Sports Great Jerome Bettis

VOYA - Faye H. Gottschall

These three new releases in the Sports Greats series live up to the "reluctant reader" standard previously set by the publisher. The vocabulary is simple, direct, and action-packed, with uncomplicated sentences, such as these from the series entry on Jerome Bettis: "Making Jerome Bettis the starting fullback was a wise move. He went on to have one of the finest seasons in Notre Dame history...Bettis was happy that he chose to play fullback in college rather than linebacker." There also are more complex sentences, such as this one from the biography of Alonzo Mourning: "Despite the fact that Mourning had two disappointing seasons following his brilliant freshman year, he was still considered one of the best college basket all players in the country." The books read very much like a sports broadcast sounds, with such signature sports jargon as spin, fastball, and shutout (from Greg Maddux), and the text is peppered with statistics (ERA, assists-to-turnover, rushing average). Readers can get a personal glimpse of each player beyond their sports achievements. Greg Maddux likes to watch TV and play Nintendo in his free time. Alonzo Mourning was six feet three and one-half inches tall in the seventh grade. As a youngster, Jerome Bettis excelled at bowling, and he still loves it today. Though readers might be disappointed that the photos are not in color, the black-and-white resolution is clear and sharp, and the selection contains many action shots. The text is sized and spaced well on the page, but the books don't look too "young" for older reluctant readers. Kids will love the table of career statistics and the "Where to Write" list, which will help them contact these contemporary sports stars. Index. Photos. Note: This review was written and published to address three titles: Sports Great Alonzo Mourning, Sports Great Jerome Bettis, and Sports Great Greg Maddux. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).