YA Book of The Day:
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance
In Courage to Soar, the official autobiography from four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles, Simone shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance has made her one of the top athletes and gymnasts in the world—and how you too can overcome challenges in your life.
Simone Biles’ entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, along with drive to succeed no matter the obstacle, are what brought her to the national spotlight during the Olympic Games and have catapulted her ever since—including 25 World Championship medals. But there is more to Simone than her accomplishments.
In this book Simone shares:
- how she has relied on her faith and family to stay focused and positive
- the ways she’s continued competing at the highest level and having fun doing what she loves
- a behind-the-scenes looks at gymnastics events, including the Olympics
- the events and challenges that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team
- Along the way, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story—one filled with daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.
Courage to Soar:
- presents a positive role model for young girls, whether athletes or not
- is an ideal gift for birthdays, holidays, or to celebrate important achievements
- is perfect for school assignments and reports
- is an inspirational story for fans of gymnastics or any sport
- contains an eight-page, full-color photo insert
Today’s Book of The Day is sponsored by this week’s Kids’ eBook of The Week:
Swallows and Amazons
he classic English series begins with a tale of two families of children uniting against a common foe: an uncle who claims he’s too busy for his nieces.
The Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) are on school holiday in the Lake District and are sailing a borrowed catboat named Swallow, when they meet the Blackett children (Nancy and Peggy), who sail the boat Amazon. The children camp together on Wild Cat Island where a plot is hatched against the Blacketts’ Uncle Jim who is too busy writing his memoirs to be disturbed.
Fireworks—literally—ensue along with a dangerous contest, a run-in with houseboat burglars, and the theft of Uncle Jim’s manuscript. How all this is resolved makes for an exciting and very satisfying story. Uncle Jim ends up apologizing for missing his nieces’ adventures all summer—thankfully, readers won’t miss a thing.
Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series has stood the test of time. More than just great stories, each one celebrates independence and initiative with a colorful, large cast of characters. Like the entire series that follows, this book is for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure and imagination, exploring and setting sail.
The basis for the 2016 film starring Kelly MacDonald, Andrew Scott, and Rafe Spall.