Gr 4-7-A well-written series biography of the American winner of the Tour de France. The text recounts Armstrong's early years and mentions the tremendous influence of his mother, whose favorite expression is, "Make every negative into a positive." Chapters cover the athlete's Texas high-school days, his success and maturity in the European and American cycling world, his diagnosis of late-stage testicular cancer, his fight to recover and continue cycling, and finally, his triumphant 1999 and 2000 Tour de France victories. (The book was published before his win in the 2001 Tour.) The uninspired selection and poor quality of the black-and-white photographs (some are a bit grainy) are a drawback. Reluctant readers will prefer Mark Stewart's Sweet Victory (Millbrook, 2000), which includes attractive color photographs.
Diane Olivo-Posner, Long Beach Public Library, CA
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