Winter Sports Books

The Snowboard Guide "Europe" is an excellent reference to the European Snowboard Scene. This is the "Let's Go" of the European Snowboard Scene. I am an American Soldier stationed in Germany. I have utilized this book multiple times during my exploration of the Alps. While the book is slightly outdated it still has a very comprehensive coverage of the best spots in Europe. From best runs to best bars, and I have been to both this book delivers it all. I wish the publishers could get these guys together again or another group to generate another book with the same flair.
Ride Hard,
-Kevin

I live in Munich (Germany), and this book has been an excellent source of spots to go boarding in Europe. If perhaps a little out of date, its much better than any of the ski guides that i've got, all of which are more upto date but don't really cater fo the boarder. Good book, definitely worth it (even though I got it as a gift)

Ed.

Extreme Mysteries:Spiked Snow by Laban Hill is a story about a group of teens who are in college, who want to go to the Winter
X-Games. The main characters in the book are Kevin, Jami, and Natalie. They try to get into the Winter X-Games; Snow boarding, Speed Skating and Shooting. Strange things started happening like an avalanche, which almost buried Kevin. My favarite character was Jamil because he is funny and he made me laugh at some of his jokes.

I can relate to Kevin because when I first started to mountain bike I did not know what to do. I have not felt or done anything like the characters in the story. I like this book because it is about my favorite sport; mountian biking.

My favorite part of the book is when they get stuck in a man-made avalanche inside a small house. I did not have any least favorite parts in the book. If I could change anything in the book it would be for Kevin to not almost get buried in the avalanche.

I would recommed this book to a person who likes mountain biking. The age range should be 10-13.

I really liked this book, I`ve read 3 books in the series and this is by far the best one yet. I think it is one of those books that you really get into and never want to put it down. I just got the last 4 in the series so I hope they`re just as good.

Roy MacGregor's twelfth book in The Screech Owls Series, West Coast Murders, may keep you up all night, sweating, while hiding under the covers .

The Screech Owls hockey team was visiting the province of British Columbia for the first three on three hockey tournament, ever. But, unfortunately, when they headed out to sea to whale watch, their fun-filled trip turns into a horrible catastrophe of crimes and murders. The team encountered many horrifying and life -threatening things, including finding two shot bodies: one of a man and one of a dolphin. They also found that there were people trying to smuggle cocaine through their own tournament souvenir globes and souvenir hockey bags. With the souvenir hockey bags each team was given an extra for no reason.

If you like mystery books that have very descriptive writing you will definitely find this book interesting. Roy, the author, brings you into the page with every word, and makes the book difficult to put down.

I thought that the book had a lot of tension in it and I would definetly recomend it to someone, especially if they read the first eleven before the twelfth. It also be much easier to understand if you were between the ages of eight and twelve.

This great book and series will make you read til you fall asleep. It is so good you wouldn't even want to eat. Your head will be stuck in the book forever.

Once again, you'll be entertained with Toller's outrageous anecdotes about life as a famous figure skater. He details more of his struggles as an amateur skater in this book than in Zero Tollerance. He may act like a Drama Queen at times, but he is grounded enough not to take himself too seriously, and even pokes fun at himself. That honesty is what I like about his writing. He writes about a deranged fan who has stalked him for years and offers a vivid and quite hilarious account of dining with Liberace. You'll never look at Lee quite the same after reading Toller's experience with the famous entertainer. What I also found fascinating was Toller's opinions on today's skaters. He deplores the crass commercialism and outrageous behavior of some skaters, feeling that their behavior and attitude has done nothing to enhance the art of figure skating. He singles out the commercially popular Philippe Candeloro as a "Chippendale Dancer on Skates." You may not agree with what he has to say, but he is brutally honest and not afraid to speak his mind. He actually says what other people might think. Most importantly, if he describes a skater's faults, he also tells of their strengths. For example, Toller deplores Elvis' lack of artistry but admires his amazing technical skills. It's a shame that the CBC does not use Toller as a commentator, because he would be like a breath of fresh air instead of the usual boring dribble and fawning from today's skating commentators.

One of the most influential skaters of the 20th Century, and a man not afraid to speak out about the world of skating.

This book is not exactly a sequel to ZERO TOLLERENCE, but it does give us some more biographical detail, regarding problems with drugs, his sometimes wild and crazy lifestyle, his painting, and his struggle to get his life on track. And, of course, Cranston's opinions on the world of figure skating--warts and all--are worth the price of the book alone. He's not afraid to criticize a sport that he helped to make popular--he sees the problems, and tells it like it is. And, from a man that has the experience and talent to back up those words, it means a great deal.

Anyone who loves skating, and is concerned about the future of the sport ought to buy this book--what he says are wise words indeed.

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!

I first read this book while my son was still doing a lot of diving. The book resonated with me as it is as much about the relationship of a father and son as it is about diving. It also is set in the context of the U-Who German Submarine that divers were trying to identify at the time so it contains WWII history info and local dive history. I thought it was a great book and recommend it.

One of my favorite dive books. The story of a father and son dive team and their tragic accident. Well written and gripping story of what happens when you get complacent. Just a good book that really pulls you in and keeps you in till the end. Written in a way to really get you attached to the characters.

"The Last Dive" is a very engaging read that is every bit as much about why people take risks at the edge of human ability (diving, mountain climbing, racing, etc.), their personalities, and their weaknesses, as it is about Chris and Chrissy Rouse and their fatal dive on the U-Who.

Although I found "Shadow Divers" and "Deep Descent" a bit more riveting; after the somewhat flowery prose of the initial couple of chapters, "The Last Dive" did an excellent job of bringing me into the club of elite cave and wreck divers, introducing the history and exploits of the key divers including the Rouses, helping to understand a bit of what motivates these divers to make the deep dives and take the risks they do, introducing some of the key wrecks that help to set the stage, and taking you inside the head of the author as he experiences the same fascination, thrill, fever, risk, and pain of a dive gone bad.

The author is a friend of many of the key divers and has personally made many of the same cave and wreck dives and has been through a serious episode of the bends, so he knows what he is talking about. He does a good job of describing technical issues in lay terms, so "The Last Dive" will engage the diver and non-diver alike.

While the lives and personalities of Chris and Chrissy Rouse are a thread running through "The Last Dive"; it is just as much the author's story and that of the other deep wreck divers who take the same risks, and their inner needs and drive to do so. Once you get through the first two chapters, you will find "The Last Dive" to be a page-turning adventure.

Definitely read the postlog chapter, "Ever Deeper". It's not the same rate of adventure as the rest of the book, but the additional information about many of the divers, advances in the science and psychology of deep wreck diving, and further information about identifying the U-Who (covered better in Shadow Divers) is worth the additional reading.

If you are looking for a great book about scuba diving you search has ended. The last dive is amazing and is a great story about a diving family and their quest for improvement.

This isn't Shadow Divers. This isn't written like a NY Times bestseller. It doesn't intensify or create drama like some other books do to try to captivate your interest. This book is written by a diver and is most appreciated by a fellow diver. Some complain of tangents which they say detract from the father and son story. These only serve to richen the experience for me. It not only tells the story but teaches valuable lessons and makes a diver desire further understanding on the many subject which are touched upon.

Paulsen's choice of the word, SONG--see WOODSONG and DOGSONG--goes beyond the expected audible and musical implications, for it embodies man and animals' in-touch-ness with static and living aspects of the natural world. Less a cohesive story with a clearly defined plot and anticipated character development this book reveals the author's reflective observations of his own maturation--as a musher and as a human being. With gritty honesty Paulsen chronicles the painful and often humiliating earning curve which he experienced, thanks to his faithful team of huskies over decades in the Minnesota wilderness.

Part I consists of the author's memories-fond and painful--of his cumulative years with dozens of dogs, the canine wisdom which he learned about their amazing personalities and dog sledding, not to mention lessons about Life itself. Part 2 relates in excruciating detail his actual 17-day ordeal (trial by Snow and Ice) running the famous arctic marathon: the Iditarod. Just to finish this endurance trail is a victory for both human and animal nature; they struggle for a thousand miles against extreme weather conditions and brutal terrain across which man and dogs are pitted against the harsh reality of Nature. Written in first-person narrative WOODSONG shares the author's intensely personal feelings with readers, as Paulsen combats the limitations of the body while celebrating the limitless urge of the spirit toward maturity and positive appreciation for the total environment.

One big race

This is the book by the name of Woodsong by Gary Paulsen. Most of the book takes place in Alaska at the Iditarod.

A lot of work

Gary Paulsen trained a lot for the Iditarod. When he's training a lot of humorous stuff happens, like when they come across a dead frozen deer. There were also a lot of weird things that happen, like a chipmunk-eating squirrel. In the Iditarod Paulsen endures freezing negative weather. There are rumors everywhere and some of them are pretty scary, somebody froze their eye out, someone drifted out to sea and so on. There are some funny parts too like when one of his dogs falls asleep while he's running

So much detail!

I liked the book a lot but the thing I liked the most about the book is that it had so much detail. The author uses so much detail that it fells like you in the sled watching it all happen. He put so much detail that you can feel the chill of fifty below weather, you can feel the pain of the crash and you can feel the frightfulness when he comes across a moose.

An actual story

The book is a true story about the author and when he was in the Iditarod. What makes the book so good is that the funny and creepy parts are true. It's also pretty sad because a couple of dogs die.

Dog fans

I would recommend this book to dog lovers.
.

One big race

This is the book by the name of Woodsong by Gary Paulsen. Most of the book takes place in Alaska at the Iditarod.

A lot of work

Gary Paulsen trained a lot for the Iditarod. When he's training a lot of humorous stuff happens, like when they come across a dead frozen deer. There were also a lot of weird things that happen, like a chipmunk-eating squirrel. In the Iditarod Paulsen endures freezing negative weather. There are rumors everywhere and some of them are pretty scary, somebody froze their eye out, someone drifted out to sea and so on. There are some funny parts too like when one of his dogs falls asleep while he's running

So much detail!

I liked the book a lot but the thing I liked the most about the book is that it had so much detail. The author uses so much detail that it fells like you in the sled watching it all happen. He put so much detail that you can feel the chill of fifty below weather, you can feel the pain of the crash and you can feel the frightfulness when he comes across a moose.

An actual story

The book is a true story about the author and when he was in the Iditarod. What makes the book so good is that the funny and creepy parts are true. It's also pretty sad because a couple of dogs die.

Dog fans

I would recommend this book to dog lovers.
.

I have taught reading and writing to East Los Angeles - Hollenbeck Middle School - children of immigrants for the past three years. When I introduced "Woodsong" to my teens, I was worried that they would not be able to relate to a middle aged white guy in the snow. Not only do my "Americans of Mexican descent" love Paulsen but they love his dogs and other creatures he encounters: Scarhead, Hawk, Cookie, Columbia, Olaf, Obeah, the young dogs who discover fire, the doe that escapes into Paulsen's campsite, and especially Storm. The story of Storm and his stick brings tears to the eyes of even the most macho 14 year olds. Reading this book and others by Paulsen (Dirk the Protector and Older Run) have turned my kids onto reading other books by Paulsen, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, and Louis L'Amour. I love you Gary!!!!!!!

Woodsong
By
Gary Paulsen

Woodsong is a story about the author's adventure in Alaska. He writes
about running dogs and racing in the Iditarod.
This story begins in Anchorage, Alaska in the 1980s. Paulsen runs the
dogs which means hitching a dog team to a sled and taking them for a
run.
One time while running the dogs, they saw a glowing light in the
woods. It seemed to be person walking in the dark with a lantern.
Paulsen also thought it was a ghost. It turned out to be a dead tree
with a glowing mushroom on it. He walked up to it and hit his head on
the dead tree. He felt the glowing light and realized it was a glowing
mushroom.
On another adventure, he was running his dogs in a snow storm. Paulsen
was headed for the edge of a cliff. He told the dog team to go straight
and straight would take them off the edge of the cliff. Paulsen did not
know because he was in a snow storm and he could not see. The dogs
knew they were about to go off the cliff. They tried to turn away but
Paulsen told them to go off the edge. They flew right off the edge of
the cliff. The sled and some of the dogs fell on him. He had a broken
rib. He got the dogs and the sled off of him and got the sled in to
shape. He got on the sled and the dogs knew the way and pulled him home.
The last part of the book is about the Iditarod race. The Iditarod
is an annual dog sled race in Alaska, where mushers and teams of dogs
cover about 1,150 miles in eight to fifteen days. Paulsen had a long
and hard race but he finished in about thirteen days.
I would recommend this book to someone who is a adventure seeker.
I liked it because it was a true story.

There should be a rule against teenagers writing autobiographies. Even teenagers who have achieved as much as Michelle Kwan had by the age of seventeen.

There was, admittedly, an obvious commercial reason for bringing this book out in 1997, just ahead of the 1998 Winter Olympics at which Kwan was expected to win a gold medal. She was fortunate to come into her sport immediately after the notorious Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan affair in 1994. The skating authorities had feared that this affair (variously known as Waterskate or the Battle of Wounded Knee) would damage their sport, but in fact it had precisely the opposite effect, thus proving conclusively that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Public interest in figure skating was therefore at its height in the mid-nineties, and much of this interest centred on Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Nicole Bobek who had succeeded Harding and Kerrigan as America's leading female skaters. Bobek, another pretty blue-eyed blonde with a troubled history, was immediately crowned Queen Tonya II, leaving Kwan and Lipinski to skate off for Kerrigan's role as America's sweetheart (a role in which Nancy herself had often seemed ill at ease).

There are two main problems with this book. The first is that it came far too early in Kwan's career. Since 1997 she has gone on to become one of the great female figure skaters of all time, the winner of five world and nine American national titles. Originally criticised as a "jumping bean", a purely technical skater, she has developed into one of the most artistic skaters of recent years. (She has never won an Olympic title, but the blame for that must lie with the eccentric judges who handed the 1998 gold medal to Lipinski, a skater who throughout her amateur career never seemed to get beyond the "jumping bean" stage). In 1997 Kwan's career was only just beginning, and her ghostwriter Laura James was left with little to do except narrate a pedestrian and repetitive account of Kwan's childhood and her early skating career, leavened with occasional bits of bland philosophising. The second problem is that it the book is appallingly badly written. Ghostwriters are not normally noted for a polished literary style, but James's is dull far beyond the call of duty.

I was disappointed with this book because I have always been such an admirer of Kwan as a skater. (The second star is awarded more for her skating style than for her book's literary merits). I hope that one day, preferably after she has retired, she will find the time to produce a proper autobiography and tell the full- and doubtless fascinating- story of one of figure skating's great careers. If she lacks the time or self-confidence to write it herself (although I generally find that autobiographies actually written by the celebrity whose name appears on the cover often read better than ghostwritten ones) she should find a writer whose talent matches her own for skating.

. Maggie Willems
9-29-05
Period 4
Story of a champion
Michelle Kwan
I chose Heart of a Champion because Michelle Kwan is an inspirational woman in a tough sport. She explains how she gets through the sport that she loves with all its pressure. The expectations of the reporters are described. The worlds that Michelle went to are in this extraordinary book. Michelle Kwan is a wonderful ice skater. She gets through the building pressure in the sport with help from her support group.
Michelle Kwan loves figure skating. She has loved it since her older brother, by four years, joined an ice hockey team when he was nine. She would easily learn moves and then want to move on. When she got older she was told not to go into the senior tryouts while her coach was away, but she went to the competition and was advanced to the hardest level. Since she always wanted to move on, she quickly moved up, but her support group stayed with her all the way.
Michelle Kwan's support group was an asset to her winnings. Her support group consisted of her family who always told her to "work hard, be yourself, and have fun." When they noticed she wasn't doing this they would remind he, but they were careful not to put pressure on her. Her family showed her where her flaws were and gave her support when she was no doing her best, allowing her to do better every day.
"The pressure was on, and I liked it. Correction: I loved it (page 73)," explains Michelle Kwan when she was competing for her first time at worlds. She placed eighth that year. Worlds were her favorite competition, although sometimes she didn't do her best there. When people were expecting everything from her there, she would fall short, but when nobody was paying attention, she would do her best.
` Michelle Kwan learned many things. For one, she learned that she needed to work hard, be herself, and have fun. When she wasn't having fun, she noticed and she'd always do worse. She learned to appreciate everything. Her perspective of the sport needed to change after a while, so she adjusted. Nobody is flawless, but with the right help you can become as close to perfect as you can.

In this book it shows Michelle's life as it goes up and down. She takes us inside her life showing what it's like to be a teenage skater. It's not easy! As she wins more competitions she shines out more and more. Suddenly, the pressure is almost unbearable. Watch her as she falls and gets up again even better then she was before! This book is one you definitely don't want to miss!

I loved reading Michelle Kwan's autobiography. I found it to be very imformative, and I learned even more about this very talented figure skater. It was a great book, and it was so cool to find out about Michelle's first competitions, when she first started skating, her feelings about the sport, and her 1998 Olympic story. Another cool thing about this book was that you could flip the pages and see Michelle Kwan do a triple Lutz. It was cool! I would reccomend this book to any fan of figure skating or Michelle Kwan. Excellent book!

Hard to believe that Michelle is old enough to have an autobiography, but it's a taste of her great record and the hint of promise yet to come. Ignore the troll review below me - if the person isn't a fan of skating, why did he read the book???? Skating champs come and go, but Michelle will be remembered long after she hangs up her skates. Dignified in victory and gracious in "defeat" (since when are Olympic silver and bronze medals a loss????), she exemplifies the word "Champion" both on and off the ice. A must-have for Michelle's fans and for fans of the sport.

Man, is this book garbage. I picked it up at the library for a light read, and I struggled through about 120 pages before I decided that my life was ebbing away. While Brennan deserves credit for throwing light on the insanity of high-stakes ice skating, her writing skills are no match for her reportorial efforts.

A few of my complaints. Redundancy. We learn over and over again about Michelle Kwan's decision to vamp-up to look older than her 16 years. We read repeatedly about Tara Lipinski and her mom storming out of practice and then cooling down in their car in the parking lot. Many other events are repeated, ad nauseum.

Impossibly accurate quotations. At least a half-dozen times, Brennan quotes a page of exact quotes by two people who are on the phone with each other. How did she get these quotes? Did one skater really invite her to his or her home and then say, "Hey, I'm gonna call this other skater. Write down everything I say, and what they say back to me." Not very likely.

Insider language. I know a bit about ice skating, as my daughter takes lessons (though she has never been in a competition). Yet, I needed more and better descriptions of what actually happens on the ice.

Anyway, don't read this book unless you are obsessed with ice skating and/or the dysfunctions of sports celebrities.

This is book is a nice book, but it seemed to focus on Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan, along with the Tara-Michelle thing a little too much. Skaters listed in the front are supposed to be the ones the book focuses on, although some of these skaters get only one paragraph of writing about them. In the final part, "The Olympics", the whole thing was basically about Tara's win and Michelle's silver. There was a little bit about the mens' event, but I found it confusing.

My other complaint about the Olympic section is that it mentions nothing about Elena coming back from 'Skate in the Head', or Artur/Anton (I forget which one) becoming the first man to win two Olympic gold medals with two different partners. I am not a big ice dancing fan, but not a single ice dancing couple was mentioned, which annoys me. Overall, it's a great read that could be even better.

Christine Brennan wrote in Edge of Glory that Tonya Harding has more raw jumping talent then anyother female ice skater in US history. For all practical purposes, Brennan is calling Harding the most talented female ice skater to ever live.
Brennan also recounted how Harding used CPR to save an old man's life.
If I had to choose between an Olympic Gold Medal and Brennan's description of Harding, the medal wouldn't have a chance! Gold medalists are a dime a dozen. Some of them go on to big careers in fast food places.
When a world class journalist like Brennan spends such words on a genetic parasite like Harding, the earth momentarily stops spinning on its axis. Harding would live forever even if the assault on Kerrigan never took place.
Most of the book is excellent but some of the trivia about Kwan's career bored me to tears. I also wish Brennan had given more details about Nicole Bobek's reasons for breaking and entering.

Did you know that Tara Lipinski's mom got in constant battles with her daugher at the rinks?

Did you know that Tara would go on "frenzies" and do unbeliveable amounts of triple triple combinations at her practice rink until she got them right? (this is what caused her hip surgery).

And did you know that Nicole Bobek was a chain smoking teen at one point?

Well you will know all of this after reading this book. I would have to say that this is one of the many views from behind the scenes, but one of the best. Christine B. gives a detailed look at how it all happens on the road to the Olympics.

Different skaters are profiled in this book as we learn about the skaters, coaches, endorsements, and many other things. Most of all we learn about americas 2 leading ladies (at the time) Michelle Kwan, and Tara Lipinski.

This author will tell it like it is so be prepared...and shocked.

although i found this book engaging and enjoyed reading about the lives of these skaters, i personally felt that the anti-taraism was uncalled for. Having had the opportunity to have met both Tara and Michelle, I know that Tara did have her ways of coming off as arrogant, but so did Michelle. She is not as sweet and even tempered as christine made her out to be. It's a wonder why she doesnt mention the reason to why her past dress maker [Marie Talbot] stopped making her dresses. Her comment about her scores in the kiss and cry area [apparently she felt that she deserved a higher score regardless of her mistakes] . Dont bash on one skater and make the other skater come off as the nice one, they all have their ways of being arrogant.

Brian Boitano pushed himself AND his chief competitor, Brian Orser, in his quest for Olympic gold, and in doing so, both of them elevated the level of the entire sport.

Brian gives us a look back at his Olympic triumph and a valuable insider's perspective on the politics of figure skating as well as its technical aspects.

Skaters, skating fans, and anyone interested in this sport will be entertained by Boitano's book. A nice retrospective of this champion's career as well

A nicely written book, describing his experiences learning his craft, as well as good insight into the sport. It would be improved if there were more pictures of the skaters setting up and completeing their moves. Recommended reading for young skaters, as well as their parents.

Brian Boitano has always been my favorite figure skater. When I heard that he had written a book, I quickly rushed to get it. I am so glad that I took the time to read this book because it is a masterpiece.
He begins his book with a forward written by Peggy Fleming and then goes on to tell what it was like being at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, in 1988. That was the year Brian Boitano would come home with an Olympic Gold Medalist around his neck. Brian has dedicated pages to skating terms, slang, and how to judge a skating performance. He also talks about costumes, choreography, and on most pages of his book he has a first in skating history (first person to skate to music, for example). Katarina Witt also takes the time to add to Boitano's book. "A Tour Scrapbook" is towards the back with pictures from some of the shows Brian has been in. The back of his book contains the past Olympic and World Champions since the competitions began. In short, "Boitano's Edge" is THE book for the skating fan in your family.

I am a big Brian Boitano fan. I took this book out of the library hoping for a little more on his personal life. I wasn't too disappointed, but I would prefer if he had mentioned more about his family. There was a lot about his skating in it, though, which is what I love about him. He talks a lot about Calgary, which can get annoying because it happened almost 13 years ago! Don't get me wrong--I loved reading about it, but I've already read a lot about it. My favorite part was the tour scrapbook. That was neat to see. I also liked very much that people wrote their own commentary on Brian and about different things. You can read this book for an enjoyable read, but don't expect too much on skating.

I teach 4th grade, and this book is in my classroom library. My students love this book as it gives them an insight into this sport. The negative reviews about this book totally shocked me, but then I realized that they were just thinly disguised opportunities for those "reviewers" to take a swipe at Brian Boitano and nothing more. This book was not meant to be a "tell-all". Its main focus group was children, but it's a lovely book for all ages--provided you're not looking for "dirt". What I have gotten out of this book is that Brian Boitano is a dear young man of integrity, honesty and morals who loves to skate more than anything else in the world. He is the epitome of what a role model should be. The sporting world needs more people like him.