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Topic: Arts and Sports

Ancient Games

Non-fiction

Run with the Olympic athletes and sweat it out in the deadly ballgame courts of the Aztecs in this beautifully illustrated and informative guide to the sports and games that have entertained people for the past 2500 years.

How did the Vikings keep themselves occupied between raids? What tricks did medieval Japanese sumo wrestlers have to win their matches? With fascinating facts and detailed pictures, this book is the perfect guide to everything to do with games, from the tiniest chess pieces to the biggest sports tournaments.

Paralympic Power

Non-fiction

A celebration of the Paralympic Games! The profile of the Paralympics is on the rise and the 2020 Games in Tokyo are set to be the biggest yet, with over 4,400 athletes taking part in 537 medal events, from 5-a-side football to powerlifting and from badminton to boccia. Paralympic Power gives all the essential background information on the Paralympics, from how they originated to how the different events are categorised and staged.

Interviews with Paralympians both past and present reveal the personalities behind the Games.

Women in Sport

Non-fiction

Women in Sport celebrates the success of the tough, bold and fearless women who paved the way for today’s athletes. The sportswomen featured include well-known figures like tennis player Serena Williams and broadcaster Clare Balding, as well as lesser-known pioneers like Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, and Keiko Fukuda, the highest-ranked female judoka in history.

From the creator of the bestselling Women in Science , this richly illustrated book highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable sportswomen from the 1800s to today, including trailblazers, Olympians and record-breakers in more than forty sports. It also contains infographics on topics such as muscle anatomy, pay and media statistics for female athletes, and influential women’s teams.

Sportopedia

Non-fiction

Sportopedia is your ultimate guide to the exhilarating world of sport. Learn amazing facts about all your favourite sports, and discover new ones you may not have come across before.

Whether you’re into team sports, target sports, track and field, or aquatic sports, this book showcases a diverse array of athletes – male, female, able-bodied and Paralympians – and celebrates the unique talents of sportspeople everywhere, making it a treasure trove for all the family to share.

With basic tenets and rules as well as more niche facts all explained, this book serves as a complete encyclopedia to the sporting world.

Covering ball sports , such as soccer, rugby, volleyball, lacrosse, rugby and cricket; racket sports such as tennis, table tennis and badminton; athletics and gymnastics ; target sports such as shooting, archery and golf; as well as combat sports such as judo, karate and boxing, this book covers everything from very well known activities to the more niche sporting hobbies such as boccia and kabaddi.

Sport-loving kids will find hours of entertainment and fascinating information in this awesome encyclopedia.

The Corinthian Girl

Picturebook

“It was time for the first race to begin. The crowed gasped as the Corinthian girl exploded from the starting point!”

The Corinthian girl has no name…abandoned as a baby, she is now a slave in Athens. But her Master is a famous Olympic champion. He spots the amazing athletic talent of the Corinthian girl, and realises she could be a star at the Games in Olympia. From dawn till dusk she trains – running, jumping, throwing the javelin and the discus. One year later she is at the great Olympic stadium for the race of her life.

Can the Corinthian girl win the crown and find a name and a home at last?

Based on the real-life ancient Heraean Games for women and girls, held at Olympia, this is a thrilling story of athletic achievement against all the odds.

Go Mo, Go!

Chapter book

From Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah and bestselling author of Oi Frog!, Kes Gray, comes a fun fiction series which will get kids reading, and running too!

After returning home from a long cross-country run, it’s time for Mo and his friends to decide where to go on their next running adventure. Sandwiches at the ready, the friends head somewhere beautiful, with glistening snow and sparkling lakes … The Rocky Mountains!

But crossing states is tiring work, and with lots of new creatures (and monsters!) to meet along the way, will Mo and friends ever get time for a sandwich break?

Here comes Bigfoot … RUN!

Follow Mo on his madcap adventures as his running skills go from strength to strength.

The perfect book to share and read aloud.

Flying Fergus

Chapter book

The first in a fantastically fun, magical cycling adventure series from Sir Chris Hoy.

Fergus Hamilton is a boy with a big imagination. Living with his mum and grandad and his dog, Chimp, he dreams of a state-of-the-art Sullivan Swift and becoming the most brilliant boy cyclist in the world. So when he gets a rusty second-hand bike for his ninth birthday he can’t help feeling a bit disappointed. But then he discovers something amazing when he takes it for a ride. . .

Written with award-winning author Joanna Nadin, with fantastic illustrations from Clare Elsom.

Gus the Famous Football Cat

Chapter book

A funny and heartwarming story about a girl and her pet cat, who becomes a World Cup celebrity!

There’s a football challenge at Yusra’s school and everyone wants to win. Which class can find the best way to predict England’s World Cup results? Yusra has an idea – her pet cat Gus could help! As Gus keeps guessing the scores right, the word spreads and soon everyone wants a piece of the famous football cat. But is the life of a celebrity as purrfect as it seems?

The Reading Ladder series helps children to enjoy learning to read. It features well-loved authors, classic characters and favourite topics, so that children will find something to excite and engage them in every title they pick up. It’s the first step towards a lasting love of reading.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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