Book picks similar to
Score (The Heights) by Saddleback Educational
realistic-ficiton
saddleback
young-adult
football
The Manager
Ron Atkinson - 2016
He remains the only Englishman to have won major trophies with three different clubs: Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa. At West Bromwich Albion, he was one of the first managers to promote black footballers, including Laurie Cunning- ham, who went to Real Madrid, Cyrille Regis, who became an England international, and Brendon Batson MBE. After retiring from management, Ron evolved into one of the most familiar and forthright commentators on football. Yet that career came to an end in April 2004 with a single, unguarded comment about the Chelsea defender, Marcel Desailly. Atkinson was labelled a racist and driven from the game he loves. In The Manager Ron Atkinson delves into the highs and lows of an extraordinary career that took him from non-league football to Old Trafford’s theatre of dreams in the space of seven years. He almost managed two Midlands clubs - Aston Villa and West Brom – to the league title. But behind the familiar image of the bling and one-line quips Ron Atkinson was – and remains – a deep observer of football and footballers. Here, he gives the full account of a life in football. From an awestruck youngster in 1950s Birmingham watching the supermen of Honved via a stalwart career as a lower league professional with Oxford to managing one of the biggest club in world football, Atkinson’s has been a life less ordinary. With detailed portraits of the men he worked with an against, including Bryan Robson, Paul McGrath, Sir Alex Ferguson and Dwight Yorke, Atkinson also discusses the rise of the foreign footballer; the decline of the English manager and what it is like to sing live at Ronnie Scott’s.
It Takes a Campus
S.C. Kate - 2021
It also doesn't hurt that when she helped him move into his dorm three years ago, she developed a huge crush on his roommate Jake. But as a quiet introvert on the cheer team, she's content with watching Jake on the football field from the sidelines, and when she delivers her brother's laundry to his dorm. Besides, she's got her schedule full with making new friends in her sorority and surviving the cheer team practices with Jake's evil ass girlfriend. She's juggling it well; until she discovers Jake's secret one night and realizes he's in way over his head and desperately needs help.Gunning for the quarterback spot for the upcoming fall season, dating a low-effort, but high-drama hot girlfriend, and living with his funny best friend in the coveted Carnell dorm at DU- Jake's entering second semester of junior year on a high. But when life crashes down around him, and he has to harbor a tiny *pink* secret, he realizes his priorities definitely need to shift.
Walshy – My Autobiography: Wouldn't It Be Good
Paul Walsh - 2015
The exciting, pacy, tricky striker moved from club to club during his colourful 17-year career, endearing himself to fans with his energetic, all-action displays and no-nonsense attitude. Walsh netted on a regular basis, his trademark long blond locks bobbing around on his shoulders as he skipped past defenders or slotted the ball past despairing goalkeepers. After bursting onto the scene aged just 16 at Charlton Athletic he became one of the country’s most sought-after teenage footballers during a two-year stint at Luton Town that saw him crowned PFA Young Player of the Year and called up by Bobby Robson for full international duty. European champions Liverpool, on the hunt for a long term replacement for Kenny Dalglish, soon snapped him up and at the age of 21 he was playing alongside greats like Ian Rush and Alan Hansen. Walshy proved popular with Kopites but injury and team politics meant life with the champions wasn’t straightforward. His next stop was Tottenham Hotspur, where he joined up with Terry Venables, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. It was an entertaining time and Walsh added an FA Cup winner’s medal to his collection but living life to the full off the pitch sometimes meant the Spurs’ faithful saw only fleeting glimpses of his striking talents. A move to Portsmouth followed and Walsh became a Fratton Park favourite, operating up front alongside record-breaking goalscorer Guy Whittingham. His departure to Manchester City upset Pompey fans and he soon proved why at Maine Road by forming a thrilling strike partnership with cult hero Uwe Rosler to save the club from relegation before eventually returning to Portsmouth where injury ended his career at the age of 34. Walshy: Wouldn’t It Be Good is full of twists and turns. Honest and whole-hearted, it is an entertaining tale of football during the ’80s and ’90s – the team-mates and triumphs, the booze and bust-ups – and a lesson that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Kicking the Habit: The Autobiography of England's Most Infamous Football Hooligan
Jason Marriner - 2015
In this sensational book the former Chelsea Headhunter gives a full and frank account of his time on the scene.
Abraham's Men (Birch Harbor, #2)
Kristen Selleck - 2012
College sophomore Chloe Adams returns to Birch Harbor determined to find the remnants of the secret society known as Abraham's Men.Yet, the only clues she has are the words 'find Ian Rose' and a strange coded journal that once belonged to her father.No longer able to hear the voices that have plagued her for most of her life, and finally having the loving home she has always dreamed of, Chloe struggles to define what she wants--Until fate and her mentor conspire to offer her the chance to discover the truth.Unfortunately, the truth might kill her.
Ronaldo: Rise Of The Legend. The incredible story of one of the best soccer players in the world.
Roy Brandon - 2016
On an almost daily basis we see hear his name on the news, see his face on any number of TV commercials, and marvel at the magic show he puts on every weekend when he takes to the field. He is a celebrity whose image and influence affect our popular culture and a soccer star that has been compared with some of the world´s best athletes. But Cristiano was not always the popular, mega-celebrity, soccer superstar that he is today. The success that he enjoys has come from years of hard work and sacrifice that have helped him overcome many obstacles and difficulties in his pathIn this book, we´re going to take a look at the life of Cristiano, beginning at the time he was rising star whose career was threatened by a strange heart condition, right up until his third Ballon D´or recognition. We will also follow Cristiano off of the field to see his impact on popular culture and his life beyond soccer.
Road to Bountiful
Donald S. Smurthwaite - 2013
How did business major Levi Crowne's life culminate in a summer job so pathetic? Just when it seems impossible to utter "will that be paper or plastic?" one more time, his wealthy Aunt Barbara offers Levi a golden opportunity: she will pay him to drive her elderly father, Loyal, from North Dakota to the Utah retirement home that awaits him. Eager to make a quick buck, Levi accepts the job. How bad could it be? Escort the old man to Glad Tidings Assisted Living Facility as quickly as possible, collect his pay, and get on with life. But nothing ever goes as planned. As the unlikely duo cross the plains--navigating through everything from tornadoes to seedy motels to biker bars--he's surprised at the feeling of kinship he develops with his passenger. In what becomes a life-changing adventure, Levi finds himself transformed by a gentle and wise old man who inspires him to slow down and enjoy the ride.
For What It's Worth
Lynda Page - 2006
His main concern is for his widowed mother, Iris, and, by working hard at Black’s Taxis, he does all he can to provide for her. But Iris just wishes he’d concentrate on finding a nice girl who’d appreciate his worth. If only he had the courage to ask someone out... Meanwhile, in a local firm of solicitors in Leicester, a striking young secretary is realising that her fiancé – a handsome junior solicitor - is not the man for her and, sadly, Harrie knows it’s time to rethink her life. When she takes a temporary position in the office of Black's Taxis, she soon discovers that there are some people who have little respect for the law nor care who they use to carry out their devious plans...
Ashes, Ashes #2: Snow and Smoke
Karyn Folan - 2016
After a perilous escape from the nuclear wreckage of their Washington, DC suburb in Ashes, Ashes, the surviving kids reach their destination, a mountain safe house, only to find their troubles have just begun. There are no adults and the kids are still all alone. Fifteen-year-old Nester Bartlett's biggest worries had been growing up black in America... but the nuclear apocalypse has changed all of the rules. Now, instead of getting good grades and struggling against the negative stereotypes against African American men, he's fighting just to stay alive. With no skills for his new life of tending animals, maintaining fires and defending their mountain cabin against intruders, he's unprepared for the threats that bombard him and his friends from the weather, from escaped prisoners from a nearby correctional facility and from their own grief over their losses. Then, as nuclear winter sweeps over their mountain home killing crops and animals, a medical emergency threatens one of their number. Nester must make a desperate choice that shatters their little community and irrevocably alters their chances for survival.
The Complete Opposite of Everything
Nour Abou Fayad
He just doesn’t. He doesn’t overthink, he doesn’t second-guess himself, and he most certainly does not cry.YetThat’s all he’s been doing lately.He’s a mess and he just can’t seem to get it together.His friend, Rami, is no help.Nobody is.UntilYasmin comes along to reconnect with her homeland. She’s been away for too long. She needs to know her roots.And she’s the one person who understands what Adam’s going through, even when he doesn’t.But can two people, both with minds that can’t fully be trusted, help each other navigate the other’s journey towards self-discovery?
The Dragon Kings: Boxset 2
Kimberly Loth - 2021
It’s been 22 years since the dragon king shifters defeated the White Witch.A new threat has emerged in Europe.An evil queen rules the hidden dragons with an iron fist and few have escaped.The escapees visit Obsidian and ask for his help overthrowing her.Obsidian isn’t ready to fight another war, but when his seventeen-year-old son lands right in the middle of the evil queen's kingdom, he has no choice.The next generation of Dragon Kings is emerging, but first they have to survive…
The Alternate Ending
M.J. Thompson - 2014
I swear if he is cheating, I'll chop it off myself." After Nate leaves for college together with his twin and Hope’s brother, the couple struggles to uplift their relationship. They try to survive through phone calls and skype video chats, but it wasn’t enough to quench her longing for him. To remedy this, Hope plans a trip with Heather and Dean to surprise her boyfriend and their brothers. But as it turns out, they were the ones in for a surprise…
Luna Freed: Beyond the Wall
Margaret McHeyzer - 2019
After my first escape, I realized that everything I'd believed, everything the Elders told us, and everything I thought I knew were all calculated lies. Now I know the truth will set me free.
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager
Harry Redknapp - 2016
There’ve been big highs, but a fair share of lows too. When I have to make difficult decisions, I make a point of avoiding newspapers, phone-ins, Twitter – all of it. But there’s always a load of armchair-pundits waiting to start on me. Being a manager has never been easy, but between the fans and the media it often feels impossible to get it right.In It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager, I talk about how different the job is now from what it was like when I used to play. For one, managers used to drive up and down motorways all day to scout for players – now there’s so much analysis and global scouting. It’s a different thing, completely. In this book, I share everything I’ve learnt from a lifetime of both wins and losses, and wisdom from greats like Cloughie and Ferguson. I’ll tell you about what actually happens in the dressing room, including when Clough smashed the door off its hinges; the bust-ups at full-time, like when I kicked a tray of sandwiches on Don Hutchinson’s head; and the times when I had to swap an arm round a player’s shoulder for a boot up the arse. It’s my guide to being a manager, the Harry way.
Just A Game
Dustin Stevens - 2012
A small town where football players are the top of the social hierarchy and heroes are held in high esteem long after their final game is played.For the past three years, Clay Hendricks has realized that dream unlike few others. As the starting quarterback for the Hornets, he has dated the head cheerleader, been greeted by name everywhere he went and served as the visible leader of the community as a whole.Now, faced with his final game, Clay is forced to actually make peace with the impending conclusion of it all. In doing so, he slowly starts to realize that what he was doing all those years was far greater than just playing quarterback and that the impact football has had on himself, his family, and his community is far greater than being just a game.