(4) K-3 Big Time series. Basketball star Durant and football player Johnson are profiled in these templated biographies for younger readers. A few cursory sentences describe each athlete's childhood, college career, NBA or NFL achievements, and philanthropy (Johnson) or hobbies and personal life (Durant). Each volume concludes with quotes from the subject. Full-page, high-quality photos of the players in action complement the texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Big Time titles: Calvin Johnson and Kevin Durant.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Awesome Athletes series. Geared toward middle-grade readers, these slight overviews cover each star athlete's childhood and early career, including personal obstacles overcome (gender/racial barriers, single-parent families, truancy), before focusing on professional success and achievements. Two-page chapters don't offer any depth, but lots of game/competition highlights, stock photos, and action shots will please fans. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Library: Awesome Athletes titles: Danica Patrick, Gabby Douglas, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Playmakers series. These volumes provide brief profiles of football and basketball standouts. The choppy texts focus on each player's biggest games and impressive statistical accomplishments, while also touching on his background and personal life, such as Lin's time at Harvard, Tebow's strong Christian beliefs, the Manning family's football legacy, and Durant's 3.0 college GPA. Color photographs capture the athletic action. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Playmakers titles: Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Durant, and Eli Manning.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Basketball Heroes Making a Difference series. These consistent titles begin with details of game-winning moments and continue on to introduce the athletes' childhoods, challenges overcome, and their successful NBA careers. The entries each conclude with the subject's charitable work, such as the Wade's World Foundation, dedicated to helping "kids who are growing up in difficult situations." The attractive, clean book design complements the focused texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Basketball Heroes Making a Difference titles: Amar'e Stoudemire, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Sports Star Champions series. These formulaic biographies feature accessible texts describing the careers of famous athletes and plenty of full-page color photographs. The open, non-intimidating pages and information that should satisfy book-report requirements recommend the titles for purchase. Difficulties some of the athletes have had (such as "personal problems" for Bryant and steroid use for Rodriguez) are acknowledged but not sensationalized. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Star Champions titles: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Payton Manning, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Sports Stars Who Care series. This series ostensibly highlights professional athletes' good works. The majority of each text is actually biographical information which, while not inaccurate, is nothing really new. Philanthropic work is usually touched upon at the end. Reluctant readers will appreciate the accessible writing style and sports photographs. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Stars Who care titles: Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Wright, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) 4-6 Heroes of Racing series. These titles cover the highs and lows in the careers of racing stars; very brief details about their personal lives are also included. Though the information is superficial, there's enough detail to hook fans. Crisp full-page photos, sidebars, and appended statistical charts and lists of accomplishments enhance the texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Heroes of Racing titles: Jeff Burton, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, and Richard Petty.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Sports Stars with Heart series. Adulatory biographies of popular contemporary athletes focus mostly on their impressive careers. Their childhoods are also highlighted, as are their philanthropic works and any struggles with adversity. Each volume is filled with action photographs and play-by-play details (though the Timberwolves' assertion, "We're not going to trade Kevin Garnett" proved false). Appended material includes career stats and achievements. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Stars with Heart titles: Steve Nash, Albert Pujols, Tiki Barber, Andruw Jones, Donovan McNabb, and Kevin Garnett.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 New Wave series. These two books in the series profile a professional athlete's swift success in his sport: Garnett in basketball and Culpepper in football. Beginning with chapters on the athlete's childhood, both books describe the positive influence of the subjects' mothers. The bulk of each biography, however, contains statistics, scores, quotes, and game details. Color photographs fill each double-page spread. Ind. [Review covers these titles: Daunte Culpepper and Kevin Garnett.]

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) K-3 Super Sports Star series. These formulaic biographies outline the athletic careers of four professional basketball players. With only stock photographs from each player's professional team and a brief chapter on his childhood, the books offer little depth. The large print, readable text, and color photographs, however, may encourage young fans. Career statistics and contact information are included. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Super Sports titles: Super Sports Star Gary Payton, Super Sports Star Penny Hardaway, Super Sports Star Kevin Garnett, Super Sports Star Kobe Bryant.]

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) 4-6 Sports Great Books series. These formulaic profiles--mixing career highlights with personal histories--present the achievements of three NBA stars. Garnett went directly to the NBA from high school, and Marbury played only one season in college. Mutombo attended Georgetown, but only when his height was noticed on campus was he asked to join the team. Each book is illustrated with dark black-and-white action photos. Ind.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) 4-6 Basketball Legends series. Several black-and-white action photographs accompany the career statistics and play-by-play game details of six noteworthy and popular NBA players. While their athletic accomplishments are impressive, their "legendary" status may be premature, since most in this group have only entered the league within the last four years. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) 4-6 Sports Achievers series. Three new entries in the series, spotlighting stars of volleyball, football, and basketball, join a revision of a previous volume on Wayne Gretzky. The books strike a good balance between personal and professional information, though the coverage is never very deep. Gretzky is illustrated with black-and-white photos; the other books are chiefly illustrated in color. A section of sports stats concludes each volume. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta