Tom Brady: Super Bowl Quarterback

Children's Literature - Patricia M. Steelman

Biographies of current athletes are attention grabbers for young sports fans and reluctant readers. The twenty-book series "Playmakers" targets this audience with straightforward simple sentences, lots of captioned action photos, and sidebars of interesting facts about the player. Brady was better at baseball than football when he was growing up but he was confident that he would succeed on the football field. At the University of Michigan he found a team that believed in him too. Brady become the starting quarterback as a junior and began to be noticed. Only a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft, Brady had to prove himself all over again on the New England Patriots. Gitlin discusses the records Brady made leading the Patriots including the 16 to 0 record set in 2007—the first in NFL history. Off the field, Brady helps charitable organizations like Bikes for Best Buddies. Gitlin portrays Brady as a positive role model for young athletes: someone who has worked hard to prove his talent. In the "Fun Facts" and "Quotes" sections, Brady remembers getting the autograph of Joe Montana, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, when he was young and now that he is famous, Brady tries to sign autographs for kids too. A glossary of football terms like "interception" and "scouts," an ABDO Publishing vetted website, an index, and a list of three recommended books complete this thirty-two page volume. Recommended as first purchase where interest in football players is high and the budget permits. Reviewer: Patricia M. Steelman