Rush For The Gold

Title: Rush For The Gold
Author: John Feinstein
Pages: 320
Language: PG 13
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Bestselling sportswriter and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back with another sports mystery featuring Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson—this one set at the summer Olympics in London. In this book, Susan Carol isn't a reporter—she's an Olympian, competing as a swimmer at her first Olympic games. Stevie is both proud and envious of her athletic prowess. And he's worried by the agents and sponsors and media all wanting to get up close and personal with Susan Carol. But the more disturbing question becomes—how far might they go to ensure that America's newest Olympic darling wins gold?

Sports novels abound, but Feinstein's books are all stars. They combine sports action, high-stakes mysteries, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of big-time sporting events.

Review: This book follows the life of a young olympic hopefully.  The author gives us a unique view inside the world of competitive swimming at the world championship level.  I read this book right after the 2012 Olympics had ended, and it put a new perspective on a few things for me.  The little bit of mystery added intrigue and only added to an already good book.

The Scorpio Races

Title:The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 404
Language: PG
Maturity: PG13
Level: High School/Middle School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary:
Some race to win. Others race to survive.It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.

Review: I wish I had known more about the legend of Water Horses before I read the book, because I kept getting a little confused at the first, because I wasn't sure what water horses really were. I did really love the characters though, and the internal struggles I they go through! There is a lot of violence though in this book, as water horses tend to "eat people" . . . . but the book is filled with intense moments, great characters, and lots of adventure!!!