By: Editors of Sports Illustrated for Kids
Publisher: Sports Illustrated for Kids
Publication Date: October 2013
ISBN: 978-1618930798
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: November 1, 2013

I admit it – I look forward to each new book that Sports Illustrated for Kids publishes. The books are fun, educational, and usually spark a lot of conversation among sports fans, both young and old. I’m happy to report that their newest offering, The Top 10 of Everything in Sports is no exception.

This Top 10 book has a LOT of lists, 30 to be exact. The categories are wide-ranging, from the obvious – Championship Games, Fastest, and Greatest Athletes – to the unexpected or even funny – Sports Movies, Old Folks, and Mikes (as in athletes named Mike). It covers sports primarily in the United States, but also has a nice selection of international events and players.

For some of the categories, I tried guessing the top spots before turning the page to see the rankings. I’m happy to report that I agreed with the book on most of those lists. Top rivalry? It has to be the Red Sox vs. Yankees. Top sporting event? The Super Bowl of course! Can you guess the rest of the list? That’s where the fun begins!

I’m sure every fan thinks that their sport’s/club’s fans are THE best so I suspect that’s one list that you might disagree with. Did your club make the list of the top 10? You’ll have to read this book to find out.

While reading The Top 10 of Everything Sports, I became curious to learn how the lists were created. According to the accompanying press release, “Rankings were decided on through debates and brainstorms amongst a panel of Sports Illustrated Kids’ editors and staff.” Can you imagine the ruckus that must have occurred in that conference room? They did a great job coming up with the lists, added lots of interesting facts, and then included tons of vibrant photos for a book that is visually appealing and honestly, just a lot of fun to read. While you may not agree with every ranking (and why should you?), the best part of this book is that it will spark lively debate between you and your friends.

Quill says: If you love sports, check out this book and then see what kind of sports lists you can come up with – will your friends agree with your rankings?