cover image Magic Johnson: Champion with a Cause

Magic Johnson: Champion with a Cause

Keith Elliot Greenberg. LernerSports, $21.27 (64pp) ISBN 978-0-8225-0546-4

This is a stimulating, reliable example of cogent sports biography for children. While touching on Johnson's childhood, high school and college experiences, Greenberg's work remains a basic recap of one man's astonishing career in basketball. Characterized by an active, play-by-play immediacy, the book is liberally sprinkled with quotes from the national sports pages, generously laced with fan-pleasing statistics, and complemented by well-placed black-and-white file photos throughout. The biographical matter is framed by an opening chapter, ``Hero,'' that describes last fall's press conference at which the athlete went public with news of his HIV infection. The final chapter, ``Looking Ahead,'' tells of Johnson's new role as a candid and forthright spokesperson for the importance of safer sex and/or sexual abstinence. Ages 9-14. (May)