Frank Zamboni and the Ice-Resurfacing Machine

Children's Literature

Have you ever wondered how much “snow” is picked up when resurfacing a Hockey ice rink? Believe it or not, it is 1,500 pounds. This is just one of the facts the reader will learn in this book. The Zamboni brothers worked on the family farm in Idaho. Different ideas for improvement led them on an interesting path of business. Starting with an electrical business and going on to providing ice blocks to fruit and vegetable growers, they eventually ended up by inventing the first ice-resurfacing machine. What a trip they had! I like the way the author provides boxes on each page with facts that help with comprehension. This book is written in graphic format that is a favorite of mine. It makes it perfect for reluctant readers who never seem to finish a book on their own. Young adults who want to read anything they can get their hands on will also enjoy the graphics and the fast-paced text. The full color graphics make an enormous impact on the story. The end of the book includes suggestions for writing prompts, discussion questions, and a mini biography about the author and illustrator. The author includes a “Glossary” with a pronunciation guide and a list of other books and web sites that might be of interest to the reader. These web sites are particularly helpful as they provide step-by-step instructions for using Facthound. Graphic novels in this “Graphic Library Series” also are excellent sources for both book reports and research papers. I highly recommend this book for both middle readers and young adults. Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs