About the Author:
Gary Blackwood is the acclaimed author of many children’s books, including The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare’s Scribe. His accolades are many and include an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and a School Library Journal Best Book. He lives with his family in Nova Scotia.
From School Library Journal:
Grade 5–9—Blackwood recounts this historic race, cosponsored by the New York Times and the French newspaper Le Matin. When it began in February 1908, there were six official entries—three from France and one each from Germany, Italy, and the United States. Starting in Times Square, the route would take the crews across America, up across the Bering Strait into Siberia, and through Asia before entering Europe and finishing in Paris. The author nicely covers the background events leading up to the finale and goes into extensive detail on the men and the cars involved. Collectively, the planners and racers got so caught up in the excitement that they gave little thought to such practicalities as harsh winter weather, a lack of real roads, and the personality conflicts that were bound to crop up among those forced to spend long periods of time in close quarters. Blackwood's meticulous research is evident, and the abundant period photographs are a pleasure to study. The sheer number of people and cars, however, makes the progression of the race difficult to follow at times, and the author's attention to detail causes some sections of the book to drag. Many of the photographs were used courtesy of Frame 30 Productions, which produced a documentary on the race to commemorate its 100th-anniversary reenactment. History buffs will find much to enjoy in this account of one of the earliest and most ambitious automobile races.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
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