Grant Hill

Children's Literature - Rebecca Joseph

Grant Hill is one of todays most popular and successful athletes. This easy to read biography of the 1994 - 1995 co-Rookie of the Year will be of interest to many young readers who follow Hill's every move on the court. From his childhood as the son of a famous football player to his college career at Duke and then to his professional career with the Detroit Pistons, Hill is a role model for young people. This book brings this humble hotshot's experiences to life.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7Savage gives an overview of his subject's life from his childhood through his 1995-96 basketball season as a member of the Detroit Pistons. An account of his 1996 Summer Olympic experience is not included. Plenty of photographs, mostly in full color, appear throughout the book, and the athlete's college and professional career statistics are appended. While the text contains many quotes, documentation consists merely of an alphabetical listing of sources, mostly newspapers and magazines, from which the information was drawn. Although the writing style is quite flat, readers will obtain some interesting tidbits about Hill's upbringing. His regimented high school years included no parties, dances, or phone calls during the week, and limited TV viewing. Serviceable though unremarkable, this book is similar in content to Bill Gutman's Grant Hill (Millbrook, 1996). Ken Rappoport's Grant Hill (Walker, 1996) is a meatier, fully documented biography aimed at middle schoolers.Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI