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(4)
4-6
Jake Maddox JV series.
Text by Brandon Terrell. Breakneck skateboard and dirt-bike action dominate these message-driven short novels about middle schoolers who learn lessons concerning the importance of doing the right thing for your friends and yourself while seeking the glory of winning. These easy-to-read, engaging hi-lo books also include discussion questions, writing prompts, and interesting facts about each sport. Glos. Review covers the following Jake Maddox JV titles: BMX Bravery and Skateboard Idol.
32 pp.
| ABDO
| September, 2014
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-62403-439-8$18.95
(4)
K-3
Action Sports series.
Each of these informational books on a high-octane sport touches on the history, variations, safety, tricks, and terminology of the title activity. Easy-to-read texts are nested (sometimes poorly) in large, busy action photos that will get young adrenaline-junkies' blood pumping. This series is well suited to younger or reluctant readers looking for basic introductions to extreme sports. Glos., ind. Review covers these Action Sports titles: BMX, Go-Kart Racing, Inline Skating, and Motocross.
32 pp.
| ABDO
| September, 2014
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-62403-456-5$18.95
(4)
K-3
SportsZone: Extreme Sports Stars series.
These biographies cursorily profile extreme athletes, focusing on their wins at the X Games and other competitions. Fans will be most interested in the full-page and -spread photos showing the athletes flipping through the air on their BMX bikes, snowboards, or skateboards. The black and neon paint-splattered graphics and some poorly reproduced photos make for an unattractive design. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review includes these Extreme Sports Stars titles: Jamie Bestwick, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins Pastrana, Tony Hawk, and Torah Bright.
183 pp.
| Random
| September, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-375-87020-0$16.99
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-97020-7$19.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-375-98761-8
(4)
4-6
Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes series.
Having survived the seedy world of the dragon bone drug, Jake and his crew of BMX bikers get back to riding. But when they are wooed into attending a street race in China, they find dragon bone waiting for them. Jake's optimistic and honest voice is enjoyable, and one needn't be a bicycling enthusiast to like this energetic (if melodramatic) third series entry.
32 pp.
| Lerner
| March, 2013
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-4677-0750-3$26.60
(4)
4-6
Extreme Summer Sports Zone series.
Each of these books highlights the accomplishments of celebrated individuals and describes the sport's fundamentals, history, required equipment, competitions, dangers, and a few tricks of the trade. Lots of action photos and sidebars break up the readable texts. Busy graphics contribute to the high-octane design, which may appeal to extreme sport aficionados. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Extreme Summer Sports Zone titles: BMX Street, BMX Vert, Moto X Best Trick, Moto X Freestyle, Skateboarding Street, and Skateboarding Vert.
32 pp.
| Lerner
| March, 2013
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-4677-0751-0$26.60
(4)
4-6
Extreme Summer Sports Zone series.
Each of these books highlights the accomplishments of celebrated individuals and describes the sport's fundamentals, history, required equipment, competitions, dangers, and a few tricks of the trade. Lots of action photos and sidebars break up the readable texts. Busy graphics contribute to the high-octane design, which may appeal to extreme sport aficionados. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Extreme Summer Sports Zone titles: BMX Street, BMX Vert, Moto X Best Trick, Moto X Freestyle, Skateboarding Street, and Skateboarding Vert.
32 pp.
| Smart Apple
| August, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59920-681-3$28.50
(4)
4-6
Adrenaline Rush series.
This series for young adrenaline junkies is a flashy introduction to extreme sports. Spotty glimpses into the history, equipment, technique, and appeal of these daring and dangerous athletics highlight their excitement and underplay their risks; each book contains just one double-page section on "Staying Alive." Action-packed, eye-catching photos accompany brief text on each frenetic spread. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Adrenaline Rush titles: BMX Biking, Mountain Biking, Windsurfing & Kite Surfing, Free Running, Skateboarding, and Snowboarding.
48 pp.
| Sea to Sea
| August, 2012
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59771-407-5$35.65
(4)
4-6
Extreme Games series.
These hectically designed books introduce the X-Games, a competitive showcase of action sports with a high level of danger. Summer includes such events as skateboarding, BMX, and motocross, while Winter highlights snowboarding, snowmobiling, and freestyle skiing; several athlete profiles are included. Each event introduction is enhanced with crisp photographs and ink-splatter graphics containing "extreme facts." Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Extreme Games titles: Summer Action Sports and Winter Action Sports.
32 pp.
| Lerner
| September, 2011
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7613-7764-1$26.60
(4)
4-6
On the Radar: Sports series.
In quick bursts of text, these volumes introduce the title sports' histories, moves, gear, and lingo, along with accounts of real-life participants. Many photographs demonstrate moves; some charts list career highlights and other details. While the busy layouts mirror the title sports' intensity and energy, they're still really hard to follow. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these On the Radar: Sports titles: Free Running and Freestyle BMX.
48 pp.
| Enslow
| April, 2010
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-7660-3484-6$23.93
(4)
4-6
Kid Racers series.
These books discuss "extreme sports," some of which have participants as young as four years old. Authors describe the activities as well as how kids can get started and then train to be safe while enjoying their chosen sport's thrills. The texts, aimed at reluctant readers, sometimes strain for coolness. Action photos, diagrams, and drawings round out the volumes. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Kid Racers titles: Speedboat Racers, Dirt Bike Racers, BMX Racers, Kart Racers, and Snowmobile Racers.
24 pp.
| Bearport
| August, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59716-951-6$22.61
(4)
K-3
X-Moves series.
This series describes six extreme sports. Each volume presents a brief history of the sport, special techniques used, and principal personalities and their accomplishments (although the majority of the participants highlighted are male, a few are female, giving the series somewhat broader interest). The choppy but readable texts are enhanced with sidebars and action photographs. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these X-Moves titles: Cool Snowboarders, Daring BMXers, Gnarly Skateboarders, Mighty MotoXers, Rally Car Dudes, and Super Surfers.
24 pp.
| Bearport
| August, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-59716-952-3$22.61
(4)
K-3
X-Moves series.
This series describes six extreme sports. Each volume presents a brief history of the sport, special techniques used, and principal personalities and their accomplishments (although the majority of the participants highlighted are male, a few are female, giving the series somewhat broader interest). The choppy but readable texts are enhanced with sidebars and action photographs. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these X-Moves titles: Cool Snowboarders, Daring BMXers, Gnarly Skateboarders, Mighty MotoXers, Rally Car Dudes, and Super Surfers.
32 pp.
| ABDO
| September, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-60453-540-2$27.07
(4)
K-3
Big Buddy Books: Amazing Vehicles series.
This series deals with five machines designed and built for sport and speed. Each book gives the background and history of the vehicle, explains the basic mechanics of operation, and tells how people use the machine for recreation, racing, and/or stunts. Photographs and sidebars add interest to the sometimes choppy texts. Glos., ind. Review covers these Big Buddy Books: Amazing Vehicles titles: Dirt Bikes, Dune Buggies, Indy Cars, Snowmobiles, and Speedboats.
(4)
4-6
Extreme Sports series.
These books introduce each sport and describe equipment, safety gear, well-known participants, and basic, intermediate, and advanced moves. Short paragraphs and many captioned color photos will attract reluctant readers, but the choppy text makes differentiating the sport subdivisions difficult. Further reading, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Extreme Sports titles: Snowboarding, Inline Skating, BMX, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, and Skateboarding.]
32 pp.
| ABDO
| January, 2003
|
LibraryISBN 1-57765-926-0$$21.35
(4)
K-3
Checkerboard: X-treme Sports series.
The books in this series introduce the history, gear, lingo, and famous participants of these extreme sports. In straightforward text, fans get a general, but sometimes incomplete, idea of the sport while they view photographs of kids and adults competing. Safety is stressed throughout (although not always supported by the photos), and suggestions for getting started in the sport are briefly stated. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Checkerboard: X-treme Sports titles: Snowboarding, Windsurfing, In-line Skating, Rock Climbing, BMX Biking, and Skateboarding.]
32 pp.
| Chelsea
| August, 2002
|
LibraryISBN 0-7910-7002-6$$17.95
(4)
4-6
Action Sports series.
The books in this series dutifully if blandly describe the skills, equipment, and safety measures required for each featured sport and introduce various activities often performed in competition. The somewhat crowded layouts contain dramatic color photos, and each volume includes a page of "Related Action Sports" and a brief list of famous international champions of the featured sport. Timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Action Sports titles: BMX Riding, Formula One Car Racing, In-line Skating, Motorcycle Grand Prix Racing, Skateboarding, and Snowboarding.]