Product Description
Come into Michelle Kwan's world in this personal photo album. In her own words, Michelle takes you behind the scenes--both on and off the ice-revealing the answers to the questions she is asked most. What is it like on the road all the time? Does she have time to date? What was it like meeting the President? From training to competing, family to free time, Michelle will take you through her favorite photos and memories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great souvenir for fans of a great champion!
Skating champs come and go, but Michelle will be remembered long after she hangs up her skates. Dignified in victory and gracious in "defeat" (since when are Olympic silver and bronze medals a loss????), she exemplifies the word "Champion" both on and off the ice.A must-have for Michelle's fans and for fans of the sport. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the personal life and figure skating career of the young Chinese American who won the National and World Championships in 1996. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

female skating legend
Michelle Kwan by Sam Wellman is a very interesting book.The thing that kept me interested in the book was that it tells almost everything that people need to know about Michelle and all the years she ice skated.The main characters are Michelle Kwan,her sister Karen,her father Danny,her mother Estella,and her skating coach,Frank Carroll.

I found the book filled with suprises.Michelle started skating when she was 5 years old.She had to work really hard to win the National figure skating title.I like the book because I found out lots of things that I had never known about Michelle Kwan.I would recommend this book to everyone who likes to skate.

AMust-Own for any Michelle Kwan Fan!
Being a huge Michelle fan, I picked this up while at another rink at a skating competition to add to my collection, and I was not disappointed.Although geared more towards the younger fans (9-12), it features black and white photos of Michelle I have not seen in any other book and is a good overview of this talented skater, although it lacks coverage of the 1997-98 season and beyond.

If you are a big Michelle Kwan fan, this is a definite must-have for you! ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the American figure skater who, at the age of fifteen, won the 1996 World Championships. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Michele Kwan will always be a champion
Even though this book is kind of short, it gives great insight on the figure skater, Michele Kwan.There are also a few tidbits of information about other skaters in the book, and I highly recommecnd this book to any beginner skating fan.This book shows that even though Michele didn't win gold at the Olympics, she'll always be a champion in the eyes of many people around the world.A classy skater like Michele is not to be taken advantaged of.

A young readers book about a young skater
This is an excellent book for young readers around ages 7 - 10.It tells the story of Michelle Kwan's life up until the end of the 1997 season.The bookincludes an easy to understand glossary of skating terms.There are lots of quotes from Kwan and pictures tracing her growth from tiny tot to World Champion.The book stresses Kwan's work ethic and her devotion to her family which makes her one of the best role models for children.Though easy to read the book does offer a few vocabulary challenges for the young reader that would help them to expand their reading skills.The book is good for young fans of Kwan, and may make them more interested in reading. ... Read more

Product Description
From the moment her mom laced up her first pair of skates at age five, Michelle Kwan has been a natural on the ice. Graceful and determined, she sailed through her first competition when seven years old and has been winning ever since. Now, at seventeen, Michelle Kwan is poised for triumph at the 1998 Winter Olympics, training for gold and a glittering place in skating history.

This inspiring biography of the young skating superstar reveals the support and sacrifice that have propelled Michelle to the top: her close-knit family, the pressure to get a proper education while competing all over the world, the perseverance after she fell during competition and lost her number one status, and--of course-- the constant demand to create unforgettable skating performances.

A fascinating behind-the-scenes story of challenge and conquest, BORN TO SKATE recreates the magic and beauty of a life on the ice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Written like a bad soap opera
This was written like a bad soap opera.Details are over the top and too dramatic and the writing style goes over the top.The message becomes too obvious and just too much! There's a reason people are willing to sell this book for a penny. Not worth reading.

Slightly informing and incredibly brief
If you want to learn about Michelle Kwan, a girl who worked hard for her dreams, you're not getting it. You will read about Michelle Kwan, ice skating star. The book has one page, that's one measly page, of information BESIDES Michelle. I am writing a report on Michelle, and I am having the HARDEST time extracting information from this book. All it focuses on is her awards and later accomplishments. Where is all the information about her youth life? COULDN'T FIND IT!

Disappointing and inaccurate
I'm a huge fan of figure skating in general and Michelle Kwan in particular, but this book sounded like it was written by an over-enthusiastic child.A lot of the quotes were taken directly from interviews that the skaters had done on TV, the writing and grammar were sloppy, and there were a lot of details that were just plain wrong. Tonya Harding did NOT come in third at the 93 nationals; that was Tonia Kwiatkowski (whose parents, by the way, are named Phil and Corinne, not Shirley and Leonard).Epstein waxes poetic about Michelle's brilliant artistry in 93 and 94, when she really didn't begin to shine until the 95-96 season. And any time Michelle didn't win first place, Epstein acts like she was robbed.These may seem like petty gripes, but with all the well-written literature available about Michelle, this book's numerous errors cause it to fall far short of what we've come to expect in skating coverage.Do yourself a favor and read Michelle's own autobiography or either of the two better-researched books by Christine Brennan.

This book had very good detailing of how Kwan skated.
The book I read, "Born To Skate," was the best bool on a bibliography that I have ever read. The book had a lot of excellent detailing, which made the book sound a lot better. Michelle Kwan's storyabout her was interesting and educating. It talked about her dreams whenshe was little and how she made her dreams come true.

Her big dream wasto go to the olympics, which she did and to become a world figure skater,which she also did. She always lived up to her expectations in life. Shealways kept a smile on her face even when she was down.

This story aboutMichelle Kwan's life was so wonderful to read about, because everything waspositive about her attitude. Born To Skate was a good story about peopleliving up to their dreams and never letting go of them no matter what. Inthe story she said, "Always live up to your dreams!"

I loved this book!
This book, besides giving tons of information on Michelle, had a great little directory in the back about all the jumps and spins. It taught me how to do my first lutz! I loved this book like I said and I hope you will too, but only another figure skater could give it 5 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
Coach Perry is taking on a new skating student and now Lauren will be sharing ice time with Courtney Reeves. Courtney is the same age as Lauren, but the two skaters could not be more different. At first, Lauren feels sorry for Courtney because she is so far from home and has to live with her aunt while she trains with Coach Perry. But Courtney is so unfriendly - a true Ice Princess! As Courtney and Lauren prepare for their first skating exhibition, Lauren starts to feel anxious. Now that Lauren has won a championship, can she live up to having a winning edge? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A review written by a figure sk8ter
I am a figure sk8ter and this book really wants to make you become a figure sk8ter but if you dont want to become a figure sk8ter, read it anyway! It makes you love figure sk8ting like i do. I am having a competition soon so i am trying to read alot of figure sk8ting books so i am more confident. This is my first ice competition so i am really nervous.

Totally Cool
This book is a skating book about Lauren and her friends.
It's deffinatly a must have for skating fans!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Being coached by Eve Perry is the best thing that has ever happened to Lauren, even if the schedule makes her life hectic. And a few low grades at school aren't a big deal - right? WRONG! And to make matters worse, her best friend, Rebecca, is mad at her. Lauren realizes that she had better get her life in balance - and fast! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It's about more than skating
My nine year old daughter loves this series of books. The stories address some of the issues and pressures as well as the joys of skating, including not always having enough funding for lessons or the most expensive dress, trying to keep up with schoolwork and even coping with sometimes fierce competition and petty jealousies. Its about the wonderful bonds of friendship that are made between coach and student as well as between the young skaters themselves. The stories also stress that hard work and commitment will lead to success - very encouraging and positive!

A fun book for the young skating fan and Michelle Kwan fan.
This the second in a series of books about young skater Lauren Wing [Michelle Kwan's middle name is Wing], a fictional character that seemspartially inspired by Ms. Kwan's story. The story is quite good. It isquite insightful into the life of a young skater. The cover's descriptionthat it is for ages 8-10 seems right [although I bet fans of all ages wouldenjoy the story]. It features in the middle of the book a wonderful picturepostcard of Michelle Kwan skating to her A Day In The Life program from the'99-'00 season. The book also features Ms. Kwan's answers to questionsabout her and her skating. Overall, highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

michelle kwan book
i loved easy to read book book about michelle kwan because one of my favorite
figer staters of all time. ... Read more

Product Description
As Sectionals approach, Coach Perry hires a new choreographer for Lauren and Courtney. But the girls soon realize that Jon's strict style and choices for routines are just not right for them. For the first time ever, Lauren finds an ally in the ever-competitive Courtney--and together they find the confidence to stand up for themselves and confront their coach. ... Read more

Product Description
At 16, Californian Michelle Kwan claimed the women's World Champion crown. A bright and appealing role model for kids and adults alike, her story is one of hard work and true achievement. Four-color photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

Great book for skaters!
My daughter and I really enjoyed this book by Michelle Kwan. The story is very interesting and I like how Kwan focuses so much of the book on what she did to be the best (good sportsmanship, positive attitude, hard work). Very good values for aspiring skaters to read about and see that a champion follows, too! I also recommend her other book-- it reads more like an inspirational, quiz-type book, kind of like an American Girl magazine. This one is more pure biography.

On Time, As Ordered
The book is a good read for youngsters. Ironically, it cost a penny, which was less than half a percent of the shipping/handling charges. No complaint, though, because in an upside down economy, what can you expect?

There should be a rule against teenagers writing autobiographies
There should be a rule against teenagers writing autobiographies. Even teenagers who have achieved as much as Michelle Kwan had by the age of seventeen.

There was, admittedly, an obvious commercial reason for bringing this book out in 1997, just ahead of the 1998 Winter Olympics at which Kwan was expected to win a gold medal. She was fortunate to come into her sport immediately after the notorious Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan affair in 1994. The skating authorities had feared that this affair (variously known as Waterskate or the Battle of Wounded Knee) would damage their sport, but in fact it had precisely the opposite effect, thus proving conclusively that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Public interest in figure skating was therefore at its height in the mid-nineties, and much of this interest centred on Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Nicole Bobek who had succeeded Harding and Kerrigan as America's leading female skaters. Bobek, another pretty blue-eyed blonde with a troubled history, was immediately crowned Queen Tonya II, leaving Kwan and Lipinski to skate off for Kerrigan's role as America's sweetheart (a role in which Nancy herself had often seemed ill at ease).

There are two main problems with this book. The first is that it came far too early in Kwan's career. Since 1997 she has gone on to become one of the great female figure skaters of all time, the winner of five world and nine American national titles. Originally criticised as a "jumping bean", a purely technical skater, she has developed into one of the most artistic skaters of recent years. (She has never won an Olympic title, but the blame for that must lie with the eccentric judges who handed the 1998 gold medal to Lipinski, a skater who throughout her amateur career never seemed to get beyond the "jumping bean" stage). In 1997 Kwan's career was only just beginning, and her ghostwriter Laura James was left with little to do except narrate a pedestrian and repetitive account of Kwan's childhood and her early skating career, leavened with occasional bits of bland philosophising. The second problem is that it the book is appallingly badly written. Ghostwriters are not normally noted for a polished literary style, but James's is dull far beyond the call of duty.

I was disappointed with this book because I have always been such an admirer of Kwan as a skater. (The second star is awarded more for her skating style than for her book's literary merits). I hope that one day, preferably after she has retired, she will find the time to produce a proper autobiography and tell the full- and doubtless fascinating- story of one of figure skating's great careers. If she lacks the time or self-confidence to write it herself (although I generally find that autobiographies actually written by the celebrity whose name appears on the cover often read better than ghostwritten ones) she should find a writer whose talent matches her own for skating.

reason for a champion
. Maggie Willems
9-29-05
Period 4
Story of a champion
Michelle Kwan
I chose Heart of a Champion because Michelle Kwan is an inspirational woman in a tough sport.She explains how she gets through the sport that she loves with all its pressure.The expectations of the reporters are described.The worlds that Michelle went to are in this extraordinary book.Michelle Kwan is a wonderful ice skater.She gets through the building pressure in the sport with help from her support group.
Michelle Kwan loves figure skating.She has loved it since her older brother, by four years, joined an ice hockey team when he was nine.She would easily learn moves and then want to move on.When she got older she was told not to go into the senior tryouts while her coach was away, but she went to the competition and was advanced to the hardest level.Since she always wanted to move on, she quickly moved up, but her support group stayed with her all the way.
Michelle Kwan's support group was an asset to her winnings.Her support group consisted of her family who always told her to "work hard, be yourself, and have fun."When they noticed she wasn't doing this they would remind he, but they were careful not to put pressure on her.Her family showed her where her flaws were and gave her support when she was no doing her best, allowing her to do better every day.
"The pressure was on, and I liked it.Correction: I loved it (page 73)," explains Michelle Kwan when she was competing for her first time at worlds.She placed eighth that year.Worlds were her favorite competition, although sometimes she didn't do her best there.When people were expecting everything from her there, she would fall short, but when nobody was paying attention, she would do her best.
` Michelle Kwan learned many things.For one, she learned that she needed to work hard, be herself, and have fun.When she wasn't having fun, she noticed and she'd always do worse.She learned to appreciate everything.Her perspective of the sport needed to change after a while, so she adjusted.Nobody is flawless, but with the right help you can become as close to perfect as you can.

Great book from a great champion!
Hard to believe that Michelle is old enough to have an autobiography, but it's a taste of her great record and the hint of promise yet to come. Ignore the troll review below me - if the person isn't a fan of skating, why did he read the book???? Skating champs come and go, but Michelle will be remembered long after she hangs up her skates. Dignified in victory and gracious in "defeat" (since when are Olympic silver and bronze medals a loss????), she exemplifies the word "Champion" both on and off the ice.A must-have for Michelle's fans and for fans of the sport. ... Read more

Product Description
The only biography series to include a section on career information. The "Ferguson Career Biographies" series tells the stories of some of the world's most influential and admired people, focusing on the subject's early education and training, challenges faced on the job, important mentors, and career achievements. Students follow each person's journey along one or more career paths and get a sense of the person's historical importance. These unique volumes present important information on each subject's career in a way that makes it easy to integrate into classroom and take-home assignments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great book for MK fans and someone who wants to get better career and live happier
This book makes me become a huge fan of Michelle Kwan. She is my role model now. Cited from the book: Tom Collins, producer of the figure skating show Champions on Ice, echoed that sentiment. "I've been in skating 55 years and I've never seen anyone like Michelle Kwan handle things so well, good or bad. A lot of it was bad at the two Olympics, but she accepted her defeat with graciousness," he said.... That's why Olympic gold medalist wouldn't have made us love and admire her(Sara Huges) more than Michelle Kwan.-Peggy Fleming. Learn from Michelle, we'll get better career and live better and happier. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful treat for fans of the skating legend
Skating champs come and go, but Michelle will be remembered long after she hangs up her skates. Dignified in victory and gracious in "defeat" (since when are Olympic silver and bronze medals a loss????), she exemplifies the word "Champion" both on and off the ice.A must-have for Michelle's fans and for fans of the sport. ... Read more

Product Description
At 16, Californian Michelle Kwan claimed the women's World Championship skating crown. A bright and appealing role model for kids and adults alike, her story is one of hard work and true achievement. Four-color photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Worth the Money
I have to start off by saying I am a bit confused as to the complaints about this book being a rip-off -- it is printed on almost indentical grades of paper and a fraction of the price of other similar photo-centered skating books, so how could this possibly be a rip off in comparison to others in the genre? Although many of the photos are not new, the book is nicely laid out and presented, like a personal scrapbook. I enjoyed it, but with its simple presentation it is most definitely geared towards Michelle's younger fans.

Nice Pictorial History of Michelle!
I really enjoyed this book! Michelle's book focuses only on positive things -- her own skating, friends, family, and favorite things. Michelle is truly a class act, and this book is yet another reflection of what makes Michelle a true champion.

Great Photos From Michelle's Career!
Great, full-color photos featuring Michelle in all her best-loved programs over the years.A must-own for any Michelle kwan fan!

A must-have for true fans
Michelle is a great athelet and role model for kids.This book is great for it's price.It has many good pictures of Michelle and her family.Any true fan of Michelle Kwan must have this book.

A great companion for her autobiography
This book was a nicely arranged book with many pictures and captions. They help you to know a little more about Michelle Kwan and her family and friends. It is worth getting and it is short but very enjoyable to thereader. This book is a must have for any Michelle Kwan fan ! ... Read more

Product Description
Lauren wins a scholarship that puts her back on the ice with Coach Perry...and just in time, too! The Regionals are only weeks away, and with Coach Perry's training, Lauren is sure that he will win first place. But suddenly Lauren finds that her feet have become all thumbs! Now she's worried that even the greatest coach in the world won't be able to help her get back on track. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE TURNING POINT
This is the first book in the Michelle Kwan Presents Skating Dreams series, and it includes a letter from Michelle addressed to you, in which she tells you a little bit about herself. All the books in the series include a full-color postcard of Michelle, plus her answers to real e-mails from her fans. There is an address where you can write to her, too.

In THE TURNING POINT, you'll meet 10-year-old Lauren Wing, a girl who loves to skate. She's training and practicing for the Regionals competition for novices, and she's looking forward to moving up, to become a junior-level skater, and then a senior-level skater. And maybe someday she can try out for the Olympics. In her dreams! But in her everyday life, Lauren just concentrates on skating her best in the Regionals competition.

Unfortunately, it's hard for Lauren to concentrate on her program when her cat gets lost. Her parents, her brother, her sisters, and all her friends help her look for him. They put up flyers. But they can't find him, and Lauren really misses him. To make things worse, another skater, Erica Claiborn, says nasty things to Lauren just before she has to skate in the competition, trying to make her goof up. The absolute worst thing, though, is when Lauren finds out --- just before she goes onto the ice --- that a world-famous skating coach, Eve Perry, has come to watch the competition. Lauren is scared to death!

She skates very well in her first routine, but in the second one she falls down. Erica wins first place. Lauren tries to be a good sport about it, but falling down was not something she wanted to do in front of Eve Perry! She'll never get to the Olympics that way.

Then something happens. Something that will change Lauren's life forever. If it works out. If she can do it. Will her parents go for it? Do dreams come true? Read this book to see if Lauren can find her cat, and if her skating dreams become a reality.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

Fi learns about astral projection
While Fi, Clu and Jack are in Bardo, Wyoming they come along a girl they meet at a carnival who can leave her body and travel anywhere she wants to. Fi automatically is in awe by this weird happening meanwhile Clu and Jack are in awe, well just in awe of the girl. With the help of Fi Claire will learn a good lesson and gain a new friend in the process. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3322 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the personal life and figure skating career of the young Chinese American who has won numerous awards at the U.S. Nationals, World Championships, and the Olympics. ... Read more