The Great Race: Around the World by Automobile - Hardcover

Blackwood, Gary

3.46

26 ratings by Goodreads

9780810994898: The Great Race: Around the World by Automobile

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810994895 ISBN 13: 9780810994898

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2008

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Long before the Amazing Race television show there was the Great Race—a thrilling true story that will grab readers from the start to the finish line.In February of 1908, six cars from four countries gathered in Times Square for the pistol shot that began the first around-the-world automobile race. Gas-powered cars hadn€™t been round very long, and roads were nonexistent as this group of hardy pioneers set out to drive from New York to Paris, hoping to cross the ice of the Bering Strait along the way. The Europeans were sure their cars were superior, but it would be the scrappy Americans in their Thomas Flyer, after braving twenty-foot snowdrifts, bandits, and many near drownings, who would win the race.In a book published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the race, Gary Blackwood, author of well-known historical-fiction novels, crafts a thrilling narrative of great courage and splendid folly, illustrated with original, never-before-published photo

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About the Author:

Gary Blackwood is the acclaimed author of many children’s books, including The Shakespeare Stealer and Shakespeare’s Scribe. His accolades are many and include an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and a School Library Journal Best Book. He lives with his family in Nova Scotia.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5–9—Blackwood recounts this historic race, cosponsored by the New York Times and the French newspaper Le Matin. When it began in February 1908, there were six official entries—three from France and one each from Germany, Italy, and the United States. Starting in Times Square, the route would take the crews across America, up across the Bering Strait into Siberia, and through Asia before entering Europe and finishing in Paris. The author nicely covers the background events leading up to the finale and goes into extensive detail on the men and the cars involved. Collectively, the planners and racers got so caught up in the excitement that they gave little thought to such practicalities as harsh winter weather, a lack of real roads, and the personality conflicts that were bound to crop up among those forced to spend long periods of time in close quarters. Blackwood's meticulous research is evident, and the abundant period photographs are a pleasure to study. The sheer number of people and cars, however, makes the progression of the race difficult to follow at times, and the author's attention to detail causes some sections of the book to drag. Many of the photographs were used courtesy of Frame 30 Productions, which produced a documentary on the race to commemorate its 100th-anniversary reenactment. History buffs will find much to enjoy in this account of one of the earliest and most ambitious automobile races.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
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