 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0-312-37330-6 Just before they’re due to start middle school, Jackson, Gig, Isaac, and Diego, four sports-loving friends, all attend the same weeklong soccer camp. Diego is an experienced soccer player, and Gig has a natural ability for the sport he never realized. But Jackson and Isaac are split into another group of players—a group with younger, smaller kids. For the first time, both boys aren’t the stars of their team. In fact, they can’t seem to get a handle on soccer. At the same time, Jackson is having a hard time getting a handle on his mom’s deepening relationship with her boyfriend, and her suggestion that they move in with him. And Gig is worried about his father’s deployment to Afghanistan. Here is a story about how life, like sports, can be unpredictable, frustrating, and exhilarating.



					Top of the Order Feiwel and Friends, 2009 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0312373290 Jackson’s parents are divorced and his mother has started dating. Gig’s dad is in the National Guard and has been called up to serve in the Middle East. Isaac’s dad wants him to go to a different middle school than all his friends. Diego is the new kid in school, a power-hitter who works with his family on the weekends and can’t make every team practice. These four friends lead different lives, but on the baseball field, they’re a strong team, the top of the order. In this crucial last year of elementary school, they’re faced with preparing for middle school and dealing with a new member of their team—a girl!



					Box Out Scholastic, 2008 ISBN 978-0439870320 Liam has just been bumped up to starter on the varsity basketball team, and the pressure's on. With the girls' team heading to State, the boys' team is under even greater scrutiny than usual in Liam's small midwestern town. When the team's coach starts counting on the power of prayer—and enforcing teamwide participation—Liam finds himself in a spotlight that's more nerve-racking than any trip to the free-throw line. In trying to stand up for what's right, Liam is forced to stand up for himself—against his teammates, his fellow students, and even his parents.



					Crackback Scholastic, 2005 ISBN 978-0-439-69733-0 When Miles Manning, a successful high school football player, discovers his teammates are using steroids—and one of them is his best friend—he's faced with a tough decision: Is he willing to do what it takes to win? Football is his life, and his family, especially his dad, is pinning its hopes on him. It's a lot of pressure for a high school junior to bear. This gripping look into the world of high school boys and athletes—and their struggle to be the best—is provocative and searingly honest. Honors IRA Young Adult Choices 2007



					Around the World Lee & Low, 2005 ISBN 978-1-58430-244-5 In this fast-paced game celebrating international basketball, players in ten different countries compete to win. With comic book inspired art by Tom Lynch and Antonio Reonegro, readers have loads to look at on each page. The book offers a great way to teach geography, time zones and the international nature of the game so many kids love. Awards Junior Library Guild selection; Chosen for the NBA Read to Achieve and Basketball without Borders programs



					Two Old Potatoes and Me illustrated by CarolynFisher Lee and Low, 2003 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-375-82180-6 One day at her dad's house, a young girl finds two old potatoes in the cupboard. "Gross." But before she can throw them away, her dad suggests they try to grow new potatoes from the old ones, which have sprouted eyes. Told from May to September, the potato-growing season, the story includes all the basic steps for growing potatoes while subtly dealing with the parents' recent divorce. Just like the new potatoes that emerged from ugly old potatoes, this dad and daughter move on and make a new life together in the face of unavoidable and unpleasant change. Carolyn Fisher's artwork will be instantly recognizable from her recent picture book debut, A Twisted Tale, and her trademark high-energy art and design infuse joy and humor into this heartwarming story. Awards Starred reviews in School LibraryJournal and Publisher's Weekly; Minnesota Book Award finalist; Charlotte Zolotow Honor book for picture book text; Ohio FarmBureau Federation honor book; Nickelodeon Jr.'s Best FamilyBooks of the Year



					Directo al Aro ilustrado por Leslie Jean-Bart traducido por Enrique del Risco Lee & Low, 2002 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-1-58430-082-3 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-58430-083-0 (paperback) Ten-year-old James has gone to the basketball court with his brother Nate many times, but one day a player's injury actually gets him into the game with the older, stronger boys. James must guard powerful Marcus, whose strength intimidates him. James is skilled, but can he prove himself against the odds? John Coy's lively prose and Leslie Jean-Bart's dramatic photo collages deliver both the grit of the game and an important lesson about determination.



					Vroomaloom Zoom illustrated by Joe Cepeda Knopf, 2000 ages 4 to 8, ISBN978-0-517-80009-6 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-440-41759-0 (paperback) This freewheeling picture book takes a fresh look at what to do when a child can't get to sleep—and appeals to all the fantasies of our car-crazy culture with a fantastic ride in a zippy yellow Bug-like car. One August night, cake-bake hot, Carmela can't get to sleep. So she and Daddy get into their car for a little drive. Vroomaloom zoom vroom vroom! They take a fantasy ride past farms (cackle lackle), through woods (whoo whoo), to the sea (splash dash wave crash). "Are you ready for sleep?" asks Daddy. "Not yet. Keep driving," says Carmela. So on they go by swamps, over streams, around waterfalls, forward, backward, sideways, and around in circles. Finally, Carmela's eyes close. She must be ready to sleep. "Not yet, Daddy. Keep driving." Vroomaloom zoomaloom vroom vroom. With its inventive use of language and irresistible refrain, this send-up of a familiar family problem will tickle the fancies of parents and children. Awards Book of Excellence,Children's Literature Choice List for 2001; Best Children's Book of the Year for 2001 by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education; 2001 2X2 Reading List of the Texas Library Association, a list for children ages 2 to second grade; starred review in School Library Journal.



					Strong to the Hoop illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart Lee & Low, 1996 ages 4 to 8, ISBN978-1-58430-178-3 Ten-year-old James has gone to the basketball court with his brother Nate many times, but one day a player's injury actually gets him into the game with the older, stronger boys. James must guard powerful Marcus, whose strength intimidates him. James is skilled, but can he prove himself against the odds? John Coy's lively prose and Leslie Jean-Bart's dramatic photo collages deliver both the grit of the game and an important lesson about determination. Strong to the Hoop reading guide Readers' Theater Script Awards ALA Notable Book of 2000; Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 2000; American Library Association Notable Book 2000; Choices List 2000, Cooperative Children's BookCouncil; Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year; Notable Book for a GlobalSociety by the International Reading Association



					Night Driving illustrated by Peter McCarty Henry Holt, 1998 ages 4 to 8, ISBN978-0-8050-2931-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-8050-6708-8 (paperback) A father and son drive into the night. As the sky turns shades of deep blue and purple they watch for night animals, swap baseball stories, and keep a lookout for eighteen wheelers. But they have miles to go before they can sleep, and it's a real challenge to stay awake for a whole night of driving. Celebrating the relationship between a father and his son, JohnCoy's spare, poetic text and Peter McCarty's striking black-and-white drawings (complete with gas pumps, cafes, and truck stops)capture the warmth and nostalgia of a very special road trip. Awards Cooperative Children's Book Center, Choice Books of 1996; The Horn Book Honor List, 1996; Hungry Mind Review Children's Book of Distinction finalist; 1997 MarionVannett RidgwayMemorialAward for excellence in an author's or illustrator's first picture book; New YorkTimes' Christopher Lehmann-Haupt "one of the best books of the year"; 1997 Minnesota Book Award Finalist.