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Run, Run, Run!
by Taro GomiRun, Run, Run! is a fun, fun, fun board book for on-the-go toddlers!It's time to run a race like no other! Finish line? Winning? None of that matters here. Exploring is the goal! In this colorful board book by bestselling author-illustrator Taro Gomi, follow the racer as he runs far past the finish line and through fields, a farm, a forest, and more. Toddlers will delight in turning the pages to find out where he will run, run, run to next!Ideal for fans of Taro Gomi and his popular children's books, including the classic Everyone Poops, My Friends, Little Truck, and Little Chicks, this board book combines irresistibly expressive artwork and energetic text to create a read-along story parents and kids will not walk but run to read again and again.PERFECT FOR ACTIVE TODDLERS: Not only do toddlers love to run—they love to run everywhere! This spirited board book gives little ones a glimpse of what it's like to run in cities, farms, forests, and more, letting them live out their dreams of running free with the whole world at their feet. It's the ultimate board book adventure!CELEBRATES THE POWER OF IMAGINATION: It's a toddler's dream come true: running (and running) everywhere! The youngest readers will delight in exploring a variety of scenes and reveling in the little racer's ideal race. A GREAT GIFT: This colorful, detail-rich board book is the perfect present for young ones just starting to walk and run. Not only will it inspire them, but it will help to redefine what winning means when experience is the goal! Great for baby shower, new baby, or child's birthday gift giving.Perfect for:Fans of Taro Gomi and Everyone PoopsGift-givers seeking a sweet and engaging board bookParents, grandparents, caregivers, and storytime leaders who love sharing fun stories and vibrant art with babies and toddlersRunners and joggers who want to share their outdoor hobby with the kids in their lives
Runner's High: How to Squeeze the Joy From Every Step
by Jenni FalconerTake your runner's high to new heights with tips and advice from radio presenter and host of RunPod Jenni Falconer. There is nothing quite like the runner's high you experience after pulling on your running shoes, getting outside and finding your stride; and with Jenni Falconer's advice and encouragement in your back pocket you will be ready to hit your favourite route with even more bounce in your step.Packed with research and stories from real runners, Runner's High covers everything you need to build your running routine, overcome setbacks, discover the joy of running slowly and experience the power of finding your own running community.Whether you are a seasoned marathon runner or just starting your journey, this book will remind you of all the incredible benefits running has to offer, not just for your body, but your mind too.
Runner's High: How to Squeeze the Joy From Every Step
by Jenni FalconerTake your runner's high to new heights with tips and advice from radio presenter and host of RunPod Jenni Falconer. There is nothing quite like the runner's high you experience after pulling on your running shoes, getting outside and finding your stride; and with Jenni Falconer's advice and encouragement in your back pocket you will be ready to hit your favourite route with even more bounce in your step.Packed with research and stories from real runners, Runner's High covers everything you need to build your running routine, overcome setbacks, discover the joy of running slowly and experience the power of finding your own running community.Whether you are a seasoned marathon runner or just starting your journey, this book will remind you of all the incredible benefits running has to offer, not just for your body, but your mind too.
Running Rewired: Reinvent Your Run for Stability, Strength, and Speed, 2nd Edition
by Jay DicharryBecome a stronger, faster, and more durable runner with a program created by America&’s leading endurance sports physical therapist—now updated to include the latest research and a new chapter to help runners combat common overuse injuries.In this second edition of Running Rewired, Jay Dicharry distills cutting-edge biomechanical research into 16 workouts any runner can slot into their training program to begin seeing real results in as soon as 6 weeks. For better or worse, your body drives your running form. Running Rewired will show you how to shed old injuries, mobility problems, weaknesses, and imbalances and rewire your body-brain movement patterns. You&’ll rebuild your dynamics and transform your running within one season. The rebuilding process targets the four essential skills required for faster, safer running, Runners must practice quality movement as they build strength for their sport. In this new edition of Running Rewired, you&’ll find: 11 self-tests for joint mobility, posture stability, rotation, and alignment 80 exercises to fix blocks, move with precision, build strength, and improve power 16 rewire workouts to amplify any training plan from 5K to ultramarathon New research-driven strategies to optimize your bones, tendons, and muscles for the demands of running New instruction to guide everyone from new + young runners to masters and elite runners on successfully implementing the Running Rewired program Dicharry&’s Running Rewired pulls in the best practices from the fields of physical therapy, biomechanics, and sports performance to optimize your body and your run for durability, longevity, and success.
The Safe Standing Movement in Football: Fan Networks, Tactics, and Mobilisations (Critical Research in Football)
by Mark TurnerThis book tells the important story of the 30-year social movement against all-seated stadia in football in England and Wales that developed in the wake of the Hillsborough stadium disaster and the wider European and international significance of that movement. Examining the fan networks, relations, tactics and interactions which built the ‘Safe Standing’ movement, it reveals an untold social history of football supporter activism and represents an important contribution to our understanding of football supporter-based social movements, the sociology of football, and to social movement studies more broadly. The book argues that Safe Standing is sociologically highly significant because the restriction and partial exclusion of football fans as a social group in the timescape of English football after Hillsborough marked a moment of profound social change in the UK. Applying relational sociology, and drawing on original research and insider access, the book considers how events and ruptures, like Hillsborough, shape the dynamics of a social movement, and shows how supporters, who have been deeply affected by the all-seating legislation, are now in a position to affect the future consumption of football. The book shows how this was achieved, how a small core network of approximately 30 supporters, networked with supporter groups across Europe, now stand to impact and shape the consumption habits of a key leisure practice all over the world. This is fascinating reading for any student, researcher or policy-maker with an interest in football, sociology, political science, public policy, or cultural and social history.
Sailing and Social Class (Routledge Critical Leisure Studies)
by Alan O'ConnorThis book explores the sociology of sailing and yachting. Drawing on original research, and employing a theoretical framework based on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the book argues that sailing is, still, an upper-middle-class activity that has much to tell us about the wider sociology of leisure and sport. The book examines the historical foundations of blue-water sailing as established by naval and colonial shipping, to trace the roots of contemporary sailing and yachting culture. It also examines archives of sailing narratives and cruising guides, as well as the children’s books of Arthur Ransome, arguing that this archival material offers a social rather than a psychological interpretation of the ‘bodily investment’ in sailing. The book uses Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘illusio’ – an investment of time, emotion and body into a worthwhile activity – and ‘habitus’, or lifeworld, alongside contemporary data sets, to examine the yacht club as a social institution, including why many boats never go out on the water, the relationship between yacht clubs and the state, and social issues as manifested in yacht clubs, such as sexism, racism and homophobia. Offering a vigorous sociological critique of yachting and sailing, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology of leisure and sport, subcultures, social theory, or social issues in wider society.
The Salmon Capital of Michigan: The Rise and Fall of a Great Lakes Fishery (Great Lakes Books Series)
by Carson PrichardWeaving together the stories and voices of residents, anglers, community leaders, and environmental workers and researchers, this ethnographic account details the lives and livelihoods impacted by a once-unrivaled Michigan salmon fishery. From the introduction of Chinook salmon to the Great Lakes in the late 1960s, a thriving recreational fishery industry arose in Northern Michigan, attracting thousands of anglers to small towns like Rogers City each week at its peak. By the early 2000s, a crisis loomed beneath the surface of Lake Huron as the population of a prey fish species called alewife unexpectedly collapsed, depleting the salmon’s main source of food. By 2007, the salmon population had collapsed too, leaving local fisheries and their respective communities lacking a key commodity and a bid on fishery tourism. Author, angler, and ecologist Carson Prichard artfully incorporates fisheries science and local news media into an oral history that is entertaining, rich, and genuine. Complementing an ecological understanding of events, this narrative details the significance of the fishery and its loss as experienced by the townspeople whose lives it touched.
Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen #3)
by Chloe Walsh*FIRST PRINT RUN LIMITED EDITION OMBRE SPINE DESIGN - ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST*From international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon Chloe Walsh comes the next book in the addictive Boys of Tommen series, Saving 6.He's a boy who's lost. She's a girl who might just be the home he's never had.Joey Lynch has always been a protector. He rebuilds what is broken. When his older brother Darren leaves town, twelve-year-old Joey finds that he must watch over his younger siblings and mother. As he enters his teen years, his struggles intensify, with Joey toeing the line of addiction, all while being dutiful to his family. His boss's daughter becomes the one thing keeping him afloat. She's unapologetically herself, and even though he doesn't want to get involved with her, he can't keep away.Aoife Molloy is bubbly and self-assured. On her first day of secondary school, she meets a hot-headed boy who sparks a new burning curiosity within her, a boy who happens to work for her father. It's a bad idea to mess about with him, but her interest grows by the day.As a complicated friendship ensues, Aoife begins to discover the secrets attached to Joey Lynch's life, all while he desperately fights to keep her out.Following a new fan-favorite couple from the Binding 13 duology, Saving 6 will increase your love for the Boys of Tommen universe. This book is perfect for readers looking for:New adult/YA crossover Irish romanceDual POVsFriends-to-loversAngsty tearjerkersBingeworthy TikTok booksReaders cannot get enough of the Boys of Tommen:"THIS WAS EVERYTHING I HOPED IT WOULD BE.""I'd give this a million stars if it were possible.""This was everything I wanted and more. It felt so right to be back with my family.""Brilliant, read this book!! - it's beautifully written!""I adored Joey and Aoife…I ate up every single moment."
Scholastic Year in Sports 2024
by Jr., James BuckleyThe ultimate book for young sports fans is back with the past year's top sports stories.Look back on another year in sports with Scholastic, featuring exciting and all-new coverage for 2023.Get up close and personal with the top athletes in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and more in this perfect book for sports fanatics and newbies alike.
Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero
by Waite Hoyt Tim MannersWaite &“Schoolboy&” Hoyt&’s improbable baseball journey began when the 1915 New York Giants signed him as a high school junior, for no pay and a five-dollar bonus. After nearly having both his hands amputated and cavorting with men twice his age in the hardscrabble Minor Leagues, he somehow ended up the best pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1920s. Based on a trove of Hoyt&’s writings and interview transcripts, Tim Manners has reanimated the baseball legend&’s untold story, entirely in Hoyt&’s own words. Schoolboy dives straight into early twentieth-century America and the birth of modern-day baseball, as well as Hoyt&’s defining conflict: Should he have pursued something more respectable than being the best pitcher on the 1927 New York Yankees, arguably the greatest baseball team of all time? Over his twenty-three-year professional baseball career, Hoyt won 237 big league games across 3,845 ⅔ innings—and one locker room brawl with Babe Ruth. He also became a vaudeville star who swapped dirty jokes with Mae West and drank champagne with Al Capone, a philosophizer who bonded with Lou Gehrig over the meaning of life, and a funeral director who left a body chilling in his trunk while pitching an afternoon game at Yankee Stadium. Hoyt shares his thoughts on famous moments in the golden age of baseball history; assesses baseball legends, including Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, and Pete Rose; and describes the strategies of baseball managers John McGraw, Miller Huggins, and Connie Mack. He writes at length about the art of pitching and how the game and its players changed—and didn&’t—over his lifetime. After retiring from baseball at thirty-eight and coming to terms with his alcoholism, Hoyt found some happiness as a family man and a beloved, pioneering Cincinnati Reds radio sportscaster with a Websterian vocabulary spiked with a Brooklyn accent. When Hoyt died in 1984 his foremost legacy may have been as a raconteur who punctuated his life story with awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping anecdotes. In Schoolboy he never flinches from an unsparing account of his remarkable and paradoxical eighty-four-year odyssey.
Schwimmen – Vom Anfänger bis zum Schwimmer: Das Praxisbuch für Studierende, Lehrkräfte, Trainer und Freizeitsportler (Sportpraxis)
by Maike ElbrachtWie können Anfänger Schwimmen effektiv erlernen?Schwimmen ist eine der wichtigsten Fähigkeiten, die Kinder und Erwachsene erlernen können, ob als Freizeitbeschäftigung, sportliche Aktivität oder lebensrettende Maßnahme. Neben dem theoretischen Wissen zum Anfängerschwimmen, wie z. B. dem Umgang mit Ängsten, wird in diesem Lehrbuch eine Fülle an Handwerkszeug für die Vermittlung im Rahmen der Wassergewöhnung und -bewältigung beschrieben. Durch den systematischen Aufbau bei der spielerischen Wassergewöhnung und den zu erlernenden Grundfertigkeit wie Atmen, Tauchen, Schweben, Gleiten, Springen, Drehen, Rollen und Fortbewegen, sind die Übungen sofort in der Praxis umsetzbar und stellen die Grundlage für die 1. Schwimmtechnik dar.Wie unterstützt dieses Lehrbuch die Planung eines optimalen Schwimmtrainings?Methodischen Übungskarten helfen, jede Schwimmtechnik, jeden Start oder jede Wende eigenständig zu erlernen oder dienen zur Trainingsvorbereitung. Über 90 abrufbare Videos sowie weiteres Downloadmaterial, Checklisten und Übersichten zu Technikabweichungen und Korrekturmöglichkeiten unterstützen zusätzlich den Lernprozess. Des Weiteren werden Praxisbeispiele aufgezeigt, die die koordinativen und konditionellen Fähigkeiten im Schwimmen schulen. Somit wird die optimale Grundlage für das Verständnis und die Vermittlung der vier Schwimmtechniken Delfin, Rücken, Brust und Kraul, sowie der Starts und Wenden in der Schwimmausbildung geschaffen.Wer profitiert von diesem praxisorientierten Lehrbuch?Studierende der Sportwissenschaft, Lehrkräfte, Trainer und Freizeitsportler haben die Möglichkeit mit diesem umfassenden Praxisbuch, sich und anderen den Bewegungsraum Wasser näher zu bringen, sich theoretisches Wissen anzueignen bzw. zu vermitteln, sowie Kompetenzen zu entwickeln für einen sicheren Aufenthalt im Wasser.
Science and Practice of Youth Soccer
by Michael Duncan Mark Noon André SeabraSoccer remains the world’s most popular sport with significant numbers of the world’s population engaged in grassroots soccer, particularly during childhood and adolescence. There is considerable scientific and practical data focused on soccer science available, most of which relates to elite performers and does not address the needs to grassroots coaches in understanding the science of soccer and translating this into practical messages and learning to help coaches maximise the experiences, enjoyment and development of the more than 250 million players who play grassroots soccer worldwide. Science and Practice of Youth Soccer presents a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key topics relating to effective player and team development in youth grassroots soccer. Written by international experts and practitioners in the field and with a particular emphasis on the development of children and youth, the book provides essential guidance of how science translates into practice for coaches and those working in youth grassroots soccer. Each chapter outlines the scientific research base for each topic, highlights myths and misconceptions that are commonplace in current practice of grassroots coaches and then provides practical solutions that coaches can take and use in their coaching practice. This book is key reading to those working in or studying sport and exercise science, sports coaching and sports development and also of interest to grassroots coaches and parents of soccer players.
Science and Practice of Youth Soccer
by Michael Duncan Mark Noon André SeabraSoccer remains the world’s most popular sport with significant numbers of the world’s population engaged in grassroots soccer, particularly during childhood and adolescence. There is considerable scientific and practical data focused on soccer science available, most of which relates to elite performers and does not address the needs to grassroots coaches in understanding the science of soccer and translating this into practical messages and learning to help coaches maximise the experiences, enjoyment and development of the more than 250 million players who play grassroots soccer worldwide.Science and Practice of Youth Soccer presents a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key topics relating to effective player and team development in youth grassroots soccer. Written by international experts and practitioners in the field and with a particular emphasis on the development of children and youth, the book provides essential guidance of how science translates into practice for coaches and those working in youth grassroots soccer. Each chapter outlines the scientific research base for each topic, highlights myths and misconceptions that are commonplace in current practice of grassroots coaches and then provides practical solutions that coaches can take and use in their coaching practice.This book is key reading to those working in or studying sport and exercise science, sports coaching and sports development and also of interest to grassroots coaches and parents of soccer players.
The Science of Esports
by Craig McNulty Remco Polman Matthew Watson Kabir BubnaThe Science of Esports draws from contemporary research and coach expertise to examine esports athlete health and performance from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including physiology, psychology, sociology, and nutrition. The rapid expansion of the esports industry has elevated competitive video gaming into the realm of high performance, requiring players, coaches, and practitioners to implement interdisciplinary approaches to performance support. The book covers key topic areas such as: What esports is and similarities and differences to sport Game-specific training Physiological and psychological consideration for esports athletes Social aspects of player performance and the social environment of esports Esports coaching and structure of esports performance environments Technology and its use in esports Safeguarding, cheating, and gambling This book includes worked examples and case studies to allow immediate implementation into practice for esports athletes and coaches. It summarises the current state of research to inform researchers and identify gaps in knowledge. This book is critical reading for students of esports and related courses. It serves as the first scientific resource designed to provide athletes, coaches, and practitioners with interdisciplinary insights into esports health and performance.
Self-Defense For Dummies
by Damian RossGet street-smart. Unleash your inner warrior. Forget everything you thought you knew about self-defense. Those graceful martial arts moves that are so effective in the movies are likely to get you killed on the street. In fight-or-flight mode, you won’t have the calm thinking and fine motor skills to execute them. You need a simpler approach with a few fundamental moves that are easy to remember and perform yet devastating to an attacker. The solution? Self-Defense For Dummies, your guide to avoiding attacks, neutralizing attackers, and protecting yourself and your loved ones. In this book, you discover a self-defense system that works in the real world, where armed criminals target the most vulnerable and don’t fight fair. Discover strategies to make yourself a hard target, as opposed to an easy one Heighten your awareness of your surroundings and potential threats Sharpen your self-defense instincts and respond proactively to impending danger Master hand-to-hand combat basics and defend against grabs and holds Learn how to use weapons and defend against them
Shopping All the Way to the Woods: How the Outdoor Industry Sold Nature to America
by Rachel S. GrossA fascinating history of the profitable paradox of the American outdoor experience: visiting nature first requires shopping No escape to nature is complete without a trip to an outdoor recreational store or a browse through online offerings. This is the irony of the American outdoor experience: visiting wild spaces supposedly untouched by capitalism first requires shopping. With consumers spending billions of dollars on clothing and equipment each year as they seek out nature, the American outdoor sector grew over the past 150 years from a small collection of outfitters to an industry contributing more than 2 percent of the nation&’s economic output. Rachel S. Gross argues that this success was predicated not just on creating functional equipment but also on selling an authentic, anticommercial outdoor identity. In other words, shopping for the woods was also about being—or becoming—the right kind of person. Demonstrating that outdoor culture is commercial culture, Gross examines Americans&’ journey toward outdoor expertise by tracing the development of the nascent outdoor goods industry, the influence of World War II on its growth, and the boom years of outdoor businesses.
The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania
by Brad BalukjianFrom the bestselling author of The Wax Pack, comes another eye‑opening road trip adventure into a pocket of iconic pop culture—professional wrestling—starring the Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, and many more larger‑than‑life characters of the WWF in the 1980s. "Perhaps one of the most truthful and enjoyable reads about my profession ever. I absolutely loved this book." —Former WWF Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian&’s life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion. Balukjian seeks out six of the Sheik&’s contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation&’s (WWF) explosion in the mid-&‘80s, to unearth their true identities. As Balukjian drives 12,525 miles around the country, we revisit the heady days when these avatars of strength, villainy, and heroism first found fame and see where their journeys took them. From working out with Tony Atlas (Tony White) to visiting Hulk Hogan&’s (Terry Bollea) karaoke bar, we see where these men are now and how they have navigated the cliffs of fame.The Six Pack combines the spirit of a fan with the rigor of an investigative reporter, tracking down former WWF employees, childhood friends, and mutually curious archivists. Wrestling is perceived as a subculture without a cultural home, somewhere between sport and theater—often dismissed as silly and low‑brow. But what makes this book so compelling is the humanity beneath each wrestler. The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and the rest of the cast were not characters in a comic book movie. They were real people, with families and feelings and bodies that could break. Most of them did, in fact, break; some have been repaired, but none of them will ever be the same.
Skandar and the Chaos Trials: The unmissable new book in the biggest fantasy adventure series since Harry Potter (Skandar #3)
by A.F. SteadmanHEROES AND UNICORNS AS YOU&’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE. The epic adventure continues . . . Don&’t miss the unputdownable new book in the international bestselling SKANDAR series, for readers ages 9 to 99 and fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Eragon and Impossible Creatures.Skandar and the Unicorn Thief was WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 and WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2023!Skandar and the Phantom Rider was one of THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 2023 The Island always wins… Skandar and his sister Kenna are finally both at the Eyrie, but tensions are high. To survive their third year of training, Skandar and his friends must complete a series of terrifying trials across the Island&’s elemental zones. Friendships, allegiances and rider-unicorn bonds will be pushed to the limit – only the strongest will make it. Meanwhile Kenna&’s forged bond to a wild unicorn has left her alienated and alone. And when a terrible discovery puts the future of the Island in peril, all fingers point in one direction . . . As dark forces assemble, Skandar must decide how far is he willing to go – for Kenna, and for the Eyrie. Get ready for unlikely heroes, elemental magic, sky battles, ancient secrets and ferocious unicorns in this highly anticipated adventure that will keep you reading after lights out! Reader Reviews: ***** 'Overall amazing in every way. ***** &‘My daughter has rated them better that Percy Jackson.&’ ***** &’I don&’t know how I&’m going to wait for the next one.&’ ***** &’I have read Harry Potter and I think Skandar is better.&’ ***** &’Move over Harry Potter there&’s a new hero in town!&’ Have you read Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, the first book in the SKANDAR series?'Steadman has a vast imagination, her world-building is a joy, the battle scenes are thrilling and her characters charm.' – The Times Children's Book of the Week&‘Pacy, enthralling and epic, a gripping read.&’ – Louie Stowell, author of Loki &‘A dazzling feat of imagination. I loved every breathless moment of it!&’ – Cat Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper&’s Island and co-author of Twin Crowns&‘The best book I&’ve ever read.&’ – Patrick, age 10&‘My book of the year. Not since Harry Potter have I felt this excited about a series. Readers are sure to be clamouring for the next book. You&’ll never look at unicorns the same way again, nor will you want to!&’ – Dominique Valente, author of Starfell &‘Never have unicorns been so ferocious, fearsome and thrilling! A fantastically gripping read!&’ – Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Rainbow Grey&‘A magnificent book. I raced through it – at turns enthralled, delighted, amazed. It&’s everything I could have wanted and more. No doubt this book is going to fly.&’ – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear&‘Skandar and the Unicorn Thief brims with wild adventure, fierce sky battles, elemental magic, ferocious unicorns and a terrifying enemy. Steadman's cinematic writing draws you in from the very first page, creating a hugely compelling, unforgettable read. Endlessly thrilling, unputdownable and utterly unmissable.&’ – Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn&‘A. F. Steadman has created a stunning new world that feels both familiar and fresh, with a cast of characters that will stay with you long after you&’ve finished reading.&’ –Tọlá Okogwu, author of
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: The international, award-winning hit, and the biggest fantasy adventure series since Harry Potter (Skandar #1)
by A.F. SteadmanHEROES AND UNICORNS AS YOU&’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE. The first book in the award-winning, international hit fantasy adventure series for children age 9+, and fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Eragon and Fireborn. WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2023!'Steadman has a vast imagination, her world-building is a joy, the battle scenes are thrilling and her characters charm.' – The Times Children's Book of the Week&‘Pacy, enthralling and epic, a gripping read.&’ – Louie Stowell, author of Loki and Otherland &‘A dazzling feat of imagination. I loved every breathless moment of it!&’ – Cat Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper&’s Island and co-author of Twin Crowns&‘The best book I&’ve ever read.&’ – Patrick, age 10 Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider. To be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn. To bond with it for life; to train together and race for glory; to be a hero. But just as Skandar&’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined. A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island&’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever . . . Get ready for unlikely HEROES, elemental MAGIC, sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and FEROCIOUS UNICORNS, in this EPIC ADVENTURE series that will have your heart soaring.THE EPIC ADVENTURE CONTINUES . . . Skandar and the Phantom Rider is out now! And be one of the first to read the highly-anticipated third story, coming in April 2024. Pre-order now!Praise for Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: &‘My book of the year. Not since Harry Potter have I felt this excited about a series. Readers are sure to be clamouring for the next book. You&’ll never look at unicorns the same way again, nor will you want to!&’ – Dominique Valente, author of the Starfell series &‘Never have unicorns been so ferocious, fearsome and thrilling! A fantastically gripping read!&’ – Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Amelia Fang and Rainbow Grey &‘A magnificent book. I raced through it – at turns enthralled, delighted, amazed. It&’s everything I could have wanted and more. No doubt this book is going to fly.&’ – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear &‘Skandar and the Unicorn Thief brims with wild adventure, fierce sky battles, elemental magic, ferocious unicorns and a terrifying enemy. Steadman's cinematic writing draws you in from the very first page, creating a hugely compelling, unforgettable read. Endlessly thrilling, unputdownable and utterly unmissable.&’ – Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn &‘A. F. Steadman has created a stunning new world that feels both familiar and fresh, with a cast of characters that will stay with you long after you&’ve finished reading.&’ –Tọlá Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun'Perfect for those who have consumed the Harry Potter books and Philip Pullman&’s His Dark Materials trilogy and are looking for their next fictional feast.' – The Sunday Times
Skateboarding For Dummies
by Daewon SongA beginner’s guide to skating for fun, fitness, and self-expression Skateboarding For Dummies teaches you the basics of the fun and popular sport of skateboarding, so you can start shredding. Author Daewon Song has been a pro skateboarder for 30 years and is considered to be the most technically gifted skateboarder of all time. He is passionate about the sport and shares his enthusiasm and experience in this easy-to-read guide. Skateboarding is a fun, challenging, and inclusive sport that can also be a powerful outlet for self-expression. With this book, you’ll learn cool tricks, safe skating, and skatepark etiquette. Plus, you’ll discover how skateboarding can bring positivity to your life, building your confidence and self-esteem. Shop for your first skateboard and essential accessories Learn the basics of riding a skateboard at a skatepark Get step-by-step instructions for performing classic tricks Discover the history of skateboardingSkateboarding is for everyone, regardless of age or background, and Skateboarding For Dummies is for anyone who wants to give this sport a try.
Skater Boy
by Anthony NeradaIn this YA pop punk debut about queer romance and destroying labels, a teen risks everything to write his own story. Perfect for fans of Sonora Reyes and Adib Khorram.Stonebridge High&’s resident bad boy, Wesley &“Big Mac&” Mackenzie, is failing senior year—thanks to his unchecked anger, rowdy friends, and a tendency to ditch his homework for skateboarding and a secret photography obsession. So when his mom drags him to a production of The Nutcracker, Wes isn&’t interested at all . . . until he sees Tristan Monroe. Mr. Nutcracker himself.Wes knows he shouldn&’t like Tristan; after all, he&’s a ballet dancer, and Wes is as closeted as they come. But when they start spending time together, Wes can&’t seem to get Tristan out of his head. Driven by a new sense of purpose, Wes begins to think that—despite every authority figure telling him otherwise—maybe he can change for the better and graduate on time.As a falling out with his friends becomes inevitable, Wes realizes that being himself means taking a stand—and blowing up the bad-boy reputation he never wanted in the first place.From a debut author to watch, Skater Boy delivers a heart-wrenching, validating, and honest story about what it means to be gay in a world where you don&’t fit in.
Smart Money: The Fall and Rise of Brentford FC
by Alex DuffIn 1978, when Alex Duff first went to watch Brentford, players would go on midweek pub crawls near the Griffin Park stadium. Sometimes, in no fit state to go home, they would crash out in a terraced home where one of them lived opposite the stadium gates. The next morning, they clambered into a white van which one of them would drive to training, stopping on the way for a bacon sandwich and cup of tea at a greasy spoon café. Brentford had once played in the top-flight but now, idling in the third division, were a second home for players and supporters, but there was neither the ambition nor money to revive their best days. They bumbled along until in 2005, fed up with trying to make a profit from a club with an ageing stadium in an unfashionable west London suburb, owner Ron Noades agreed to hand over the business to supporters on the condition they take over responsibility for their £5.5 million overdraft. One of the fans, an Oxford University physics graduate called Matthew Benham, was making millions of pounds from professional gambling and threw in a £500,000 lifeline to help keep the club afloat. Initially, as a sort of academic challenge, he began figuring out if he could employ the mathematics which he used in beating the bookmakers to improve the club's performance on the pitch. Smart Money is the story of how a scientist with an inquiring mind was set loose in a backwater of professional football, and how he turned a modest, little-known team into a competitor in one of the world's most-watched sports leagues.
Smart Money: The Fall and Rise of Brentford FC
by Alex DuffIn 1978, when Alex Duff first went to watch Brentford, players would go on midweek pub crawls near the Griffin Park stadium. Sometimes, in no fit state to go home, they would crash out in a terraced home where one of them lived opposite the stadium gates. The next morning, they clambered into a white van which one of them would drive to training, stopping on the way for a bacon sandwich and cup of tea at a greasy spoon café. Brentford had once played in the top-flight but now, idling in the third division, were a second home for players and supporters, but there was neither the ambition nor money to revive their best days. They bumbled along until in 2005, fed up with trying to make a profit from a club with an ageing stadium in an unfashionable west London suburb, owner Ron Noades agreed to hand over the business to supporters on the condition they take over responsibility for their £5.5 million overdraft. One of the fans, an Oxford University physics graduate called Matthew Benham, was making millions of pounds from professional gambling and threw in a £500,000 lifeline to help keep the club afloat. Initially, as a sort of academic challenge, he began figuring out if he could employ the mathematics which he used in beating the bookmakers to improve the club's performance on the pitch. Smart Money is the story of how a scientist with an inquiring mind was set loose in a backwater of professional football, and how he turned a modest, little-known team into a competitor in one of the world's most-watched sports leagues.
Smart Money: The Fall and Rise of Brentford FC
by Alex DuffIn 1978, when Alex Duff first went to watch Brentford, players would go on midweek pub crawls near the Griffin Park stadium. Sometimes, in no fit state to go home, they would crash out in a terraced home where one of them lived opposite the stadium gates. The next morning, they clambered into a white van which one of them would drive to training, stopping on the way for a bacon sandwich and cup of tea at a greasy spoon café. Brentford had once played in the top-flight but now, idling in the third division, were a second home for players and supporters, but there was neither the ambition nor money to revive their best days. They bumbled along until in 2005, fed up with trying to make a profit from a club with an ageing stadium in an unfashionable west London suburb, owner Ron Noades agreed to hand over the business to supporters on the condition they take over responsibility for their £5.5 million overdraft. One of the fans, an Oxford University physics graduate called Matthew Benham, was making millions of pounds from professional gambling and threw in a £500,000 lifeline to help keep the club afloat. Initially, as a sort of academic challenge, he began figuring out if he could employ the mathematics which he used in beating the bookmakers to improve the club's performance on the pitch. Smart Money is the story of how a scientist with an inquiring mind was set loose in a backwater of professional football, and how he turned a modest, little-known team into a competitor in one of the world's most-watched sports leagues.
Soccer Analytics: An Introduction Using R (Chapman & Hall/CRC Data Science Series)
by Clive BeggsSports analytics is on the rise, with top soccer clubs, bookmakers, and broadcasters all employing statisticians and data scientists to gain an edge over their competitors.Many popular books have been written exploring the mathematics of soccer. However, few supply details on how soccer data can be analysed in real-life. The book addresses this issue via a practical route one approach designed to show readers how to successfully tackle a range of soccer related problems using the easy-to-learn computer language R. Through a series of easy-to-follow examples, the book explains how R can be used to: Download and edit soccer data Produce graphics and statistics Predict match outcomes and final league positions Formulate betting strategies Rank teams Construct passing networks Assess match play Soccer Analytics: An Introduction Using R is a comprehensive introduction to soccer analytics aimed at all those interested in analysing soccer data, be they fans, gamblers, coaches, sports scientists, or data scientists and statisticians wishing to pursue a career in professional soccer. It aims to equip the reader with the knowledge and skills required to confidently analyse soccer data using R, all in a few easy lessons.