Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Great characters and writing
Cons: Mystery started
late and was short changed.
The Bottom Line:
A sports story first
Which means mystery suffers
In well done setting
Ready to catch Olympic fever? That's what John Feinstein is hoping for with
Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics.
This is the latest in his sports mysteries for kids, and I left it
slightly disappointed.
The series revolves around teen reporters Susan Carol
Anderson and Stevie Thomas. At this
point in the series, they are dating, although their long distance relationship
is a bit of a struggle. Over the course
of the series, they've managed to cover some of the biggest sporting events and
uncover some big mysteries at them. This
time, they're setting their sights on the Olympics, but with a twist.
Susan Carol's swimming has gone from good to great, and
she's positioned to make the US Olympic team, possibly even medaling. Her new sponsors are betting on it, in fact.
Susan Carol's boyfriend Stevie Thomas is excited about her
upcoming swim meets and the possibility of covering her in London. But when they arrive, they start hearing and
seeing things that don't add up. Can
Stevie uncover what is happening? Will
Susan Carol be able to ignore it in order to swim the best she can?
I had no trouble jumping in here as far as the characters
go. I felt I got to know them quickly,
and I liked them, especially Susan Carol and Stevie. Everyone felt real to me, which made it easy
to root for our heroes.
The problem comes in the plot department. If this had been a sports story, it would
have been fine because that aspect is very well done. When Susan Carol was in the pool, I was
holding my breath, too. Plus all the
drama in the first half revolves around Susan Carol and her new status as a
professional swimmer.
You'll note I said drama and not mystery. That's because the real mystery doesn't get
started until we reachLondon, which is almost exactly the half way point of the
novel. But Susan Carol still has to
swim. While it is certainly part of the
story, it also means the mystery really gets short changed. It flows out of what has happened before, but
it feels very rush and underdeveloped.
One thing I did enjoy was the real people who are liberally
sprinkled throughout the novel. We get
appearances from swimmers like Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin as well as
real reporter Bob Costas. Even this
non-sports guy liked this part, and all the real life people came off as so
nice. It always made me smile.
However, there is a word of warning here. The book spoils some of the events of earlier
books in the series, especially the endings.
It is necessary considering some of what is happening here, but if you
are interested in the series, start with earlier books.
I've got to confess that when I finished the book, I was
actually disappointed I couldn't turn on the Olympics right then. I felt like I was inLondonand all primed for
the one time I pay attention to sports.
The book also makes some very sad observations about how athletes are
picked for endorsements. All that is
wrapped in a writing style that was very easy to read.
So there is much to recommend the book. I think kids who like sports will eat it
up. But those looking for a stronger
mystery will be disappointed with Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics.
NOTE: I received this book as part of the Amazon Vine
program. A shorter version of this
review will also be published there.
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