Winter Sports Books

Great little book for the beginning reader who is also a beginning skier!

Written in an interesting format. Tells the story of a office worker interested in learning to snowboard. The book follows him on his "quest for knowledge" as he enters the world of snowboarders. As the title implies, the book explains everything you need to know about clothing, equipment, riding etiquette and safety. The book does not cover the actual skills needed in learning to snowboard. Very informative book.

...and for the most part, although it's geared towards a younger audience, it's a great book to have if you are a big fan of Kristi Yamaguchi, mostly for the photos it includes. There are several photos of Kristi in Albertville, both on the podium and standing with her medal after the ceremony that I've not seen in any other book and that brought back great memories of watching it live all those years ago. One of the more interesting parts of this book is that it was written before Kristi decided to turn pro, and talks about her plans for Lillehammer in 1994 (how great would that have been if it had been true?). Some of the photos are incorrectly captioned, and the book doesn't really reveal any ground-breaking information about Kristi or her life that hasn't already been covered in other books, but I recommend it for the photos. If you are a BIG Kristi fan, regardless of your age, this book will fit nicely into your collection. Otherwise, for a better book on Kristi and skating in general, check out her "Figure Skating for Dummies".

Far from the thorough history I thought it would be, THE LEAFS is still an outstanding collection of stories that, when pieced together, give you a sense of the Maple Leafs' rich and proud history. Brian McFarlane, the incredibly prolific writer, broadcaster, and hockey historian has collected these stories from newspaper clippings, anecdotes, and his own personal experience with the team. McFarlane does a fantastic job (as he always does) chronicling the Leafs' highs (the Cup dynasties of the 1940s and 60s, the miracle playoff surge of 1959, Sittler's 10 point night), the lows (the Harold Ballard years, the entire 1980s), and the colorful characters that made the Leafs a beloved franchise in Canada and, really, wherever hockey fans are found.

Of course, I do have a couple of complaints. First, as I mentioned before, I was under the impression that this was going to be more of a detailed history of the franchise. Instead, we mostly get the obvious highlights and a few funny side stories. There are just way too many gaps in the Leafs timeline here (even the year-by-year synopsis at the end is painfully thin). It would be nice if someone went back, as McFarlane apparently attempted to do, and wrote a more thorough account of each of the NHL's "Original Six" teams. A few years ago, Dan Diamond put together a beautiful and fascinating book that chronicled this tremendous era in the NHL (called YEARS OF GLORY, I'm sure Amazon offers this book as well), and I believe the individual teams deserve a richer treatment than McFarlane provides here.

Second, as a Leafs fan, I was shocked that McFarlane didn't include one of the absolute greatest and most fascinating stories in Leafs history: the tragedy of Bill Barilko. Barilko, a defenseman for Toronto, scored a diving overtime goal in Game 5 of the 1951 Finals, clinching the Stanley Cup for the Leafs. A few months later, during an offseason fishing trip, the plane Barilko was traveling in disappeared. Leafs owner and GM, Conn Smythe, devestated by the death of one of his favorite players, personally financed a massive search for Barilko and ordered that no Leaf will ever wear his number 5 again. After Barilko's death, the Leafs would not win another Stanley Cup until 1962. A month and a half after that 1962 Cup victory, someone finally found the remains of Bill Barilko. McFarlane briefly mentions his death, but doesn't mention the rest of the remarkable story. However, he does spend a section talking about the death of Terry Sawchuk, the great goalie who spent just three short years with Toronto. Maybe Sawchuk means more NHL fans in general, but the name Barilko means a great deal to any Leafs fan with a sense of history. His story deserved to be included.

Still, it's a book all Leafs fans and fans of NHL history should enjoy a great deal. I am a little puzzled by Amazon's recommended reading level of ages 9-12. Sure, the prose is a little simple, but, if you've read anything by McFarlane, you know he's always like that! So don't let that age range fool you. It's a treat for fans of all ages. Definitely recommended!

The book "Magic on Ice" is great for a figure skater OR a big fan of the sport. It includes pages on famous skaters, behind the scenes at competitions, judging, stretching, warming up, and skating on the ice. I gave it four stars because it's a good book but could be a little longer.

I've read a lot of books about the Iditarod, but this one really stands out. Before I read this book, all of the mushers sort of ran together in my head. Now I have a sense of them as individuals. Susan Butcher, Joe Redington, The Mackey Dynasty, Martin Buser, and others share their thoughts on this "last great race". Their stories are all inspirational, yet all unique. It's amazing to think of all these people dedicated to traveling over 1,000 miles by dog sled, risking their lives for relatively little return. It takes a special type of person to take on the Iditarod.

This book contains all rules for the game of icehockey. However, it can be difficult to read at times.

I follow the Iditarod and live in Alaska. I found the information in this book to be factual. I would recommend this book for older students needing to write a report. It would be a good reference. It is also a good source of general information on the Iditarod, that is enhanced with colored photographs. One area I especially liked was concerning the role of Leonard Seppala and his dog Togo in the diptheria serum relay to Nome. The Warner Brothers cartoon movie about Balto, has given children a somewhat erroneous idea of who the real hero was in this serum run and the true details of all that went on. Someone wanting to write an authoritive research report on this subject should definitely want to have the correct information that this book contains.

This book is basically a bunch of anecdotes and trivia spread throughout. I enjoyed it, but it's a quick read and isn't a deep book or anything like that. If you want to hear some stories and trivia that aren't so publicized about the team, this is the book for you.

This is a comforting book about the warm relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, and sharing the love of hockey. The author manages to capture the exhilirating sights and sounds at a hockey game so accurately and the emotions of Matt and his grandad so vividly. Together with the whimsical drawings and colours, it all adds up to a delightful book that we all enjoy.