Break Barriers - Hardcover

Gr. 3-6. These titles from the new Athletes series offer plenty of information for report writers, but are mostly geared to fans interested in getting more personal with their favorite players. Each volume, written in the first person, is filled with details of the athlete's childhood, schools attended, favorite foods, and more. Vince Carter reminisces about his days as a drum major in high school, his 2000 Olympic gold medal, and his parent's divorce when he was seven. The book about Gagne is more lighthearted. He talks about the evolution of his goatee and the reason he likes to take the mound to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses. The series really shines in the design department. The first-rate photographs and text of different colors and sizes make the presentations feel like sports magazines rather than routine series biographies stuffed with dry statistics and team photos. Some children will probably need an adult's help to get through parts of the text, but young sports nuts won't mind a bit. Carlos Orellana
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