Synopses & Reviews
The Anything You Can Do ... series is unprecedented in its concept of offering real stories of new heroes to young girls. No fan books, the premise of the series is to profile a variety of young athletes from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, geographical and family backgrounds who have grown up to achieve excellence in Olympic and professional sports. The volumes have been favorably reviewed by VOYA, School Library Journal, Today s Librarian and many other quality review publications.
One of three children of a single mom, Thompson overcame the odds to become a 10-time Olympic medalist and is currently attending Columbia University Medical School.
Synopsis
Fast Lane to Victory: The Story of Jenny Thompson Jenny Thompson grew up in a working class New England coastal town with a single mom and three older brothers. As her family struggled to make ends meet, Jenny found a bounty of good fortune and success in the swimming pool. The family folklore maintains that Jenny could swim before she could walk. This water baby went on to win eight Olympic Gold medals as one of the fastest female swimmers in the world. Jenny had to deal with some hardships, including wearing a brace for scoliosis and being teased about being so tall and strong. And she did it with her constant positive outlook and rugged determination to succeed. This story lets the young reader know that being competitive is okay for girls and that dreams really do come true.