NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire is so passionate about promoting literacy that he has a tattoo on his forearm that says “Read.” This week, the 29-year-old captain of the New York Knicks is translating that ink to the page with a new book series he’s written for middle-graders called “STAT: Standing Tall and Talented.”
Titled after his nickname, “STAT” is based on Stoudemire’s life as a middle schooler. Published by Scholastic, the kickoff title, “Home Court,” is written from his perspective as a 6-foot 11-year-old who played basketball informally with friends and dabbled with skateboarding, baseball and football in Lake Wales, the small Florida city where he grew up.
“Double Team,” out in October, follows Stoudemire as he’s courted by more elite players and forced to weigh the importance of basketball and true friendship. A third title is planned for release in January. According to a Scholastic spokesperson, the series is likely to be ongoing, although just three books have been signed.
“Kids need to enjoy reading and not see it as a chore,” said Stoudemire, a “proud father of three” who says he didn’t read enough as a child and is now “always” reading to his kids (ages 7, 5 and 4). He said he wrote “STAT” to give kids more opportunities to read books as entertainment.
The “STAT” series is an extension of the work that the six-time NBA All-Star is already doing through his Amar’e Stoudemire Foundation, which focuses on creatively inspiring young people to avoid poverty through education. That theme is carefully woven into the “Home Court” story line through the tall-for-his-age Stoudemire, who does his homework, helps out his dad, gets along with his brother and is supportive of his friends as they confront a trio of older bullies hogging the neighborhood basketball court.
“It gives a lot of messages about the responsibility of working and doing homework and learning to be leaders with my friends and be a positive influence,” said Stoudemire, who co-wrote the books with “the help of the Scholastic team.”
