Kevin Harvick: Racing to the Top

As a boy who received a go-kart in kindergarten, kevin Harvick was always a likely candidate for racing success. He won in his third race at the highest level and now stands among the top drivers in the world.

Children's Literature

Sportswriter Robinson introduces Harvick to his readers with an account of Dale Earnhardt's death at the Daytona 500, when he slammed his car into a wall at 180 miles per hour. A young Harvick was chosen to fill his place on the racing team. Not exactly a biography—readers will learn little of Harvick's private life except that he's married to beautiful blonde DeLana—this volume of the "Heroes of Racing" series focuses strictly on the sport. Rookie Harvick, who raced with go-karts when he was in kindergarten, progressing to stock cars and trucks, surprised fans with a major win in 2001. Then, after a rocky career in races with names like "Outback Steakhouse 300" and "Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500," Harvick won the Daytona in 2007 and made seven million dollars. The book is rife with lists: point standings, series wins, greatest drivers, cup standings, and career statistics; illustrations are large, bright color photos, mostly of Harvick at the track (holding some bizarre trophies) and gaudy cars jousting for position and sometimes being wrecked. Robinson has a breathtakingly casual writing style, not enhanced by stock quotes from drivers and managers; in fact, a really reluctant reader could learn just as much by looking at the pictures and studying the statistics as by reading the text. This book will appeal almost exclusively to stock car racing fanatics—for those not familiar with the jargon, a glossary may help—or they can check out Harvick's three official websites. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft