ALA Booklist (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Patrick broke ground when she became the first woman driver to lead laps in the history of the Indy 500, and her record-making driving career has earned her millions of fans, including many young people. This title begins with the exciting 2005 Indy race and then tracks back through Patrick's youth and her start in driving, beginning with go-kart races in her early teens. Later chapters touch on Patrick's shift to race cars, her early training, and the blossoming of her world-famous career. Hinman also covers Patrick's personal life, including her marriage, but the emphasis is on the driving, and fans will be thrilled with the detailed accounts of action on the track, illustrated with numerous sharp color photos of cars and their drivers. Sidebars appearing throughout elaborate on related topics, such as racetrack flag signals. A time line, chapter notes, and a list of Web resources close this timely biography in the Xtreme Athletes series.

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Succinct, easy-to-read biographies of these sports stars include brief looks at each person's childhood before focusing on that individual's particular training and road to athletic success. Dramatic narration, direct quotes, color photographs, and sidebars round out the informative main texts; "All-Star Stats" for that sport are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

School Library Journal (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

SAPET, Kerrily . Xtreme Athletes: Michael Phelps . ISBN 978-1-59935-077-6 . LC 2007041505. ea vol: 112p. photos. bibliog. chron. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Morgan Reynolds . 2008. PLB $27.95. Gr 4-7 Patrick and Phelps are popular, rising stars in their respective sports. Patrick is a determined and confident driver struggling to win a place in the male-dominated sport of auto racing. Phelps took home six gold medals from the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and hopes to rewrite swimming's record books at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. These formulaic series entries, however, fail to give young fans a clear sense of their subjects' character and significant achievements. In both books, the writing is dense, uneven, and marred by signs of haste. Lackluster book design, color photos that vary in quality, and an absence of visual aids compound these books' problems. Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA