(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) YA African-American Biography Library series. Beginning with his historically significant accomplishments at the 1936 Olympics in Germany--"Hitler's Olympics"--this accessible (if somewhat superficial) biography provides basic information on the early life, career, and legacy of the great African American track-and-field star Owens. Numerous archival photographs and occasional sidebars provide historical context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Legendary Athletes series. These reasonably comprehensive volumes explore the title athletes' childhoods, early careers, and rise within their sports. Admirable attention is paid to the societal and political constraints facing the men and women, in addition to their own social activism (e.g., King's fight for women's and gay rights, Ashe's work against apartheid in South Africa). A good selection of photographs are included. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Legendary Athletes titles: Billie Jean King, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Arthur Ashe, and Jesse Owens.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Opinionated yet informative, these latest additions to the series blend anecdotes, quotations, and facts to create engaging portraits of six of America's greatest sports stars. With some of the subject matter overlapping, these biographies focus on their athletes' careers, but also offer insight into the social and political realities of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Photographs and sidebars are incorporated into the reader-friendly designs. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biography titles: Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In stirring free verse, Weatherford writes about Jesse Owens's amazing athletic feats, his disdain of Nazi Germany, and his day-to-day encounters with American segregation. The majority of the story is set at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where Owens won a record-breaking four gold medals. Velasquez's nicely textured pastels are a little stiff. Two pages of straightforward biographical information are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Just the Facts Biographies series. This competent biography covers Owens's humble beginnings in an Alabama sharecropping family, his gold-medal track wins at the controversial Berlin Olympics of 1936, and his adjustment to life out of the spotlight. The writing is sturdy but dispassionate, offering few glimpses into Owens's emotional life. Intermittent sidebars offer historical backdrops to Owens's accomplishments. Black-and-white photos appear throughout. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Great African Americans series. This well-written biography provides a simple introduction to the legendary African-American track star and Olympic hero. Captioned black-and-white photos illustrate the text, which is both clear and informative. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) 4-6 Heinemann Profiles series. Adequate for reports, this biography of the African-American athlete details how he overcame many obstacles to represent America in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The layout is busy and the text occasionally choppy, but captioned color and black-and-white photos, along with text boxes featuring excerpts from original documents, add interest. A time line is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Carolrhoda On My Own Books series. Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. This short, somewhat superficial biography introduces one of the most heroic sports stars of the twentieth century. The easy-to-read chapters, accompanied by stylized artwork, cover Owens's childhood, college years, and Olympic medal-winning performance in Berlin. A black-and-white photograph illustrates the afterword. A list of important dates is included.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) YA A & E Biography series. This overview of the track star's life adequately covers Owens's childhood and high school years, his participation in the 1936 Olympics (and its cultural implications), as well as his later experiences in business, politics, and community service. Illustrated with standard black-and-white photos, the uninspired text presents a superficial portrait of this sports great. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Impact Biography series. Illustrated with mediocre black-and-white photographs, this thorough biography of Owens provides readers with a broad portrait of the man, his hardships, disappointments, and triumphs. Although the writing is at times unengaging, this is a good source of information about the legendary Olympic sprinter. A list of related Internet sites is appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Deborah L. Thompson