Quill and Quire

REVIEWS

« Back to
Book Reviews

The Great Race: The Amazing Round-the-World Auto Race of 1908

by Gary Blackwood

In February 1908, six automobiles from four different countries set off from New York City, travelling west, to see who could reach Paris first. The machines were unreliable, the roads non-existent, and the driving teams naïve and fearless. One hundred years later, to celebrate the anniversary of this incredible race, a meticulously researched account proves that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.   

Gary Blackwood, a Nova Scotian author of award-winning historical novels for children, incorporates details that leap off the page as he describes the optimism of the racers who faced daunting challenges. The cars broke down and team disputes erupted frequently. The French team didn’t trust the Italians or the Americans, and nobody trusted the Germans. There were encounters with Manchurian bandits and even an unexpected incarceration in a Russian jail cell. In short, it was the adventure of a lifetime.   

Numerous black-and-white photos help give historical perspective to the race, providing visual context on the technology and social climate of the era. The image of Captain Hans Hendrik Hansen, with his enormous handlebar mustache, is just as fascinating as the fact that the Norwegian adventurer started the race with a French team and finished it with the Americans.

The author draws heavily on a 1909 first-person account by Italian racer Antonio Scarfoglio, but the constant quotations feel intrusive after a while, despite Scarfoglio’s poetic observations. More satisfying are the segments that rely on Blackwood’s strong narrative skills and comprehensive character sketches.

The book includes an index, detailed endnotes, and a lengthy bibliography, as well as Internet links for further reading and research. Although it is a non-fiction account, The Great Race reads very much like an adventure story, with vocabulary and a writing style designed to engage older middle readers.

 

Reviewer: Jean Mills

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers/Canadian Manda Group

DETAILS

Price: $21.95

Page Count: 144 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9489-8

Released: May

Issue Date: 2008-6

Categories:

Age Range: 10-14