At Gleason's Gym
*Starred Review* Gleason's gym in Brooklyn is where the world works out. Muhammad Ali and Jake La Motta have trained there. Now, nine-year-old Sugar Boy Younan, National Silver Gloves Champion, 110-pound division, goes there to shadow box and spar with partners. This glorious tribute to Gleason's and to the men, women, boys, and girls who work out there packs a punch of its own, with a text that is both moving and informative and with vibrant artwork so realistic that readers can practically smell the sweat, which hits you in the face like a roundhouse right. Lewin works on two levels here. He conveys the span of the gym's history while tucking in moments of intimacy that convey what the place means to those who go there. At the same time, he follows Sugar Boy's progress, showing his commitment to a sport he loves. Children will be surprised at the range of people at the gym, though some adults will be dismayed at the young age of several participants. But Lewin offers no apologies. Boxing is the business of the gym, and he conveys this nonstop action in the paintings and pencil drawings, accentuating movement in words that rip across the pages: Thump, Bam, Pop, Smack. Yet this book is as much about feelings as it is about action. Although words like friendship, determination, devotion, and love aren't stamped across the pages, they are still there. Cooper, Ilene