Adventure Racing Books

I Think this book is a great sequal to the Rolling Thunder series. It depicts the action of a true racer, when Jodell is forced to let his cheif wrench in the cockpit of his car after a serios wreck at the new talledega track in Alabama. I find that the book follows history very well interluding a ficitional chacter with the likes of Richard Petty, David Pearson, Tiny Lund and other NASCAR legends. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in learning the roots of stock car racing to buy this book and any of the other Rolling Thunder books. I can't wait for #5 to come out.

DH audio has an interesting audio series, Rolling Thunder, regarding stock car racing in the 1960's. This four-volume audio series (White Lightning, Road to Daytona, Race to Glory, On to Talladega, (all three-hour abridgements) narrated by Michael Skinner, brings the listener right into the pit. These audios have an historical background and well as the fictional one in these tales.

I have to admit I bought this book at a grocery store. The cover caught my attention and now I see there are others I have to order. Great, historically accurate book about racing. Surprised the publisher didn't make the author put in all the silly stuff most stories about NASCAR have. Or make them be negative about racing. Been a fan for thirty years and this is the way it is...good and bad!

Easy on the wallet, and easy on the ears, dh Audio continuously offers high excitement stories at economical prices.

Stock car racing is the theme of this dynamite tale. Ace driver Jodell Lee is feeling pressure as his family and sponsor not only expect him to win but are depending upon him to be victorious.

The fun of whipping around a ragtag oval is gone - it's big business now.

An inferno-like crash could be the end or a beginning.

What the authors promise is true: this is a darker, more introspective tale. By flashing forward to Jodell's life today, they manage to foreshadow the tragedies without burdening their characters with an overwhelming sense of dread or foreboding.

Despite the tragic circumstances in this installment, though, readers should still find everything they enjoyed about the first two books. Jodell is still the optimistic young driver who can't dream of ever giving up racing. Catherine, now his wife, still offers her unflagging love and support without complaint. Joe still rates chasing women a close second after working on Jodell's car, but he's still there when he's needed (although there are hints this time around that Jodell may insist that Joe decide more clearly where his priorities are). And Bubba is still eating everything he can get his hands on.

While this book shifts some of the focus onto some of the more serious concerns of the team--finding a sponsor, balancing family responsibilities with the racing life, and the ver real dangers of the sport--the authors don't give us any shortage of action. The racing scenes are every bit as exciting as in the previous two books.

While the Rolling Thunder books may not present a searing insight into the human condition, they're fun, exciting, and action-packed. That's what I'm looking for when I pick one up. When I read one, the authors make me keep turning the pages, wanting to see what happens next. When I finish one, I want to go immediately on to the next one. What more could anyone ask from a stock car racing series?

The third book in the Rolling Thunder series, "Race to Glory", continues the fine characters and storytelling of the first two books.

This book is written with a slight difference, with flashbacks from the past intertwined with the current happenings in the life of Jodell Bob Lee, now a stock car team owner reliving his life spent in the "race to glory".

I highly recommend this book for any stock car racing fan. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the roots of American stock car racing.

We've really enjoyed this book, and other Disney books by the same author (Emmons). Sometimes tie-in books can be poorly cut-together, but this book pulls in the feeling of the movie characters with active text that is fun to act out (and little kids love that!). Plus the illustrations here are fun without being still shots from the film.

My son is a huge "character" fan.
We LOVED the movie cars.
We really enjoy reading character books and this was not a disappointment. Well daddy was a bit diappointed it completely follows the movie, guess we wanted something "extra".
It is a good length for bedtime reading, and they packaged it into a decent story in the short book.

My almost 6yo loves to read this book to his 3yo sister, so its a fairly easy read (his reading level is at 7y0m). He loves to add animated voices to the words (ka-chow!).
This can be a disappointing book at first to the kids, however. It ends at the end of the first race in the movie--about 15 min. in. Its probably a nice taste of the film to a kid who hasn't seen it yet--I'd liken it more to a commercial than the meaty story. Also, parents wanting to get to the moral of the story won't get it here--that's what the rest of the story is about which is not included in this book. It definitely leaves a hanging issue--Lightning McQueen is not yet humbled by his experiences and still hasn't learned that arrogance alone doesn't work. I suppose though, that might lead the reader and family to get to the movie to clear that up--or to buy another book that takes the story to the finish line--and therefore open up a good family discussion.

You all know that in the movie, Lightning McQueen learns that life is not all about being first all the time, it's about "everyone coming together and doing the best they can," according to The King. Anyway, this special storybook, as told by Doc Hudson (isn't that cool?), tells the same story in his own words. I found it at Wal-Mart and now I have it in my own home since I have fallen in love with it, especially the black-and-white drawings of the cars. How unique is that? I sure hope parents' children learn something from this very special story of what it means to be a true winner. You know I would!

"My name's Doc Hudson. Folks round here say that every car has a story. I don't know if that's so, but I can tell you this: I've got one heck of a story for you! Oh, I know that you may not believe that one car could get itself in a world of trouble and turn a whole town on its ear. But I'm here to tell you how one car did!"

Lightning McQueen is a hotshot race car who only cares about winning. When he suddenly find himself in the sleepy old town of Radiator Springs, will he be able to accept life in the slow lane?

Faster Than Fast is 79-page chapter book told from the perspective of Doc Hudson, and features black and white sketches throughout.

My son found this book very engaging, asking my husband and I to read him a chapter a night. He enjoys looking at the pictures, too.

Personally, I think the colloquialisms of Doc Hudson takes away from the plot. Not only that, it's not exactly proper language for beginner readers so it could prove difficult for some youngsters to "get" what's going on in the story at times.

It's a shame this book was released before the movie, because now we all know what will happen before we hit the theaters.

For the price, though, you really can't beat this book based on the Disney/Pixar film Cars.

Since reading the Captain Underpants Series- it's been hard to find something my son will keep up with- He now wants all the speed racer books! It has some pictures, but is more chapter book than graphic novel which I like.

My son hates reading. I've tried getting him interested in reading for over a year now and FINALLY this book has done it! He started reading it as soon as he got it and didn't put it down until he was finished!

The tiny hooves barely make a sound against the track. They are drowned out by bigger, bolder throughbred hooves. A tiny zebra comes up face to face with the leading thoroughbred. they race under the wire together. It's a photo finish, ladies and gentlemen! And the winner is...STRIPES, the oddball zebra from a little farm in Kentucky!

Channing's father wasn't thinking about winning races as he scooped up the little bundle. He lifted the zebra into his truck and drove home. channing ran out to find out what happened. And a legend was soon sucking greedily on a warm bottle of milk.

Stripes grew bigger every day. He hung out with a shetland pony and a white show jumping mare, as well as various other interesting creatures, such as Snoop Dogg, who doesn't have ,much of a role but everybody loves him anyways ;).

Stripes makes his way as an underdogg, err, underdog and gets to the top soon enough. he enters as the longshot, making his supporters rich!!!when he wins!

This heartwarming story is like a child-version of seabiscuit. Both books have a message: The shape and size will; never, ever count-it's the heart that matters most. ;)

Racing Stripes is a heartwarming story about a zebra that is rescued by a farmer and his daughter after the circus abandons him. The zebra finds his new home at the farm and thinks he is like all the other horses. The farmer's daughter, Channing and the barnyard animals become friends with Stripes. Stripes learns that he has a heart for racing and begins a competition with neighboring race horses. The neighboring thoroughbreds do not let him forget that he comes form the wrong side of the fence.....that he's different because of his stripes. The biggest horse race of the year, the Kentucky Derby, is fast approaching and Stripes along with the help of his friends begin to train. Together they face the race of their lives. Stripes' determination to be a winner brings life back to the farm and rekindles tragic memories of the past. Now it's up to Stripes to show the world that it's alright to be different. Will it be a photo finish for Stripes and Channing? I'll let you read the book to find the answer.

A who will do it, who will win it, adventure tale that informs, enthralls and engages the reader in one of the worlds last true natural challenges. I didn't want it to end!

Racing the White Silence: On the Trail of the Yukon Quest
Adam Killick

"Nature has many tricks wherewith she convinces man of his finity- the ceaseless flow of the tides, the fury of the storm, the shock of the earthquake, the long roll of heaven's artillery- but the most tremendous, the most stupefying of all, is the passive phase of the White Silence. All movement ceases, the sky clears, the heavens are as brass; the slightest whisper seems sacrilege, and man becomes timid, affrightened at the sound of his own voice."
Jack London, The White Silence, 1899

Jack London, like all good authors, wrote of what he knew, the North. It is in London's world that this book is based. Its' author, Adam Killick, from Winnipeg, hired on as an assistant-dog handler in the 2001 Yukon Quest so that he could study it and learn what drew the world's best mushers to it. After all, the Quest's prize money is much less than the famous Iditerod; what drew these mushers to this race?
Along the way he found his answer.

The Yukon Quest alternates directions from year to year depending on ice conditions on the trail. It traverses the unforgiving terrain between Whitehorse, Yukon, and Fairbanks, Alaska. "Following the Quest, on these remote parts of the trail, is like belonging to some exclusive club in which only lack of sleep...and a predilection for standing around at 30 or 40 below for hours...earns you membership." Along the way Killick discovered that the people on the trail were very supportive and helpful; that "the spirit of community and sharing is at the heart of the Yukon Quest." Besides, "the community of the North stands on a realization that, whatever one's creed, religion, ethics, or circumstances, there will come a time when you'll need someone else's help." It is this sense of community that draws the mushers to this race, the one dog-sled race that "has remained true to the Northern Spirit in which it was founded."

Killick follows the 2001 edition of the Quest as it continues down the trail. As he does so, he introduces the reader to the many varied characters that make up the contestants and organizers of this little-publicized race. This makes the book an interesting read that examines the many of the ins and outs of dog-sled racing. Killick helps the reader to visualize the country of the "White Silence" that his race passes through. Racing The White Silence is an excellent true-life book that will keep you turning pages until the end of the trail.

2002. Easy reading. Young-adult content. 270 pages.

I thought White Lightning was great, but the authors had to pack a lot into it to get to Jodell's first big race by the end of the book. With all that background out of the way, in Road to Daytona they can concentrate, for the most part, on the minute details of a single race. That level of detail really gives the reader the sense that they are there, watching the story unfold in front of them, instead of just reading words on a page.

This book particularly gave me insight into the tasks the pit crew has to do. Before, on the rare occasions that I would watch a race, I would think it wasn't that big a deal, filling a car with gas as fast as they could. Novice that I was, I couldn't understand why the tires needed to be changed so often, or the pressures the pit crews work under. Now, when I watch the race, I'm almost as fascinated watching the pit crews work as I am when the cars are on the track.

Just as welcome are the subplots dealing with the personal lives of the characters. Make no mistake: this is a series about stock car racing, but I find myself just as interested in seeing what happens to Jodell Lee and Cathy as I am in finding out who wins the race.

Finally, I appreciate the way the authors work in historical information about racing without seeming overly pedantic. They make it seem like part of the story, rather than shoehorning in a history lesson.

Overall, Rolling Thunder is a really fun series, and the authors promise that it'll just keep getting better.

I just got finished reading "Rolling Thunder - Road to Daytona", the second book in the Rolling Thunder series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It deals with 3 Tennessee racers who make it to the big time stock car racing world by running at the first Daytona race held at the Speedway.

The story kept my attention, and the history and characters, both real and fictional, held my interest.

I can't wait for #3.

I just finished book 8 and have read every book in this series. My first recommendation is that, with the exception of the 1st book, none of these novels should be read by itself. Bite the bullet and buy all 8 books from AMAZON.COM, if you are a NASCAR fan you won't regret it.
The first 4 books in this series deal with NASCAR's formative years when a former moonshine runner attempts to trade one fast-paced high-risk career for another. All four are excellent reads, although at times the attempts to place this fictional race team into established racing history are forced. Most NASCAR fans are familiar with the events and results surrounding the first Daytona and Talledega races, for example. For the most part, though, the authors do an admirable job of placing the Lee Racing team smack in the middle of these formative years without straying too far from the historical facts.
Upon starting Book 5, I was a little disappointed to discover that the authors had fast forwarded nearly 40 years to present day racing. However, by the midway point of that book, I became as interested in the lives of Rob Wilder and his contemporaries as I had been in Jodell, Bubba, and the rest of the Lee Racing clan. The older men, however, remain extremely active in the sport as car owners and senior mechanics.
In summary, all 8 of the books are well written and very easy to read. My only complaint is I WANT MORE!!! There are many story lines that can be followed up on and I can only hope that the authors continue to crank out more volumes!!!

All the books in this series are wonderful to read. It is a very clean language book, one where the naughtiest word is "Shoot". This one brings a sad, bittersweet smile to the face of most fans of stock car racing. I would recommend this book with only one small reservation, there are a number of small inside jokes, that only a true fan of NASCAR racing is going to understand. But overall it is an enjoyable read for any racing fan.

I received my book within 24 hours of ordering and it was in excellent condition. I would definately purchase again from Amazon.com.

This story is very obviously wonderfully written and very touching. However, I am horrified that the dog dies in the end. My daughter is 9 and LOVES animals and she was devastated. I just had to remind her that it was just a story. It was on her summer reading list and I am going to suggest that they change it for next year.

This book may be short, but it ends on such a great note (sad, but great!) The main character is developed beautiful and as a reader we can understand him completely and we can feel his pain, worry, and frustration. The grandfather is shown with two side, one side not being that pretty. However much the story is about Willy and his grandfather, it is more just about Willy and his dog, and it is this relationship that makes the book what it is, beautiful.
I would recommend this to anyone, adult and child alike.

This book, Stone Fox, is a book anyone in the world would want to read. This book is about a boy, Little Willy, whose grandfather is ill. So Little Willy needs $500. When Little Willy goes to the store with his dog Searchlight they find a form that says dogsled racing. It says that if you win the dogsled race you get $500. So Little Willy and Searchlight try out. They find out that the Indian who has never lost a race is doing it. Will Little Willy lose or not?

This book is my favorite book because you never know what is going to happen. Like, you don't know if Little Willy and Searchlight are going to win the race or not. It is always that you have to read to find the treasure. You just never want to put Stone Fox down.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardinier


We read Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardinier. This realistic fiction book is a must read! In this story, Little Willy lives with his Grandfather and dog Searchlight in wintery Wyoming. Grandfather gets very sick, and Little Willy worries he may not survive. Then Little Willy finds out he owes a big tax bill. He needs to pay $500 or they will lose their farm! So Little Willy enters his dog Searchlight into the sled race hoping to win the prize money. Stone Fox, who's never lost a race, also enters. Will Stone Fox keep his victorious record, or will Little Willy overcome the challenge to win the race? Read the book to find out!

You should read this book because it will teach you to face your fears and stay determined! We loved it because it was exciting and inspiring! We were inspired that Little Willy was only 1 of 6 people brave enough to race the intimidating Stone Fox (and the only kid). The description of the neck and neck race was so thrilling, we couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen next! If you like adventure and dogs, this is the book for you! We strongly recommend this book because it is one of the best books we've read all year!