Reading Metrics
Description
The story of the courageous woman who overcame debilitating illness to go on to become an Olympic gold medalist in track-and-field events.
Quick Summary
Gail Devers' story is one of those incredible true tales that proves just how tough the human spirit can be. She went from being so sick with Graves' disease that she lost her hair and couldn't walk properly to standing on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around her neck, and kids who read this will find that journey genuinely inspiring. The book works especially well for middle graders who love sports stories or anyone who enjoys underdog biographies, and at a 5.4 reading level it's accessible without feeling babyish. What I appreciate about this one is that it doesn't sugarcoat the hard parts Gail's illness was scary and her road back was tough so readers get a real sense of what she actually went through rather than just the triumphant ending. If you know a kid who loved "Whoosh!" by Lane Smith or other sports biographies about athletes who faced long odds, this fits right into that category of stories they'll want to talk about.