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 66) 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 young adults. He's known for his picture books, novels for middle schoolers, and books for teens. Many of his stories are about sports, especially basketball. Some of his most famous books include Strong to the Hoop, Around the World, and Hoop Genius. He also wrote Night Driving, Their Great Gift, and the teen novel Crackback. John Coy lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and often visits schools all over the world to talk about his books.

About John Richard Coy

John's Early Life and Education

John Richard Coy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 9, 1958. He was the oldest of four children. Both of his parents were teachers. His dad taught history at a college, and his mom 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 made mattresses!

John's Journey as a Writer

John Coy's first picture book was called Night Driving. He got the idea for this book from long car trips he took with his family when he was young. His dad would drive the family of six across the country. John, being the oldest, often sat in the front seat with his father. They would talk late into the night, and John learned a lot about his dad 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. Strong to the Hoop was even translated into Spanish as Directo al Aro. After that, his publisher asked him to write another basketball book. This new book would be about how basketball is played in different countries around the world. That's how Around the World was created.

John often visits schools and talks to boys about reading. He listens to why they like to read or why they don't. This helps him write books that he thinks teens would enjoy. For example, Crackback is a novel 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 a popular series called 4 for 4. This series has four novels about four friends who love sports. The books follow 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 is about 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 in other interesting roles. He wrote 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 Published Books

Here are some of the books John Richard Coy has written:

• Night Driving (1996), a picture book
• Strong to the Hoop (1999), a picture book
• Vroomaloom Zoom (2000), a picture book
• Directo al Aro (2002), a Spanish picture book
• Two Old Potatoes and Me (2003), a picture book
• Around the World (2005), a book about basketball worldwide
• Crackback (2005), a novel for young adults
• Box Out (2009), a novel for young adults
• Top of the Order (2009), Book 1 of the 4 for 4 series
• Eyes on the Goal (2010), Book 2 of the 4 for 4 series
• Love of the Game (2011), Book 3 of the 4 for 4 series
• Take Your Best Shot (2012), 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
• Their Great Gift: Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in a New Land (2016), with photographs
• Gap Life (2016), a novel for young adults
• Where We Come From (2023)

Awards and Honors for John Coy's Books

Many of John Coy's books have won awards and received special recognition. Here are some of them:

Awards for Night Driving

• 1997 Marion Vannett Ridgway Memorial Award [1]
• 1996 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center [2]
• 1998 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education [3]

Awards for Strong to the Hoop

• 2000 American Library Association Notable Book [4]
• 2000 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education [5]
• 2000 Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association [6]

Awards for Vroomaloom Zoom

• 2001 Children's Literature Choices list [7]
• 2001 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education [8]

Awards 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 [9]
• 2003 Reading Rainbow book [10]
• 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Honor book [11]

Awards for Around the World

• 2005 Junior Library Guild [12]

Awards 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 [13]
• 2013 Top Ten Sports Books for Youth, Booklist [14]
• 2014 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center [15]
• 2014 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education [16]
• 2015 Multicultural Book Collection, Reading is Fundamental [17]
• 2015 National Endowment for the Humanities Nonfiction Favorites List for Young Readers [18]

Awards 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 [19]
• 2016 Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association [20]
• Best Children's Books of the Year, with Outstanding Merit, Bank Street College of Education [21]
• 2016 Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children's Literature, Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section [22]

Awards for Top of the Order

• 2010 Junior Library Guild [23]
• 2010 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center [24]
• 2010 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education [25]

Awards for Eyes on the Goal

• 2011 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center [26]

Awards for Take Your Best Shot

• 2013 Choice Books, Cooperative Children's Book Center [27]

Awards for Crackback

• 2005 Junior Library Guild [28]
• 2005 500 Great Books for Teens, Additional Title of Interest, by Anita Silvey [29]
• 2006 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, YALSA [30]
• 2007 Young Adults’ Choices, International Reading Association [31]

Awards for Box Out

• 2009 Junior Library Guild [32]
• 2009 Top Ten Sports Books for Youth, Booklist [33]

Awards for Where We Come From

• 2023 Carter G. Woodson Book Award