Football Stars Up Close

This set delivers a solid performance. Clear writing, full-page color photographs, and text boxes (or, rather, text footballs) of information allow young readers to learn about six of their favorite players in an accessible and visually appealing way. The titles examine their subjects’ childhoods, families, and current careers, emphasizing the players’ struggles and inspirational feats, making this series stand apart from similar sets, which can read like laundry lists of statistics and accomplishments. An established football writer is used as a consultant, giving the information credibility. Although a lot of sports jargon is used, even those not familiar with the game will be able to understand and appreciate the texts. Vocabulary words are presented in bold text and defined in a glossary.