Inside the Olympics

April 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-This immersive series will make students experts at major sporting events in no time. Each volume is prefaced by effectively answering the five W's (who, what, where, when, why) in a "Fast Facts" section. The volumes are slim, but they pack a lot of information. As these titles can occasionally be a bit dry, this set is for ardent readers who want to focus on learning minute details on the series topics. The text employs multiple perspectives (typically from the sports creator, a fan, an on-field observer, and an athlete) with lots of primary source quotes. World Cup disappointingly makes little mention of the women's league, a real missed opportunity considering that the U.S. Women's national team won the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. VERDICT Very informative with good notes for research purposes, but not the most exciting or gender-inclusive books on the roster.

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