Central Division: The Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee (Above the Rim: The NBA Library) [Library Binding]

Robert E. Schnakenberg (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Above the Rim: The NBA Library

From the early days of basketball to the young rising stars of today, this book provides a comprehensive look at the teams in the Central Division: The Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the New Orleans Hornets, and the Toronto Raptors.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reviewed with Jim Gigliotti's The Atlantic Division.

Gr. 2-5. Young readers seeking plenty of facts and season highlights of some of their favorite NBA teams will be well served by these short, colorful volumes from the Above the Rim series. Each book is divided into brief chapters that explore the history of a specific team, focusing primarily on key players and either exceptionally triumphant or dismally disappointing seasons. The page layout is eye-catching and inviting, while the text, with its rapid-fire descriptions, succinct overviews, and some play-by-play moments, will entice sports enthusiasts. Color action photos on most spreads will draw young readers as well, although the photographs in The Central Division are far superior to those in The Atlantic Division. Both books include statistical charts, a glossary of terms highlighted in color throughout the text, and a time line. Fine selections for elementary- and some middle-school collections. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: Child's World (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592962041
• ISBN-13: 978-1592962044
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,612,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Schnakenberg has been called "the Howard Zinn of nerd pop culture." He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Distory: A Treasury of Historical Insults, Christopher Walken A-to-Z, Secret Lives of Great Authors, and The Encyclopedia Shatnerica--the world's first A-to-Z guide to the life and career of William Shatner. His work has appeared in Penthouse, The American Writer, and Real People; and online at Alternet, HoleCity, Mental Floss, and PopPolitics.com. He has been a major contributor to numerous multi-volume reference works, including The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture; Fashion, Fad, and Style; and Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th Century America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing young readers to the NBA's Central Division, June 23, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Central Division: The Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee (Above the Rim: The NBA Library) (Library Binding)

The Detroit Piston's stunning five-game upset of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA finals is about the only reason that this volume from "Above the Rim: The NBA Library Series" needs to be updated. There has not been as much turnover in the "Central Division" as there have been in the rest of the NBA (except for Rasheed Wallace joining the Pistons), but then the off season is still young and who knows what will happen before and during the NBA draft this week. In telling the history of the teams in this division one of the points of emphasis is winning championships and what the Pistons did would certainly qualify.

The chief value of this series is that it gives young fans of the NBA a look at the history of each team in the league. "Central Division" tells the story of the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Hornets, and Toronto Raptors. Robert E. Schnakenberg provides a brief history of the division, the teams that make it up and their greatest coaches and players. Fans of the Chicago Bulls who grew up watching Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen get to learn about Bob Love, Norman Van Lier, and Jerry Sloan. Even long time NBA fans might learn something new (Red Auerbach coached Atlanta at some point?).

Fans of each team will find that Schnakenberg does a good job of providing a basic history of the franchise so they can at least know the highlights. If you are a fan of the Atlanta Hawks and only know Sharif Abdur-Rahim and not Bob Pettite and Dominique Wilkins, then this book will explain why you need to expand your knowledge of NBA history. "Central Division" is illustrated with photographs of superstar NBA players, with both black & white shots of the likes of Bob Lanier and Oscar Robertson along with color shots including Reggie Miller and LeBron James. The back of this book includes all time team records, as well as the career leaders in points and rebounds for each franchise, and members of the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame from each team. There is also a Glossary of terms from "All-American" to "role players," along with a Time Line of when teams were founded and won championships, Books and Web sites for additional information about the Central Division and the NBA, and an Index.