ALA Booklist (Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

He pumped his legs like out-of-control jackhammers. In a lively, down-home storytelling style, Griffis describes the 1927 International Trans-Continental Foot Race, nicknamed the Bunion Derby, from the viewpoint of the winner, 20-year-old Andy Payne, a part-Cherokee farm boy from Oklahoma. The 3,423-mile race across the U.S. from California to New York was an endurance contest as well as a footrace, and tension builds as Andy makes it to the front and keeps going with the champions (running like his britches were on fire) through rain, desert, snow, and every kind of terrain. In an afterword, Griffis notes that she fictionalized a lot, with the permission of the late Andy Payne's family, but she tried to be true to his spirit and kind to his memory. At times the exclamatory style becomes a bit tiresome, with a cute simile in almost every sentence, but this might be fun to read aloud. The design is spacious, and lively black-and-white photos are scattered throughout.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

This accessible biography of Andrew Payne, winner of the 1928 "First Annual International Trans-Continental Foot Race," a 3,423-mile race from Los Angeles to New York City, focuses on Payne's strength of character as well as his physical endurance. Griffis's conversational narrative provides insight, and young runners may be inspired by this little-known American hero.

School Library Journal (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Gr 5 Up-Griffis chronicles a little-known event from the 1920s named for the punishment endured by runners' feet as they raced across the United States. The $25,000 first prize attracted some of the world's most elite athletes, some eccentrics, and a poor, part-Cherokee high school track star named Andy Payne. If this young man could miraculously win the prize money, he could pay off the mortgage on the family farm and marry his hometown sweetheart. Never doubting his ability to succeed, he overcame illness and homesickness, and received a hero's welcome as he ran across his home state of Oklahoma on his journey from California to New York City. A "runner's heart" kept many of these men going as they formed friendships while combating bad weather, poor living conditions, and an unpredictable race course. Griffis chronicles Payne's journey along Route 66, but her writing lacks the emotional tug necessary to keep readers fully engaged. The physical hardships, emotional drain, and mental toughness that were required in order for him to win this race are not done justice. This book is an easy read that would be of interest to serious runners who could more readily empathize with Payne's amazing accomplishment.-Julie Webb, Shelby County High School, Shelbyville, KY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.