KID OLYMPIANS

Inspirational profiles of 18 Winter Olympics and Paralympics standouts.

As in her 2024 companion volume about Summer Olympians, Stevenson recaps the various athletes’ discoveries of their chosen winter sports and their rise to local, national, and then international championships. Her chief focus is on the obstacles each person faced and overcame along the way, such as home schooling and other accommodations necessitated by intense training regimens, as well as expensive coaching and competition travel. Some coped with physical issues: Japanese American figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi was born with clubfoot, and bone cancer left Canadian multisport Paralympian Cindy Ouellet with severe nerve damage in her legs. Other athletes dealt with racism and homophobia (after a triumph on the slopes, Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim was told to “go back to China”), bullying (Ouellet recalls that upon her return to school after chemotherapy, “people were even kicking my crutches”), and debilitating bouts of anxiety and self-doubt. Their ultimate triumphs are clearly well earned. Stevenson also describes the hopes many have for influencing others; French figure skater Surya Bonaly, a transracial adoptee whose birth mother came from Réunion, hoped to change perceptions that “winter sports were just for white people.” In interspersed segments, the author addresses discriminatory attitudes toward transgender athletes, the challenges faced by those from tropical countries who wish to train for winter sports, and other topics. Steinfeld’s bright spot images of the determined achievers enhance the text.

Inclusive and appealing.