ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Not many sporting events last all of four seconds, but that's exactly the appeal of the Funny Car style of hot-rodding: the excitement is in the build-up terally the bizarre cars, constructed to maximize speed at the expense of all else. To burn down those 400 meters in the blink of an eye, these aerodynamic vehicles have special slick tires, tiny front wheels, parachutes for stopping, and other unusual features that the bright action shots illustrate on every other page. Inset photos give us brief glimpses at some of the sport's stars (including Ashley Force Hood, the first female to win a Funny Car race) as well as a couple sentences of biography. The text, pitched well for reluctant readers, is filled with numerical statistics (A Funny Car makes 8,000 HP!) as well as conversational quips (Wow, what a ride!). Short but robust back matter makes this entry in the Fast Lane: Drag Racing series a good entry point for budding speed demons.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

These exclamation pointheavy texts give readers an inside look at the sport of drag racing. Types of dragsters, their performances, and safety measures employed by racers are all discussed. Concepts such as horsepower, elapsed time, traction, roll cage, and fuel types are superficially included. Vivid photographs and "Fast Fact" sidebars add interest for reluctant readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

GEORGIOU, Tyrone . Pro Stock Dragsters . ISBN 978-1-4339-4699-8 ; ISBN 978-1-4339-4702-5 . LC 2010032327. GEORGIOU, Tyrone . Pro Stock Motorcycle Dragsters . ISBN 978-1-4339-4703-2 ; ISBN 978-1-4339-4706-3 . LC 2010035245. GEORGIOU, Tyrone . Top Fuel Dragsters . ISBN 978-1-4339-4707-0 ; ISBN 978-1-4339-4710-0 . LC 2010039130. ea vol: 24p. (Fast Lane: Drag Racing Series). further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Gareth Stevens . 2011. PLB $22.60; ebook $22.60. Gr 2-5 Several chapter titles in each of these volumes have almost identical wording. Though the material is informative, its quality varies almost as though each book were written by a different author. Vocabulary is sometimes uneven; words such as "nitromethane" and "parachute" are used, but easier words such as "injured" are avoided (as in the "Community Connections" books above, drivers may instead be "hurt"). The narrative voice switches between second and third person. Glossary words are not noted in the text, and there is no pronunciation guide. A "Fast Fact" box in each chapter seldom relates to the rest of the presentation, and, throughout, remarks such as "Wow!" add nothing. Details are inconsistent at times. Pro Stock Dragsters , for example, explains that the vehicle's wheels are 17 inches in width, but Top Fuel Dragsters mentions the same measurement without saying whether it refers to the wheels' diameter or width. Full-page, usually well-captioned color photos occupy the right side of each spread; these are of low quality, with some blurring and with content that is too cluttered to have a focal point. Of the titles, Pro Stock Dragsters and Pro Stock Motorcycle Dragsters are the best choices.