Dallas, TX–Brattle Trade, a Division of Brattle Publishing Group (BPG), announced the upcoming release of its new preteen novel, 1 For All, a sports book about teamwork and leadership. This exciting tale of a middle school basketball team, the Traverse Musketeers, explores the struggles of team captain J.J. Pickett and his teammates as they face their most challenging season. The novel was written by award-winning children’s book author and digital nomad Sean McCollum and illustrated by longtime Brattle collaborator Sam Valentino.
“I wrote 1 For All as a kind of love letter to what sports can be. Sports reveal our character as well as develop it. Competing on the court shows who we are under pressure, and lets us know where we’re solid and where we can improve as people as well as players,” said McCollum, who grew up playing basketball in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. “I modeled the Musketeers after the team I played on a long time ago. In some ways, the book is what I would tell my eighth-grade self about relaxing more and learning to enjoy the game, win or lose.”
1 For All is McCollum’s newest title and a rare work of fiction from him. The Wisconsin native is the author of dozens of nonfiction titles including, Theodore Roosevelt: America’s 26th President (Scholastic, 2004), Secrets of World War I and Secrets of World War II (Capstone Press, 2017), and Pro Basketball’s All-Time Greatest Comebacks (Capstone Press, 2019). His biography of Roosevelt and another about Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, part of Scholastic’s “Wicked History” series, have earned awards from the Colorado Authors’ League.
Brattle Publisher, Richard-Anthony Lena added, “We want to connect children and young adults with engaging literature. Working with McCollum, an author who shares this goal, has been fantastic. Sean’s love of sports and talent for storytelling allows us to connect with kids on a whole different level.” The book explores relationships on and off the court as J.J. and his friends and teammates develop a deeper understanding of supporting one another and playing as a team—“All for one, and one for all,” as the line goes from Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.
1 For All can be purchased directly on Amazon and in softcover and digital versions beginning August 4, 2020. Retailers can purchase copies through the Ingram’s Catalog.
About 1 For All
J.J. Pickett, captain of the Traverse Middle School Musketeers, thinks this is the year he will lead his eighth-grade team to the conference title. But bad breaks, a new coach, and a long-standing grudge sabotage his hopes and leave him struggling on and off the court. Can J.J. and his teammates salvage something from what seems like a lost season?
About Sean McCollum
Sean McCollum was raised in Wisconsin, graduated from Lawrence University, and left the United States soon after to backpack around the world. During his travels, he worked on scientific projects in Australia and the South Pacific, taught English in East Asia, and traveled overland 5,000 miles across Africa. Drawing on his international adventures, McCollum began his career in writing in New York City in 1992. Today, Sean is traveling again and is a digital nomad, working from his laptop from all around the world. Together with his partner of 30 years, Sean has lived in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Oceania and the South Pacific, and has traveled in some 65 countries. Sean is the author of more than 60 titles and hundreds of magazine articles for such publications as National Geographic Kids, Junior Scholastic, and Teaching Tolerance. Sean also develops online educational content for the Kennedy Center. 1 For All is McCollum’s first book with Brattle Trade, a Division of Brattle Publishing Group.
About Brattle Trade
Brattle Trade, a Division of BPG, is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, BPG creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. BPG publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators.
