Simone Biles Vs. Nadia Comaneci: Who Would Win?

Simone Biles is the most popular and accomplished Olympic gymnast active today. She has competed in three Olympic Games, won 32 medals, and inspired countless athletes around the world. In Simone Biles Vs. Nadia Comaneci: Who Would Win?, Anderson compares Biles to another gymnastic titan: Nadia Comaneci, the first Olympic athlete to score a perfect 10. By reviewing each athlete’s accomplishments and career, readers are left to wonder who would win in a hypothetical competition.  

The book is divided into four short chapters. The first chapter recounts each athlete’s beginnings as a gymnast, from Nadia becoming the youngest gymnast to win the Romanian National Championships at only nine years old to Biles discovering a passion for gymnastics at the age of six. The second and third chapters describe each athlete’s greatest accomplishments, like Comaneci making Olympic history at only 14 and Biles winning an unprecedented four gold medals at the 2016 Olympics. 

Although the book is nonfiction, Anderson engages the reader with dynamic and conversational prose. For example, he describes one of Comaneci’s flips with vivid detail. “Comaneci ran toward the uneven bars,” he writes. “She leaped over the lower bar and switched directions before moving several times between the two bars. Comaneci then performed a flawless headstand.” Through this, Anderson creates a gripping and suspenseful sequence that fully captures the magnificence of Comaneci’s difficult flip. 

Since the book has 1-17 sentences per page and a small font, the book will be more inviting to advanced readers. Each page features a photograph of Biles or Comaneci at different points in their careers, as well as a “fast fact” about each athlete. For example, a black and white photograph of a young Comaneci in the 1975 World Championships includes the fact that Comaneci was already one of the greatest gymnasts in the world before she was even a teenager. 

Simone Biles vs. Nadia Comaneci: Who Would Win? is an informative and compelling book that energetically describes two incredible careers. Readers with a passion for gymnastics are sure to be inspired by Biles and Comaneci’s stories. However, the determination and accomplishments present in both athletes’ careers will awe any reader. 

If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out the other books in the All-Star Smackdown series. Each book compares the careers and accomplishments of different athletes from around the world.  

Sexual Content  

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Violence  

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Drugs and Alcohol  

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Supernatural 

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Spiritual Content  

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