Serena Williams

Children's Literature

Tough, strong, fun-loving, and a world champion—Serena Williams (and her sister Venus) opened the doors of the elite world of tennis to black youngsters, especially black girls, everywhere. Like all the other athletes portrayed in Bradley's "Benchmark All-stars" series, Serena has plenty of talent, as well as a ferocious work ethic and will to win. Serena was smart, creative, and interested in all kinds of things. But once she decided she wanted to be #1 in the tennis world, she gave up most of her outside interests. Serena put in plenty of effort, and although there was no instant rise to stardom, her hard work certainly paid off. In 2002 when she was just 21 years old, she had amassed enough wins and product endorsements to earn $4 million, more than any other woman in the history of tennis. The book has a series of excellent photographs that show a fun-loving and affectionate Serena, an intense Serena on the court, but most especially a wonderfully muscular Serena as she reaches and runs and smashes her way to the top. There are interesting and informative sidebars, a statistics page, an index, and a glossary, to round out this little gem of a sports biography. Bradley has figured out a great way to get sports-minded youngsters to read—give them their favorite stars in full color, add warm and lively text, and spread interesting extras throughout. It seems to work for the entire series. 2005, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Ages 9 to 12.
—Dawn Elizabeth Hunt