Not Playing by the Rules

January 15, 2020
Focusing on mostly U.S. athletes, Cline-Ransome offers snapshots of some revolutionary athletes who brought change to the gender makeup of sports. Organized by date of birth, starting with Constance Applebee, a British immigrant who, in the early 1900s, brought field hockey to U.S. college campuses as a women's sport, and ending with present-day baseball star Mo'ne Davis, this showcases a small selection of women athletes in successive double-page spreads. The design is flashy, but it also gets in the way of the book's effectiveness. Each bio includes a full-page photo with an inspirational quote printed over it in cursive type; these are unreferenced, often decontextualized, and sometimes confusing. Within the bios, the writing is engaging, with ample use of direct quotes by and about athletes, capturing their personalities and achievements. There is no introduction, however, and with no statement of scope or mission, it leaves readers to wonder why these specific athletes and facts were chosen. The hard-to-read white text on brightly colored backgrounds is at times anecdotal, and with no source notes or any kind of bibliographic references, readers cannot follow up or verify details. Each bio ends midcareer, but a backmatter section titled "After the Whistle" gives a wrap-up of each athlete's life. Unfortunately, the absence of pagination will make it hard for young readers to cross-reference these with the main bios, and it is only here where the athletes' more controversial sides come to light. Multiple design flaws make this a hard pass. (Collective biography. 10-14)

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April 1, 2020

Gr 3-7-Some of the athletes profiled here-Lisa Leslie, Venus and Serena Williams, Nadia Comaneci-are widely known and well represented in similar publications or individual biographies. But Cline-Ransome's title includes a wide range of lesser-known athletes with often fascinating stories. For example, Yusra Mardini, a 22-year-old swimmer, fled her home in Damascus as a teen during the Syrian civil war and escaped in an overloaded boat, eventually settling in Germany. She competed in the Rio Olympics as a member of the newly formed refugee team. Alice Coachman, the African American sprinter and high jumper who won a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics in London, returned home to Albany, GA, for a hero's reception in a segregated auditorium where the mayor refused to shake her hand. Several of the athletes compete with significant disabilities. Full-page photos of all the athletes accompany the one-page biographical sketches. Each photo is overlaid with a motivational statement, such as, "When we fall, we have to get up again and again," from amputee skier Diana Golden. It's not clear, however, whether these are statements made by the athletes or what their original contexts might have been. Photo credits are listed with the copyright information. VERDICT While at times this is an intriguing read and a provocative conversation starter, the absence of an index or sources for research makes it an additional selection for libraries.-Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
Grades 3-5 This attractive book on ground-breaking female athletes introduces many whose names are familiar, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Alice Coachman, Althea Gibson, Bobbi Gibb, Nancy Lieberman, Nadia Coma?neci, Mia Hamm, Venus and Serena Williams, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Gabby Douglas. But some of the most significant achievements and compelling stories belong to women who are less well-known. Arranged chronologically, the profiles begin with Englishwoman Constance Applebee in 1901. Appalled to discover that "drop the handkerchief" and musical chairs were the main sports for female students in American colleges, she introduced field hockey and later started the first magazine on women's athletics. Overcoming formidable physical challenges, Diana Golden excelled in skiing and Tatyana McFadden in track and field events. And in 2016, Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini competed as part of the first Refugee Olympic Team. Each two-page introduction features a large photo of the athlete on one side, and on the other, a concise, informative write-up telling her story in an insightful way. An engaging book on significant girls and women in the history of sports.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)