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Jim Thorpe, Original All-American

Jim Thorpe, Original All-American

Paperback

Jim Thorpe, Original All-American

About the Book

Discover the incredible life of Jim Thorpe, an iconic American legend and one of the greatest athletes who ever lived.

“A superb blend of fiction and non-fiction, rooted in the author’s usual careful research.”—Kirkus Reviews

Jim Thorpe played professional football and major league baseball, and won Olympic gold medals in track and field. He’ll be forever revered by the sports community and by his Native American community. Born on the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1887, Jim was sent as a young boy to various Indian boarding schools—strict, cold places that didn’t allow their students to hold on to their Native American traditions. Jim ran away from school many times, until he found his calling at Pennsylvania’s Carlisle School. There, coach Pop Warner recognized Jim’s athletic excellence and welcomed him onto the football and track teams. Glory followed, as did a surprising disgrace.

But through everything, Jim was a person to admire—an engaging, spirited, and impressive young man. Told in Jim’s voice, this is a rousing, fascinating read about a truly great American.

Product Details

On sale: October 2, 2008
Age: 12 and up
Grade: Grade 7 & Up
Page count: 288 Pages
ISBN: 9780142412336
Reading level: Lexile: 950L

Author Bio

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children including Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Skeleton Man, and The Heart of a Chief.