BOOKS

The Spectacle: Celebrating the History of the Indianapolis 500

by Chris WORKMAN
illus. by Chris Workman. 64p. Apex Legends. Mar. 2017. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780996286954.
COPY ISBN
Gr 3–5—Workman shares his joy of auto racing with readers. The author uses the chance find of an old toy car and his enthusiasm as a father as a stiff framework on which to hang a plethora of facts and incidents celebrating the iconic Indy 500. Occasional text boxes contain staged snippets of conversation between a father and child—a thread on which the cars, drivers, races, and instruments are strung like beads. The cartoonish illustrations depict the evolution of cars and drivers from the first win by a yellow Marmon Wasp in 1911 to the 100th anniversary race in 2016. A final dad/kid episode in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum features a chance meeting with Indy legend A.J. Foyt. The ending page encourages readers who have stayed the course to seek out other titles in the series.
VERDICT A smorgasbord of facts strung together by a weak story line. Only the most ardent of NASCAR fans will pick this up.
Reviewed by Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY , Jun 01, 2017

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