Mario Andretti (Race Car Legends: Collector's Edition)

Prentzas, G S

ISBN 10: 0791087557 ISBN 13: 9780791087558

Publisher: Chelsea House Publications, 2007

Winner of the Indy 500, Daytona 500, and the Formula One World Championship, Mario Andretti is one of the greatest drivers in auto racing. A boy from a small Italian province, Andretti grew up to become an American race-track icon. This fact-filled new biography examines the struggles and successes that have marked Andretti's life, from his family's harrowing experiences during World War II to his emotional triumphs upon winning national racing championships.

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About the Author:

G.S. Prentzas is an editor and writer who lives in New York. He has written a dozen books for young readers, including a guide to the 1994 Winter Olympics and a biography of football great Jim Brown. He is also the coauthor of A.J. Foyt, also in Chelsea House's Race Car Legends: Collector's Edition series.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-9--These two series entries aimed at racing aficionados bring some fresh material to a dated area of most libraries. However, the colorful covers raise expectations that are soon deflated by occasionally fuzzy, dark, black-and-white photos and rather bland writing. The outer page margins are extremely wide and the narrow inner margins draw readers' eyes toward the gutter (some photos edge into it). Both titles reveal the drive, endurance, and super-quick reflexes necessary to succeed at this high-speed sport. Both include pages of career statistics, chronologies, and further readings and videos, and are indexed to assist researchers. The Allisons chronicles the racing careers, and little else, of brothers Bobby and Donnie (both forced to retire by severe injuries), and Bobby's sons Davey and Clifford (both killed in racing-related accidents). Mario Andretti includes more personal material as well as career highlights, and is written in a livelier style. Acceptable reading during ESPN commercials for those who thrill to the roar of finely tuned engines and the smell of hot carburetors.

Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

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