Linda Soules Releases 'So You Want To Be A Race Car Driver,' a Career Guide for Readers Ages 10-14

Children's nonfiction author Linda Soules has released So You Want To Be A Race Car Driver: A Kids' Guide to Motorsports, Racing Tracks, Speed and Strategy, and the Fearless Drivers Who Rule the Finish Line. The 38-page illustrated book is written for readers ages 10 to 14 and is available now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1972766155. It explains what the job of a professional race car driver involves, from the engineering of the car to the conditioning of the athlete in the cockpit. Rather than offering trivia alone, the book sets out the preparation, teamwork and mental discipline the career demands. It is the latest title in Soules's So You Want To Be A... career-exploration series.

Motorsport has a large young audience, and most of what reaches it is entertainment: broadcasts, video games, highlight reels and merchandise. Far less material explains to a 12-year-old how a driver actually gets from a kart to a professional grid, or what a driver does besides turn a steering wheel. Children's nonfiction about racing often leans on lists of fast cars and famous names. Soules's book takes a different approach and treats the sport as a career with a defined set of skills, a support structure and a long period of preparation. It is aimed at the kid who watches cars pass at speed and wants to know what comes next.

The book has drawn several 2026 honors. According to the book's listing, it won the Literary Global Children's Book Awards in the Sports category and received the Literary Titan Gold Book Award. It also earned the Grand Prize at the 2026 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and a Silver Award in Children's Nonfiction at the 2026 CIPA EVVY Book Awards. Those recognitions cover both the sports and children's nonfiction categories, which reflects how the book is positioned. It is a sports book for readers who follow racing, and it is also a career guide for readers who want a realistic picture of work they may one day pursue.

The first section of the book covers the science of racing. Modern race cars are described as rolling laboratories of physics and engineering. Aerodynamics press the car into the pavement, and tires grip and release differently from lap to lap. The book explains why Formula-style open-wheel machines and stock cars demand completely different driving techniques. It presents that understanding as part of what separates a talented kid in a kart from a future professional. Readers also learn how drivers feel what the car is telling them and translate it into precise language for their engineers. That feedback loop is how drivers help shave fractions of a second from every corner.

The second section focuses on the driver as an athlete. The book describes the punishing g-forces, extreme heat and heart rates above 170 beats per minute that drivers endure for hours at a time. It explores how drivers condition their bodies, sharpen their reaction times and train their minds to manage fear and focus together. One passage addresses a scenario every racer faces eventually: a race that has gone exactly to strategy suddenly comes apart in the final corner, and instinct is all that is left. The book also covers simulator learning and race-day strategy, so readers see preparation as continuous work rather than a single moment of talent.

The book also looks beyond the driver. Readers meet the engineers, mechanics, strategists and coaches whose work makes speed possible, and they learn that a driver's results depend on a whole team. A history section traces the development of motorsport and the legendary drivers who redefined the limits of what cars and people could do. The book includes facts about the fastest cars, the most powerful engines and the vehicles that shaped racing history. It closes with concrete steps kids can take now to find out whether racing might be their calling. That practical ending reflects the series' goal of making careers feel reachable.

The book's central distinction is its tone toward readers. Soules's stated philosophy across the series is never to talk down to kids, and this title applies it to a subject often reduced to spectacle. It does not present racing as only glamour or speed. It discusses fear, physical strain, technical communication and the possibility of failure, alongside the history and the machinery. For parents, teachers and librarians choosing nonfiction for middle-grade readers, that candor is the main selling point. The book assumes young readers can handle real information about a demanding profession and can decide for themselves what to do with it.

"Kids who love racing deserve to know what the job actually demands, from the physics to the fitness to the fear. They can handle the real story," said Linda Soules, author and creator of the So You Want To Be A... series.

The book is written for readers ages 10 to 14, though the series describes its audience as extending beyond that range. A young karting hobbyist could use it to understand why car setup and driver feedback matter. A student interested in engineering could read the sections on aerodynamics, tires and team roles. A child who simply loves watching races could learn what is happening behind the speed. Teachers and librarians building career-exploration or STEM-adjacent shelves may find it useful because it connects physics, physical training and teamwork to a single profession. Parents can use the closing steps to start a conversation about interests and next moves.

So You Want To Be A Race Car Driver is available through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1972766155. The book is listed as children's nonfiction, runs 38 pages, and carries the ISBN 978-1-972766-15-6. Readers should consult the Amazon page for current pricing, format options and availability, since those details can change. The ISBN can also be used by libraries, schools and booksellers who want to locate or request the title through their usual ordering channels. Soules's other titles in the series are available to browse from the same author listing, which lets families and educators pair the racing book with other career subjects.

The racing title is one entry in a series with ambitions well beyond a single book. According to the author, the So You Want To Be A... series is envisioned to span more than 180 titles, with more than 60 published to date and new releases arriving on a steady cadence. Existing subjects range from astronauts and marine biologists to magicians, stunt performers and roller coaster designers. That breadth is deliberate: each book pulls back the curtain on a real career, covering its joys, its challenges and the path to get there. Soules plans to keep adding careers, so readers who finish the racing book can move on to other fields that interest them.

Linda Soules is the author and creator of the So You Want To Be A... series, a growing collection of career-exploration books for readers ages 10 to 14 and beyond. Her approach is built on the belief that young readers are smarter, more curious and more capable than publishing often assumes, and that they deserve books that respect their intelligence while sparking real enthusiasm. Each title examines an actual career, including its rewards, its difficulties and the route to entering it. So You Want To Be A Race Car Driver is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1972766155.