Sports-mad kid Patty Mills has always been good at football and athletics and a ripper at rugby. So when he and his friends try out for basketball, it should be a breeze. Patty expects to be a great basketballer straightaway, just like his uncle Danny. But he soon discovers there's a whole lot more to the game than just shooting hoops. He's got a lot to learn, on and off the court-and it's going to take plenty of practice. Will he and his school team be good enough to get into the finals?" --Page 4 of cover.
Patty's skills have improved and playing in a major tournament in Sydney is an opportunity too exciting to pass up. He might even have a future in basketball. But when an injury puts it all at risk, could his dream be over before it's begun?
"Tyson is Patty's archrival. And when he gives Patty a hard time about his people, it really hurts. But it makes Patty more determined than ever. Playing for the Shadows, Patty and his friends have a chance to shine - and show that Indigenous kids can do anything. After a huge improvement, they make the grand final. And the result will come down to the final seconds of the game.
This fantastic junior fiction basketball series by four-time Australian Olympian and NBA star Patty Mills is an entertaining, sporty read that will inspire kids to achieve their goals through sport, and also showcases Patty's pride in his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. Before Patty Mills was a basketball superstar leading the Boomers to win an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, he was a little kid with a big dream. Little Patty is a star on the footy field, an ace at athletics and a ripper at rugby. So when he tries out for basketball, he expects it to be a breeze... He soon discovers he has a lot to learn, on and off the court. Hit the court with little Patty as he has fun learning the rules, practising his skills, bonding with his teammates, taking pride in his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, playing his heart out and helping his team rise to every challenge that comes their way.
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE—The #1 New York Times bestselling worldwide sensation with more than 18 million copies sold, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.” For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
A New York Times Bestseller In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now. Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read. * “Willow's story is one of renewal, and her journey of rebuilding the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers' hearts long after the last page.”—School Library Journal starred review * “A graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming, well-rounded characters who learn sweet—but never cloying—lessons about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of loss.”—Booklist starred review * “What sets this novel apart from the average orphan-finds-a-home book is its lack of sentimentality, its truly multicultural cast (Willow describes herself as a “person of color”; Mai and Quang-ha are of mixed Vietnamese, African American, and Mexican ancestry), and its tone. . . . Poignant.”—The Horn Book starred review "In achingly beautiful prose, Holly Goldberg Sloan has written a delightful tale of transformation that’s a celebration of life in all its wondrous, hilarious and confounding glory. Counting by 7s is a triumph."—Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette
A fantastic and fun basketball series by Australian Olympian and NBA star Patty Mills that will entertain young readers, inspire kids to achieve their goals through sport, and showcase Patty's pride in his Indigenous heritage. Sport-mad Patty Mills is a star on the footy field, an ace at athletics, a ripper at rugby. So when he tries out for basketball, it should be a breeze... Patty expects to be a great basketballer straight away, just like his uncle Danny. But he soon discovers there's a whole lot more to the game than just shooting hoops. He's got a lot to learn, on and off the court - and it's going to take plenty of practice. Will he and his school team be good enough to get into the finals?
Filled with time-tested drills designed to improve every aspect of one's game, this updated edition is the ideal resource for any tennis player who wants to gain an edge on their competition. With more than 100 practice drills for both group and independent practice, readers will learn how to improve their serving, returning, groundstrokes, lobs, drop shots, approach shots, overheads, volleys, and much more. The singular, authoritative source for skill-enhancing drills, this guide is equally useful for beginning or advanced players of all ages.
From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call--the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the thirty-six anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history. Packed with news-making disclosures and written with the drive of a legal thriller, Too Close to Call takes us inside James Baker's private jet, through the locked gates to Al Gore's mansion, behind the covered-up windows of Katherine Harris's office, and even into the secret conference room of the United States Supreme Court. As the scene shifts from Washington to Austin and into the remote corners of the enduringly strange Sunshine State, Toobin's book will transform what you thought you knew about the most extraordinary political drama in American history. The Florida recount unfolded in a kaleidoscopic maze of bizarre concepts (chads, pregnant and otherwise), unfamiliar people in critically important positions (the Florida Supreme Court), and familiar people in surprising new places (the Miami relatives of Elián González, in a previously undisclosed role in this melodrama). With the rich characterization that is his trademark, Toobin portrays the prominent strategists who masterminded the campaigns--the Daleys and the Roves--and also the lesser-known but influential players who pulled the strings, as well as the judges and justices whose decisions determined the final outcome. Toobin gives both camps a treatment they have not yet received--remarkably evenhanded, nonpartisan, and entirely new. The post-election period posed a challenge to even the most zealous news junkie: how to keep up with what was happening and sort out the important from the trivial. Jeffrey Toobin has now done this--and then some. With clarity, insight, humor, and a deep understanding of the law, he deconstructs the events, the players, and the often Byzantine intricacies of our judicial system. A remarkable account of one of the most significant periods in our country's history, Too Close to Call is endlessly surprising, frequently poignant, and wholly addictive.
