Track Attack

Gym Shorts #5

by Betty Hicks, Simon Gane (Illustrator)

Jazz loves being on the track team! And her dad is her biggest fan -- maybe too big a fan. He argues with the coach, yells at the ref, and screams his head off at every meet. Jazz loves her dad, but can she keep him from having a full blown track attack? The latest book in the GYM SHORTS series finishes ahead of the pack and will keep early readers cheering.

Genres: Sports

64 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2009

About the author

Betty Hicks has drawn on her experience and love for sports in Gym Shorts, her new series for seven to ten year-olds. Growing up, Betty enjoyed everything: basketball, swimming, softball, horseback riding, field hockey, ice skating, tennis, skiing, and more. As an adult, she’s an avid fan of college basketball and the Olympic Games, and, an average fan of just about everything else you can think of.

In Gym Shorts, Betty welcomed the opportunity to provide younger readers with books about different types of athletics—basketball, soccer, swimming, baseball, track, tennis—you name it! But she especially wanted to write books that weren’t just about the wins and losses on game day. Friendships, fears, school, parents, pets, homework—all the things that weave their way into the lives of kids who play sports—are a crucial part of every story.

Betty has also put her own single and stepparent experiences to good use in five additional books for eight to twelve year-olds. Depicting funny, true-to-life family situations, Betty brings laughter and meaning to the experiences of growing up, not just in a divorced family, but in any family.

Betty has a BA in English and an MFA in the Study and Writing of Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She has published stories in Highlights and Pockets magazines, is a member of The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and has worked as a book reviewer for Children’s Literature.

She and her husband, Bill, live in Greensboro, North Carolina. She spends much of her non-writing time reading, traveling, playing golf, and pursuing her photography hobby. But her number one favorite pastime is hanging out with her five grandchildren. Not only do they bring her joy, they unknowingly give her exciting subjects and plots for every new book!

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the covers of these looked great and I have been meaning to read them for a while. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed that it was so simplistic. The story was basically a problem solution plot. Jazz's dad is a bit overbearing at her track meets and she has to figure out how to cope with it. The book is simplistic which is good for young readers. I was hoping for more spunk from the characters or dialogue.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It must be hard to write easy chapter books without having awful writing. The words in this book are big, but when you combine that with words like super-undecodable words like "gnashed" and a heavyhanded morality tale, I don't know that the book is enjoyable. Also, did the black character really HAVE to be the fast runner? And did the Asian boy REALLY need to wear glasses?

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series issuing sport contexts to deal with real issues that the characters face.

[Alex Bemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a fun short chapter books series for children to read. It reminds me of the Junie B Jones series. They are smaller books and easy reads that I think appeal to children.