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On The Field With...Alex Rodriguez
by Matt ChristopherAlex Rodriguez is the one of the most electrifying baseball players to hit the diamond in recent years. Drafted right out of high school, he has suffered none of the adjustment problems that typically plague young players. On the contrary, he has shown the world what it means to be a superstar, not just on the field but in life. His outstanding play with the Seattle Mariners helped send that team to post-season playoff games year after year. Yet never has A-Rod let success and fame go to his head. Alex Rodriguez's commitment to the game and sportsmanship has made him respected and admired by fellow players and fans the world over. This new biography traces Alex's career from the Seattle Mariners to his latest position with the Texas Rangers.
On The Line
by Daniel Paisner Serena WilliamsOne of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has captured every major title. Her 2009 Australia Open championship earned her the #1 world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career - and marked only the latest exclamation point on a life well and purposefully lived. As a young girl, Serena began training with an adult-sized racquet that was almost as big as her. Rather than dropping the racquet, Serena saw it as a challenge to overcome-and she has confronted every obstacle on her path to success with the same unflagging spirit. From growing up in the tough, hardscrabble neighborhood of Compton, California, to being trained by her father on public tennis courts littered with broken glass and drug paraphernalia, to becoming the top women's player in the world, Serena has proven to be an inspiration to her legions of fans both young and old. Her accomplishments have not been without struggle: being derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister, and criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis. Yet somehow, Serena always manages to prevail. Both on the court and off, she's applied the strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television and film. In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.
On The Line (Angel Park Hoop Stars #4)
by Dean HughesUnless star guard Miles "Tip" Harris can keep his cool under pressure from opposing players, the Angel Park Lakers could have a short season.
On The Run (White Lightning)
by Gail HermanHigh school senior Jack Porter is a track star. During one of his last meets, he asks pretty Becky Mann to the school dance. She's flirty and fun … until they get to the dance. Then she gives Jack the cold shoulder. He can't figure it out and soon gives up trying. Sometime during the evening, the police show up. There's a body in Jack's car. It's Becky! The officers question and release him only to show up at his house the following morning. Jack flees. He knows he's being framed. Who killed the pretty teen? Fugitive Jack is determined to find out. <p><p> White Lightning Books addresses a wide variety of themes and interests in a narrow range of reading levels, no higher than a 2.5. Middle school is a time of self-discovery, high energy, and hormonal change. It can also be a time of self-assertion and defiance. Students who struggle to read will often not recover from low reading achievement in elementary school if their particular interests are not addressed. Encouragement and finding the theme to hook them is key. There is a broad range of interest and abilities in this age group, even with struggling readers. These are not YA or elementary books--a fact younger teens will appreciate.
On These Courts
by Wayne B DrashThe incredible true story of the NBA's once future star, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, who finally fulfills his basketball promise when he takes over coaching the Lester Middle School team in the roughest section of Memphis--eventually leading the boys all the way to the state finals and earning him his first-ever championship.Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway was once on track to be the NBA's next big thing, following in the footsteps of such greats as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. He even had his own Spike Lee-produced Nike campaign. It seemed inevitable that one day he would win at least one championship and end up in the Hall of Fame. But plagued with injuries, Penny never lived up to his full potential. After returning to his hometown of Memphis, Penny struggled with the question most professional athletes face when their whirlwind career comes to an end: what now? The answer came from one of Penny's oldest friends, Desmond Merriweather. Merriweather had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer and needed someone to replace him as coach of the Lester Middle School basketball team. On These Courts is the moving story of a coach helping his young players navigate their way through impossible circumstances: failing grades, incarcerated fathers, gang pressures, and the crime-ridden streets of Memphis. But Penny never shied away. He selflessly provided on-the-court coaching, support with homework, and a positive role model committed to staying involved in their lives. In turn, the players gave him his first championship season, eventually winning the state title by one point.
On These Courts: A Miracle Season that Changed a City, a Once-Future Star, and a Team Forever
by Wayne B. DrashThe incredible true story of hope and inspiration, struggle and triumph: how former NBA star "Penny" Hardaway selflessly coached a young basketball team through the hardships of life--and to their first-ever state championship.NBA All-Star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway had fame, fortune, and a Nike shoe line. Yet for all his basketball accomplishments, the one thing he lacked was a championship season. Penny Hardaway, like so many pro athletes, struggled with the question of "What now?" when his whirlwind career came to an end in 2007. The answer came from one of his oldest friends, Desmond Merriweather, who was sick with colon cancer and could no longer commit to full-time coaching the Lester Middle School boys basketball team. On These Courts is the moving story of a superstar who takes over coaching duties in the crime-ridden streets of Memphis he once called home. Coach Penny selflessly helped his young players navigate their way through impossible circumstances: failing grades, incarcerated fathers, gang pressures. But this is not just a story about Penny; the true stars are the kids on the Lester Lions team who rewarded Penny with his first championship season, winning the state title by one point. A penny.
On Thin Ice
by Jessica KimFor fans of Disney&’s GO FIGURE, a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt dual POV sibling-rivalry story by acclaimed author Jessica KimTwelve-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Dexter Bae are polar opposites in every way except for their love of the ice. Phoebe is hyperfocused on pairs figure skating, and Dex loves his hockey team. But when Phoebe&’s partner injures his knee just two months before competitions and Dex gets cut from his team in favor of a new hotshot goalie from Canada, they&’re both left spinning.With their skating dreams dashed, their mother suggests that Dex fill in as Phoebe&’s doubles partner. It&’s a hard sell—the twins haven&’t been close since their father passed away two years ago. For Dex, working with a perfectionist like Phoebe would be a challenge, but if it means he&’d improve his skating technique enough to get back on the hockey team—and he&’d have something to keep his mind off his dad—it&’d be worth it. Phoebe isn&’t thrilled either, but what choice does she have if she wants to bring home the gold, something that would&’ve made her dad happy?Can these siblings skate past their differences toward victory?
On This Day in America: An Illustrated Almanac of History, Sports, Science, and Culture
by John WagmanProvides a day-by-day account of different events that have happened in the almost five hundred years of the American experience, from 1492 through the 1980s. With over 4,000 facts.
On This Rockne
by Ralph McinernyTo many Notre Dame alumni, being a good Fighting Irish fan is as important as being a good Catholic. But when a billionaire offers the school 10 million dollars to honour the great coach Knute Rockne, things get dangerously competitive. While debate rages over how to honour the coach, one trustee ends up dead. The fate of the football icon suddenly ends up in the hands of the Knight brothers: Philip, the private eye, and Roger, the brilliant Notre Dame philosophy professor. Together, these characters embark on the most clever and energetic McInerny series to date.
On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating
by Karina MantaAn insightful memoir from a figure skating champion about her life as a bisexual professional athlete, perfect for readers of Fierce by Aly Raisman and Forward by Abby Wambach.Karina Manta has had a busy few years: Not only did she capture the hearts of many with her fan-favorite performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she also became the first female figure skater on Team USA to come out as queer. Her Modern Love essay "I Can't Hate My Body if I Love Hers" was published in the New York Times, and then she joined the circus--Cirque du Soleil's on-ice show, AXEL.Karina's memoir covers these experiences and much more. Attending a high school with 4,000 students, you'd expect to know more than two openly gay students, but Karina didn't meet an out-lesbian until she was nearly seventeen--let alone any other kind of queer woman. But this isn't just a story about her queerness. It's also a story about her struggle with body image in a sport that prizes delicate femininity. It's a story about panic attacks, and first crushes, and all the crushes that followed, and it's a story about growing up, feeling different than everybody around her and then realizing that everyone else felt different too.
On Tour
by Bradley Wiggins'There is me trailing home 131st and, for all I know, I might be a top 50 rider if we all started on a level playing field . . . Bollocks to you all. You are a bunch of cheating bastards. At least I can look myself in the mirror.'Bradley Wiggins contemplates Floyd Landis testing positive for testosterone in the 2006 Tour de FranceThe 2010 account will be an instant book published in the autumn following the Tour. Part day-by-day diary it will also include wider, deeper reflections on the history of the Tour, famous figures, etc, and be illustrated with Scott Mitchell's atmospheric, black and white photography. The Tour has featured in Wiggins's 2008 autobiography, but really only in the light of a scandal he was caught up in. The emphasis of that book was very much on his childhood, his father and track cycling at the Olympics; here, Wiggins' new found love of road racing, and its pinnacle, the Tour de France, take centre stage, particularly the gruelling 2010 race, which although played out somewhat in the shadow of his high finish in 2009, was nevertheless an exemplary exercise in true grit, and fighting spirit against the odds.
On Warne
by Gideon HaighWho doesn't know the name Shane Warne? The Australian cricketer dominated airwaves and headlines for twenty years, and has finally become a full-time celebrity and media event, his sporting conquests and controversies receding steadily into the past. But what was it like to be there, watching Warne at his long peak, the man of a thousand international wickets, the incarnation of Australian audacity and cheek? Leading cricket writer Gideon Haigh lived the Warne era behind the scenes, when the impossible was everyday, and the sensational every other day. In On Warne, he relives the era's highs, its lows, its fun and its follies. Drawing on interviews conducted with Warne over the course of a decade, and two decades of watching him play, Haigh assesses this greatest of sportsmen as cricketer, character, comrade, newsmaker and international figure - a natural in an increasingly regimented time, a simplifier in a growingly complicated world. The result is one of the finest cricket books ever written, a whole new way of looking at its subject, at sport, and at Australia. Gideon Haigh is one of the world's best-known cricket writers. He has been a journalist for almost 30 years, writing about sport and business, and has contributed to more than 100 newspapers and magazines. His cricket writings were collected in the 2011 book Sphere of Influence. He lives in Melbourne.
On Your Own in the Wilderness (Stackpole Classics)
by Bradford AngierThe classic guide to living amid wild, unspoiled nature by a legendary outdoorsman and an experienced survivalist. A longtime Army colonel, Townsend Whelen later became renowned for his passion for wilderness exploration and his skills as a rifleman. Bradford Angier, inspired by Henry David Thoreau and possessing the same adventurous spirit, advocated for back-to-the-land living and wrote extensively on outdoor survival skills. In this book, they collaborate to offer a guide to discovering the inexpressible thrill of primitive country, the workshop of nature, and the appreciation of wilderness technique. Unspoiled regions possess a quiet beauty and peace—no artificiality, no crowds, all woods uncut. There is unbounded satisfaction and pleasure in successfully meeting the challenge of the wilderness. Colonel Townsend Whelen and Bradford Angier have combined their vast experiences camping and bivouacking to produce the perfect guide to peace and utter freedom. If the wilderness calls you, they invite you to join them and talk about how to live in it. They explain what from their experience they found to be the best ways of entering wild and unspoiled country, of finding their way through it with the right knowledge and equipment, and of living there in comfort and safety. On Your Own in the Wilderness is their explicit direction on how to escape to an earthly paradise.
On a Rising Swell: Surf Stories from Florida's Space Coast
by Dan ReiterA high-speed glide through Florida surf culture and a deep dive into the lore of a classic surfing destination Not far from where the Apollo 11 rocket launched to the moon, surfers make their way to the shore in the night. Clutching their surfboards, they chase a familiar dream: more speed, more altitude, and going beyond the limits of what has been done before. For that, they want to be the first ones to catch the early morning waves. In this book, Dan Reiter chronicles stories of the sport on Florida’s Space Coast, a region that has produced some of the world’s finest surf champions, Pipe masters, and surfboard builders. On this stretch of sand between Cape Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet, Florida’s surf history reaches back to the native Ais people of the Atlantic Coast and continues to the elites of today, including Kelly Slater, Caroline Marks, and CJ Hobgood. Reiter offers insights into the evolution of surfboard shaping and design, the distinctive culture of the East Coast surfboard industry, and the traits and traditions that make Florida surfing unique. United by the background of Florida sun, soaring blue skies, and shifting sandbars, each one of this book’s eclectic chapters tells its own story of passion and pursuit. Weaving together history, personal experiences, and interviews with the greats, Reiter redefines surf literature and invites readers to share in the thrill of a rising swell.
On the Ashes
by Gideon HaighNothing compares to the Ashes. The Ashes is always coming, even when it is finished. The Ashes is where hope, expectation, magic and chagrin flourish in equal measure, and performance is permanently burnished.'The best cricket writer in the world' Guardian'The Bradman of cricket writing' Sunday Telegraph'The finest cricket writer alive' The Australian'Australia's finest writer on cricket' The Times'The most gifted cricket essayist of his generation' Richard Williams, GuardianIn On The Ashes, Gideon Haigh, today's pre-eminent cricket writer, has captured over a century and half of Anglo-Australian cricket, from WG Grace to Don Bradman, from Bodyline to Jim Laker's 19-wicket match, from Ian Botham's miracle at Headingley to the phenomena of Patrick Cummins and Ben Stokes, today's Ashes captains. From over three decades of covering The Ashes, Gideon has brought together an enduring vision of this timeless contest between Australia and England - the world's oldest sporting rivalry - from the colonial era to the present day.
On the Ball (Hyperion Picture Book (eBook))
by Brian PinkneyOwen loves playing ball. But it doesn't always "love" him back. And after a particularly disastrous day on the field, Owen is benched. He is feeling so low that he doesn't even notice the ball rolling through a hole in the fence until it's gotten away. In his effort to get it back, he discovers that he has more skills than he realizes.
On the Ball (Reading Wonders #Approaching Level, Grade 3)
by Emma Turner Ron MahoneyNIMAC-sourced textbook
On the Bike with...Lance Armstrong
by Matthew F ChristopherA biography of the enthusiastic cyclist whose racing career was interrupted by a battle with cancer before getting back on track with a Tour de France win.
On the Course with... Tiger Woods
by Matt ChristopherEven before Tiger Woods stunned the world with his amazing victory at Augusta, he was impressing the golfing community with his perfect swing and pleasing crowds with his mile-wide smile and enthusiasm for the game. In this book, readers learn the details of Tiger's life and career.
On the Court With... Grant Hill
by Matt ChristopherA biography of the son of former Dallas Cowboys halfback Calvin Hill who grew up to become a star basketball player with the Detroit Pistons.
On the Court with ... Shaquille O'Neal
by Matt ChristopherDescribes the life and career of the basketball superstar and center for the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the Court with... Andre Agassi: On the Court with...
by Matthew F ChristopherMatt Christopher, the #1 sports writer for kids, focuses on Andre Agassi, the controversial tennis phenomenon whose image is as hard-hitting as his playing. Real-life sports action plus the author's easy-to-read style equals a sports biography not to be missed.
On the Court with... Dwight Howard
by Matt ChristopherDwight Howard was a high school phenomenon who soared head and shoulders above all other players to become the number one draft pick in 2004. The winning team was the Orlando Magic. Since joining the roster, Howard has powered the team to its first NBA Finals in more than a decade. He's an absolute monster on the boards and in 2009 won the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award. He's also a dunking champion, regularly posting more slams than any other player in the league. And he's not even twenty-five years old! With plenty of seasons still ahead of him, there's no telling how high Dwight Howard will soar.
On the Court with... Jennifer Capriati
by Matt ChristopherJennifer Capriati was a teen tennis phenom at age thirteen. Then, like many other athletes who begin their professional careers in their early teens, Capriati began to feel burdened by the pressures of fame, fortune, and the need to win. Three years after her professional debut, Capriati had learned to hate the game of tennis. She bowed out of the scene to try to live the life of a normal teenager -- but that, too, proved to be difficult, and after some very public mistakes, Capriati decided to turn her life around and try to regain her love of the sport. In 1996, she re-emerged on the tennis scene. She stumbled a few times, but by the turn of the century she had proven that she still had the skills, talent, and determination to be a superstar. This exciting biography traces the life of one of tennis's most controversial stars. For more information on the Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf, please turn to the last pages of this book.
On the Court with... Kobe Bryant (On the Court with…)
by Matthew F ChristopherKobe Bryant started out as one of the youngest basketball players in the NBA. He is now one of the most talented and well known athletes that basketball has ever seen. This sports biography covers Bryant's childhood and the events that brought him to become the basketball player he is today.