John Coy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Richard Coy
Publicity photo of John Richard Coy.
Born	John Richard Coy (1958-08-09) August 9, 1958 (age 67) Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Occupation	Children's and young adult author
Period	1958–present
Genre	Realistic fiction, nonfiction, and picture books

John Richard Coy (born August 9, 1958) is an American author who writes books for kids and teens. He creates picture books, novels for young adults, and a middle-grade series called 4 for 4.

He is well-known for his books about basketball, like Strong to the Hoop, Around the World, and Hoop Genius. Other popular books include Night Driving, Their Great Gift, and his coming-of-age novel, Crackback. John Coy lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and often visits schools around the world to talk about his books.

About John Richard Coy

His Early Life and Education

John Richard Coy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the oldest of four children in his family. Both of his parents were teachers. His father taught history at a college, and his mother taught English in high school.

John went to Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Later, he earned a Master of Arts degree in children and creativity from St. Mary's University in Minneapolis. Before becoming a writer, John worked many different jobs. He was a dishwasher, a tour guide, and even a mattress maker!

John Coy's Writing Career

John's first picture book, Night Driving, was inspired by his own childhood. When he was young, his father would take the family on long road trips across the country. John, being the oldest, often sat in the front seat with his dad. They would talk for hours during the night, and John learned a lot about his father during these special times.

His book Strong to the Hoop became part of the National Basketball Association's Read to Achieve program. This program encourages kids to read. Four years later, Strong to the Hoop was translated into Spanish as Directo al Aro. His publisher then asked him to write another basketball book, but this time about how the game is played in different countries. This led to his book Around the World.

John often visits schools and talks with boys about reading. He listens to why they enjoy reading or why they might not. This helps him write books that he thinks teens would like to read. For example, Crackback is a story about high school football. Box Out follows a sophomore who gets called up to play varsity basketball. His novel Gap Life is about a boy named Cray Franklin whose parents want him to study certain subjects in college, but Cray has different ideas.

John also wrote the popular 4 for 4 series. These four novels are about four friends who love sports. The series follows them as they move from elementary school to middle school.

• Top of the Order is all about baseball.
• Eyes on the Goal tells an exciting soccer story.
• Love of the Game shows the friends hoping to make the football team.
• Take Your Best Shot is a basketball story that finishes the series.

Some of John's books, like Strong to the Hoop, Night Driving, and Vroomaloom Zoom, have even been turned into children's theater plays across the United States.

Besides writing, John has worked on other interesting projects. He has written for the Minnesota Orchestra and was an editor for the Youth Computer Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota. He also worked as a tour guide for the Minnesota Historical Society. John has also spent a lot of time working with adults and children who have developmental disabilities.

John Coy's Books

Published Works

• Night Driving (1996), a picture book illustrated by Peter McCarty.
• Strong to the Hoop (1999), a picture book illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart.
• Vroomaloom Zoom (2000), a picture book illustrated by Joe Cepeda.
• Directo al Aro (2002), a picture book illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart, translated into Spanish.
• Two Old Potatoes and Me (2003), a picture book illustrated by Carolyn Fisher.
• Around the World (2005), illustrated by Antonio Reonegro and Tom Lynch.
• Crackback (2005), a novel.
• Box Out (2009), a novel.
• Top of the Order (2009), a novel and Book 1 of the 4 for 4 series.
• Eyes on the Goal (2010), a novel and Book 2 of the 4 for 4 series.
• Love of the Game (2011), a novel and Book 3 of the 4 for 4 series.
• Take Your Best Shot (2012), a novel and Book 4 of the 4 for 4 series.
• For Extreme Sports-Crazy Boys Only (2015).
• Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game (2016), a picture book illustrated by Randy DuBurke.
• Their Great Gift: Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in a New Land (2016), with photographs by Wing Young Huie.
• Gap Life (2016), a novel.
• Where We Come From (2023).

Awards and Special Recognitions

John Coy's books have won many awards and honors.

For Night Driving

• 1997 Marion Vannett Ridgway Memorial Award for a first book.
• 1996 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center.
• 1998 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.

For Strong to the Hoop

• 2000 American Library Association Notable Book.
• 2000 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.
• 2000 Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association.

For Vroomaloom Zoom

• 2001 Children's Literature Choices list.
• 2001 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.

For Two Old Potatoes and Me

• 2003 Best Family Books for the Year, Nickelodeon.
• 2003 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.
• 2003 Reading Rainbow book.
• 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Honor book.

For Around the World

• 2005 Junior Library Guild selection.

For Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball

• 2013 Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre.
• 2013 Top Ten Sports Books for Youth, Booklist.
• 2014 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center.
• 2014 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.
• 2015 Multicultural Book Collection, Reading is Fundamental.
• 2015 National Endowment for the Humanities Nonfiction Favorites List for Young Readers.

For Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game

• 2016 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, National Council of Teachers of English.
• 2016 Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association.
• Best Children's Books of the Year, with Outstanding Merit, Bank Street College of Education.
• 2016 Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children's Literature, Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section.

For Top of the Order

• 2010 Junior Library Guild selection.
• 2010 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center.
• 2010 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education.

For Eyes on the Goal

• 2011 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center.

For Take Your Best Shot

• 2013 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center.

For Crackback

• 2005 Junior Library Guild selection.
• 2005 500 Great Books for Teens, Additional Title of Interest, by Anita Silvey.
• 2006 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, YALSA.
• 2007 Young Adults’ Choices, International Reading Association.

For Box Out

• 2009 Junior Library Guild selection.
• 2009 Top Ten Sports Books for Youth, Booklist.

For Where We Come From

• 2023 Carter G. Woodson Book Award.