I’m not an avid cyclist, but my husband is. So I thought I knew enough about that to find interest in this story, but really it was kind of dull for me. It’s good enough of its own accord- about a boy who feels overshadowed by his older brothers. They’re very athletic and have won lots of trophies. Austin wants to win a trophy too, but he’s not really into any team sports. He does like riding his bike though, and is surprised to learn that his town has a junior cycling team. He gets excited about the possibility of joining an upcoming race. Earns money and his parents help pay the rest, to buy a new racing bicycle. Then he goes to practice with the team. More surprises- cycling isn’t all just about being fast. He has to train his body- doing stretches, working on endurance and balance. He has to learn to skillfully use his bike, strategies for handling it and keeping his place in the pack during the race. He thinks he’s got things down, but is surprised when his new friend on the team pulls a surprise move and beats him at the last minute. So he doesn’t win a trophy (SPOILER!), but had fun and is eager to continue participating, hoping to learn more about cycling and maybe get recognition someday. But that’s no longer his main goal.
It was nice, and it was fairly well told (no awkward dialog), just didn’t really grip me in any way. There were a few inconsistencies, though- when he goes to the bike shop, the man behind the counter says something like oh yeah, you called on the phone about such-and-such a bike. But when he wheels it out from the back, the next sentence mentions a different type of bike. Or maybe it’s two names for the same brand? I don’t know. Also, the kid on the cover image looks white. But all the interior illustrations, Austin and his family are definitely Black. It looks like they changed that for later print runs however, because there’s other cover images online where he looks darker.
Borrowed from the public library.
