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Interest Age 5-8 | Everyone knows that footballers are super-superstitious and when things suddenly start going wrong for the Saints, they decide their team is under a curse. The question is, what can they do to lift it? Stanley is the only one of them who really understands that lucky strips and garlic down their socks won’t get them winning again – only confidence and determination will do that. It’s up to him to change the team’s outlook. The action flows, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, and the story feels as real and authentic as a pair of muddy football boots. Steve May’s illustrations are bang on and in Barrington Stoke style, this is accessible even to reluctant or dyslexic readers. A winner!
May 2018 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 | Alan Gibbons can pack a great deal of story and power into a short extent and that’s certainly the case with this book. It stars a group of young footballers, two of whom – the most talented – are refugees, only recently invited to play with West Team Celtic. Our main character, Sam, is happy to accept them into the squad but a boy called Jordan resents anyone who is better than him, and does his best to keep them out of the team. The drama of the matches is broken up and balanced via short chapters explaining who refugees are, where they come from, and why – something that makes the book much more than just a sports adventure. For the the final scene, everything comes together and there’s a wonderful demonstration of sport’s ability to unite us all, and even, occasionally, to work miracles. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading! One of our 2018 Books of the Year.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | | Pitch perfect characterisation in a powerful story that shows how talent and support can turn a life around. This first book in the four part Run series is a world class middle grade story with all the witty tenderness of Louis Sachar and a whole lot of heart, humour and edge-of-your-seat action. Castle Cranshaw (better known as Ghost) discovered his talent for running the night he and his mom fled his violent dad. “Running isn’t anything I ever had to practice. It’s just something I knew how to do”, he explains. Hassled at school for his Mom-made haircuts, and constantly trying to avoid “altercations” that wind up making his school file bulge, Ghost’s life takes an upward turn when he spontaneously races a budding elite sprinter at a training session and wins. The coach, a former Olympic gold medalist, immediately invites him to join the team and they form a heart-melting bond fuelled by friendly sparring. Coach is exactly the mentor Ghost and his diverse bunch of talented teammates need. Ghost’s voice is endearingly authentic, honest and funny - pitch-perfect for his age and the novel’s readership. His “No! Don’t do it!” decisions and ensuing scrapes are evoked with intensity and humour (just wait for the “silver bullet” incident). Truly I cannot wait to spend more time in the company of Coach, Ghost and his teammates, each of whom will feature in future books in the series.
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading!
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | These books hit the back of the net every time as far as I’m concerned. Packed full of facts, information and insight on a range of school topics, but all of them explained through football. Subjects covered include biology, via close-ups on footballers’ feet (not nearly as nice as you’d think apparently); physics – why it pays to be small when you’re dribbling (Lionel Messi anyone?); history, includes a look at the creation of the rules of football, something that took place in Sheffield in 1857; while the chapter on English is all about how to be a successful commentator. It’s fascinating stuff, and really memorable too. Anyone who reads this will learn a lot, no matter their age, and they’ll laugh a lot too – much of it is very funny, and cartoons by Spike Gerrell add to the entertainment value. Top of the league reading!
Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | Shortlisted for the Children's Book Awards 2019, Books for Older Readers Category | Interest Age 8-10 Reading Age 8 | World War One remains a subject of fascination for readers of all ages, but Tom Palmer finds an original way in to the topic in this poignant new story. Lily is a keen fell runner, though she’s fed up of coming in as runner up in races. A visit to her grandparents reveals a surprise: her great-grandfather ran on the fells too. His experiences are recounted vividly in his diary, both his runs in his beloved Cumbria and his experiences as a soldier, recruited to run between positions on the front line, carrying crucial information to the allies. Their shared experiences form a powerful connection, and help Lily to understand herself better, and also to help her grandma when she needs it most. Today and yesterday are seamlessly woven together in a story that will move readers in lots of different ways.
This informative armchair guide will have readers on their feet and itching to try new activities. It features more than 60 different sports, in nine different sections: ball sports, racket sports, athletics and gymnastics, plus water sports, motor sports, target sports and combat sports, with a final section on sporting events rounding up anything left out, such as cycling, skiing and show-jumping. Entries tell you everything you need to know, with general descriptions, explanations of the rules, kit and positions, plus interesting facts. Bright bold illustrations, rather than photographs, fill the pages with life and movement making each spread really attractive to look at. It explains why humans value sports so much for being about play, teamwork and taking part. It reminds us too that sport doesn’t discriminate, something born out in the text and illustrations, which feature men and women from all backgrounds, able-bodied and Paralympians alike. Champion!
Everything you want to know about all sports from the original Olympics to the present day is crammed into the attractively busy pages of this vast wall chart. Fun to browse but also hugely informative, this chart deserves a place on all walls in 2012. Terrifically original publishing. There are three in the series so far: The What on Earth? Wallbook: From the Big Bang to the Present Day The What on Earth? Wallbook of Natural History The What on Earth? Wallbook of Sport Visit the What on Earth series website for more images and information.
Ernest Hemingway might have said there are only three real sports – motor racing, bull-fighting and mountaineering – but even he might have been forced to reconsider had he been presented with The Wallbook Timeline of Sport. This unique history book covers more than 100 different sports played by humans through the centuries and around the globe, including our own great national pastimes football, rugby and cricket all of which are shown to have origins that will surprise readers. In What On Earth? style all the different sports are illustrated in a timeline that begins two hundred years BC and ends in the current day, providing readers with a unique view of sport throughout human history. A 2 metre long poster will provide hours of entertainment and there’s longer reading too in fun newspaper style reports as well as a quiz. Fascinating and revealing stuff for readers of all ages. ~ Andrea Reece Everything you want to know about all sports from the original Olympics to the present day is crammed into the attractively busy pages of this vast wall chart. Fun to browse but also hugely informative, this chart deserves a place on all walls. Terrifically original publishing. The wallbooks are an amazing feat of publishing. In addition to the Wallbook, The Timeline of Sport also includes a Chronicle which features more than 35 newspaper stories and a quiz.
Ernest Hemingway might have said there are only three real sports – motor racing, bull-fighting and mountaineering – but even he might have been forced to reconsider had he been presented with The Sports Timeline Wallbook. This unique history book covers more than 100 different sports played by humans through the centuries and around the globe, including our own great national pastimes football, rugby and cricket all of which are shown to have origins that will surprise readers. In What On Earth? style all the different sports are illustrated in a timeline that begins two hundred years BC and ends in the current day, providing readers with a unique view of sport throughout human history. A 2 metre long poster will provide hours of entertainment and there’s longer reading too in fun newspaper style reports as well as a quiz. Fascinating and revealing stuff for readers of all ages. ~ Andrea Reece Everything you want to know about all sports from the original Olympics to the present day is crammed into the attractively busy pages of this vast wall chart. Fun to browse but also hugely informative, this chart deserves a place on all walls. Terrifically original publishing. The wallbooks are an amazing feat of publishing. In addition to the Wallbook, The Sports Timeline also includes a Chronicle which features more than 35 newspaper stories and a quiz.
The most innovative approach to non-fiction since Horrible Histories, the What On Earth Wallbooks present information in a way guaranteed to inspire children’s curiosity and to stimulate real enthusiasm for learning. Each one contains a full-colour poster – 2 metres long – that illustrates the complete historical timeline of its subject. Illustrations are accompanied by equally informative captions and there’s longer reading too in the form of spoof newspaper articles and letters to the editor. Billions of years of history at a glance! ~ Andrea Reece The complete collection of hardback What on Earth? Timelines covering Science, Big History, Nature, Sports, Shakespeare and British History. These wallbooks are an amazing feat of publishing. The Timeline shows a complete story on a 2 metre-long timeline. Perfect for younger readers but also relevant to all ages, these comprehensive, accessible and versatile wallbooks are the first ever attempt to illustrate the entire history of nature and natural science on a single piece of paper. In addition to the Wallbook, The Timelines also includes a Chronicle which features more than 30 newspaper stories and a quiz.
As all eyes turn to Rio this summer, a lot of us will be sitting on the sofa thinking about sport and very probably dreaming about being better at it. Science superstar Glenn Murphy’s witty, fact-filled and very child-friendly book is a great guide to the human body and explains the physics behind different kinds of sport, examining what it takes to be good at anything from running to cross-country skiing, or the high jump. It’s packed too with interesting pieces of information about the history of the different sports and is great for browsing. Reassuringly – sort of anyway – he explains that we all have the ability to reach Olympic levels of speed and strength, and all it takes is about 10,000 hours of sports training … ~ Andrea Reece
Records and reputations, cheats and champs, victors and venues - here's the lowdown on the modern Olympic games, from bestselling author and illustrator, Richard Brassey.
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