How Figure Skating Works, written by Keltie Thomas. Owlkids, 2009. $12.95 ages 8 and up

"How do skaters jump up, turn around four times in the air, then land on one foot while skating backward? And which jump is which? Do skaters get dizzy when they spin? What do the judges look for as they mark skaters? And just who are the judges anyway?"

Surprisingly, to some and not all, most of those questions have a scientific answer. Oh no, not science!! My brain blocks....and then I sit to read this exceptional how-to piece of nonfiction and I get most of it! It is the power of the writer not my brain doing a switch to scientific principles, I am sure. But, just the same, I am smarter than I was a while ago, and that's always a good thing. It's proof positive you can teach an 'old' dog new tricks.

If you are one of those people anxiously awaiting the television coverage of the Olympic skating venue, you are sure to be a fan of everything that Keltie Thomas includes in this latest book. There is an index, a table of contents and a glossary, all of which help when you are trying to go back to certain information you recall from your first reading. The photos are full of action, brilliantly colored and captioned. Many of our favorite Canadian skating stars are included here. From one page to the next our attention is grabbed by cartoon drawings, experiments, informatinve text, time lines, anecdotes and equipment.

As with all previous books in the How Sport Works series, Thomas has done the research needed to make it authentic and accessible. I love the story about the development of the Zamboni and its inventor, who drove one to Chicago from California so that Sonja Henie could take it on the road with her. Imagine how the orders rolled in then! And how did we get the great skates used by professional skaters these days? Well, this talented and accurate author has all the info we need to answer that question, too. Legends on ice are presented at the end of each chapter, questions are asked and carefully answered. Stars are introduced in information boxes, a program blueprint is presented and costumes and skating programs discussed.

If you want to know how judges make the decisions they make, see archival photographs of skaters and skating, and learn almost anything you could dream of knowing about the sport of figure skating, you have come to the right place when you choose this book. Written to be enjoyed and understood by young readers, adults will pick it up and find much to fascinate them and to bring them back to it again and again.