Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson (Anything You Can Do... New Sports Heroes for Girls) [Paperback]

Doreen Greenberg (Author), Michael Greenberg (Author), Phil Velikan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Anything You Can Do

Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson Jenny Thompson grew up in a working class New England coastal town with a single mom and three older brothers. As her family struggled to make ends meet, Jenny found a bounty of good fortune and success in the swimming pool. The family folklore maintains that Jenny could swim before she could walk. This water baby went on to win eight Olympic Gold medals as one of the fastest female swimmers in the world. Jenny had to deal with some hardships, including wearing a brace for scoliosis and being teased about being so tall and strong. And she did it with her constant positive outlook and rugged determination to succeed. This story lets the young reader know that being competitive is okay for girls and that dreams really do come true.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-The Greenbergs describe the young athlete's development as a swimmer and the personal qualities that helped to make her an Olympic champion. A preface by Julie Foudy, president-elect of the Women's Sports Foundation, and an introduction by Jackie Joyner-Kersee indicate the need for contemporary female-sports role models for girls. The authors then describe Thompson's successes and challenges through what seems to be fictionalized dialogue; there is no bibliography. Each chapter includes a vignette of a famous female swimmer and poor-quality, black-and-white line drawings. "Career Highlights" lists Thompson's special accomplishments; "Sports Talk" discusses issues and concerns about female sports competition in an open and honest manner. "Women's Swimming" includes programs, organizations, books, and Web sites.

Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dr. Doreen Greenberg is a certified consultant in sports psychology and has worked with school, college, professional and Olympic athletes from a variety of sports. She was a primary author of Physical Activity and Sport in the Lives of Girls (1997), a report for the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; an associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Women and Sport in America (Oryx Press, 1998), and editor of Sport in the Lives of Urban Girls (Women's Sports Foundation, 1999). Michael A. Greenberg is a former English teacher and a retired business executive. He and his wife, Doreen, live in New Jersey with their three dogs. They have two grown daughters.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wish Publishing; 1 edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930546386
• ISBN-13: 978-1930546387
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports > Water Sports
  • #85 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Water Sports > Swimming

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Jenny dealt with the negative peer pressure, June 8, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson (Anything You Can Do... New Sports Heroes for Girls) (Paperback)

Fast Lane To Victory is the third in Wish Publishing's outstanding "Anything You Can Do...New Sports Heroes For Girls" series and the story of swim champion Jenny Thompson. Swimming was what Jenny like best, but when her friends at school started to tease her and call her "tomboy" and "Too Tall Thompson", she felt the pressures placed on a lot of young girls to conform to social norms of what was "proper" for girls. Jenny dealt with the negative peer pressure and became so successful as an athlete that she came to be called the "Fastest Swimmer in the World". Also very highly recommended for school and community library collections are the first two volumes in this superbly presented and inspiring sports oriented series for girls: A Drive To Win: The Story Of Nancy Lieberman (40-8, ...) and Sword Of A Champion: The Story Of Sharon Monplaisir (39-4, ...).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring role model, February 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson (Anything You Can Do... New Sports Heroes for Girls) (Paperback)

I love this book! It's a great story of how sports can shape your life in a positive way. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike will be inspired by Jenny's story. This great book is now available as an e-book for those of you who can't find a copy of the original printing. You can order here from amazon.com, the isbn is B0001GDOUQ.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for young girls, February 19, 2007

By 

Robert Fornshell "Swim Dad" (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson (Anything You Can Do... New Sports Heroes for Girls) (Paperback)

Swimming is a sport that attracks so many girls, and this book can help them get a picture of what it means to be a champion. It is an easy read. It reaveals some of the things she struggled with in her life as she grew up. We used this book to write a biography report. The appendix has a list of highlights of Jenny's career, and a history of women's swimming. I also appreciate the "Sports Talk" section that is a spring board for discussing (1) dealing with disappointment, (2)body image, (3) competitive anxiety, (4) benefits of Sports participation for girls, and (5) other general questions about competing in sports.