Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion

By Russell Freedman

Book Overview

"Befitting a champion."-- School Library Journal , starred review Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of history's greatest athletes as an All-American basketball player, an Olympic gold medalist in track and field, and a championship golfer who won eighty-two amateur and professional tournaments. She was elected Woman Athlete of the Year six times, and in 1950 was named Woman Athlete of the Half Century. This insightful and well-researched biography from a Newbery medalist brings to life the woman who changed the perception of female athletes forever.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0544104919
• ISBN13: 9780544104914
• Release Date: January 2014
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.6" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

very informative

My daughter needed a biography on a female for a school book report. This one was very informative and we learned a lot about someone who honestly we had not heard of before I found this book. It would be good for third grade and up.

Great autobiography on a female athletic phenom

I bought this book for a public speaking my 7th grade students were doing. The book is detailed in her athletic achievements, despite harsh critics. It also delves into her personal life and life with cancer. Babe Didrikson was an intriguing person and Russell Freedman captured her life very nicely.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The making of a champion, by Russell Freedman. This book was great. It doesn't just tell about her adult life; it also talks about how she got started, like when she was young. She was always the tomboy type until she was in her twenties. As she got older, she had to be the center of all the attention. To tell you the truth, she was always full of herself, which wasn't always a good thing. Babe participated in almost every sport that a woman could do. She was good at every one of them, too. She turned professional in track and field, basketball, and golf. I recommend this book to any girl who loves to compete in sports. I really didn't have a role model until I read this book!

Interesting and Compelling

This book is an interesting, yet honest look at the life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. There are parts of the book that are necessarily a bit dry, e.g., the explanation of how and why she tried to regain her amateur status after playing as a professional. Most of the book, however, does an excellent job of getting the reader to feel her seemingly boundless energy and determination. It also does a good job of portraying the limitations of the era on female athletes. It doesn't make them into tragedies, but it does point out that they were more "hurdles" that Babe had to overcome.For those interested in biographies of famous women, this book and Freedman's book about Eleanor Roosevelt are both excellent additions to the young adult library.

A 5 star book: suspenseful and exciting!

When asked if there was something she didn't play, Babe replied smiling: "dolls!" This intriguing book by Russell Freedman lets you in on the tragic and wonderful secrets in Babe Didrikson Zaharias's life. From hurdling her neighbor's bushes to winning world-wide golf tournaments, Babe's extraordinary life captures all young readers! How good can Babe get? This wonderful story tells it all with excitement and suspense. Enjoy your reading!