Wayne Gretzky: Hockey's "The Great One"

by Barry Wilner

This title introduces Wayne Gretzky who has had a great influence on his sport and in his society. Career highlights, battles along the way, and humanitarian contributions are discussed. Gretsky's legacy is told through informative sidebars, captivating photos, and engaging text. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Genres: Biography

112 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jlemoing4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wayne Getzky wanted to play hockey and nothing would stand in his way. When ever he wasn't at school he was always in ice practicing. So he went on to become the most idolized hockey player in the world. Than after scoring 800 goals, 1,200 assists, and 2,000 Points. He also won 4 Stanley Cups.

[Matthew Szymanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: Wayne Gretzky: Hockey's "The Great One"
Author: Barry Wilner
Reading Level: 7.1
Lextile: 1070L
Fontas & Pinnell: N.A.

Book Summary: This biography follows the upbringing and superstar life of one of the greatest hockey players to ever play the game. It is jam packed with interesting facts, stats, and photos of the "Great One".

Organization: This book like most biography's starts at Wayne Gretzky's childhood and follows him in his pursuit to making it into the National Hockey League. It is laid out in time order and doesn't jump backwards. This book also features a detailed timeline of Wayne Gretzky's accomplishments throughout his career as a hockey player.

Presentation: The book is full of photographs from Wayne Gretzky throughout his playing career. It is a very engaging and necessary addition to the biography. Readers get a better feel for his talent and pursuits by seeing the action photos of him playing hockey.

Classroom Integration/Mini-Lessons/Content Connections:
I would open the lesson up to a free reading option where the students choose a person in history that they are very interested in. I would let them know if could be a singer, athlete, president, or anyone that they find interesting. I would tell the students that I would pick Wayne Gretzky and give them a few reasons why I picked him. Not all people have biography books, so some students may have to find the most interesting person that has a book about themselves. I hope to provide a lot of variety and options for the students to choose from while still allowing them the freedom to choose someone that are interested in learning about. They would read the book and do a Hot Seat presentation of the person they read about.

[Ethan Wence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Biography, written by Barry Wilner, is about Hockey's "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky. The book is about his short life before hockey, and while he played professionally, for the Edmonton Oilers, and the LA Kings. This book tells us how he let his team to multiple Stanley Cups and other major awards. The book talks about his life after he retired and how good it was. Overall, I liked the book but I thought that it was too easy for me. Next time, I would try something a little bit harder for me. I recommend this book to younger children around 5th and 6th grade.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most are stock photos, and some are fuzzy. Students who like sports stats will enjoy this.
In addition to celebrating a great player, the best thing about this book is that the author included citations and source notes! He certainly deserves credit for his accomplishments on the ice, but in the back matter, the "Social Contributions," "Conflicts," and "Quote" listed are not particularly memorable.

[Eric Turchyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to read because it taught me a lot about Wayne that I didn't know.