An impressive addition to the sports history catalog.
Three world-class runners, one impossible dream: to run a four-minute mile.
In 1954, American Wes Santee, Australian John Landy, and Englishman Roger Bannister each independently endeavor to achieve the never-before-accomplished and seemingly superhuman goal of being the first person to ever beat the four-minute barrier that runners for decades had been unable to best. The three runners’ grueling training regimes as well as the wins and defeats they experience along the road to breaking records are recounted in this riveting work. This is a who’s who of iconic midcentury runners, the contemporaries of Santee, Landy, and Bannister who both challenge them and help them hone their techniques. Each race on the track becomes a race against time as the men strive to be the first and come ever closer to their goal. An overview of the history and science of running adds valuable context and emphasizes the historical significance of this feat. Heart-pumping, detailed play-by-plays of the tight races and devastating losses that shape the runners during their pursuit of a faster mile will bring readers trackside. Suspense builds as readers wait to discover which of the three athletes will achieve the ultimate win. Bascomb brings his signature meticulous style to this gripping narrative nonfiction tale. The focal runners in this book are White.
An impressive addition to the sports history catalog. (author's note) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-62846-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic Focus
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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