There are somersaults and there are somersaults. Physically ... no big deal. Lots of people can do them. This book is about the other kind of somersaults - through life. In this case, from a little girl plunked into the mid-fifties in socialist Czechoslovakia to a rebel at school with beliefs twisted and turned by social storms. Then in 1968, her family lives through morphing into socialism with a human face, the consequent invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies, and ultimately, the Russian occupation. And eventually, for many ordinary people, the reality of the so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989.When the girl grows into a young woman, she fights with traditions and old thinking. Plenty of humour, the discovery of limits, many sides of the same coin, the power of friendship, stepping into worlds of taboo, and challenging one's own fear - every somersault has consequences. Intimate, funny, honest.If you enjoyed this book, try the sequel: Czech Mate

James is a successful entrepreneur living the metropolitan life with a beautiful wife and a swanky London flat. But when the creditors move in and his wife moves out, James suddenly finds he’s left with nothing. Nothing but words. James’ father is dying – his last connection to his childhood and the language of his birth, Scots Gaelic. With this link gone, James fears he will simply cease to exist. As the words start to slip away, he journeys home to confront his past and search for his true identity – as he desperately struggles to remember the language of his birth and the word for ‘somersault’. A stunning new play exploring the role of language and how it defines who we are by the UK’s leading Scots Gaelic playwright Iain Finlay Macleod.

They're back! Rediscover the zaniest characters you've ever met in this best-selling series which has sold millions worldwide. Bright and charming, with easily recognizable characters and a small take-along format, Mr. Men and Little Miss books are easy enough for young readers, witty enough for humor-prone adults, and highly collectible for one and all. Also check your local listings to view the Mr. Men & Little Miss TV show. Back to the Mr. Men & Little Miss microsite.

For fans of Cathy Cassidy and Holly Willoughby's School for Stars - tumble into the world of competitive gymnastics - friendships, dreams, tears, and tumbles! Ellie has reached the national gymnastics squad training camp. Now it feels like she is just a somersault away from her dream of competing in the Euros! But with training harder than ever, rivalries even fiercer and a new coach who seems determined to make sure she fails, Ellie feels as though she has to do whatever it takes ... including hiding a potentially-career ruining injury. How far is Ellie really willing to go for gold?

First revised edition of interviews with 14 prominent activists whose writings influenced the 1979 Nicaraguan revolution and help us understand present-day Nicaragua Margaret Randall presents a dynamic collection of personal interviews with Nicaragua's most important writer-revolutionaries who played major roles in the 1979 revolution and the subsequent reconstruction. This revised first edition includes a new preface and additional notes that frame the narrative in high relevance to the present day. The featured writer-activists speak of their work and practical tasks in constructing a new society. Among the writers included are Gioconda Belli, Tomás Borge, Omar Cabezas, Ernesto Cardenal, Vidaluz Menéses, Julio Valle-Castillo, and Daisy Zamora. The work also features 50 evocative photographs from the era by Margaret Randall.

Tara loves gym and spends every spare moment practising in her garden. When she joins the Silverdale Gym Club, Tara's catapulted into their star team. But with so many new things to learn – like backflips, somersaults and handsprings, how will Tara ever catch up with her talented teammates? With a foreword by Olympic medal winner Beth Tweddle.

Ellie has a dream ...to become a world-class gymnast. When she's offered a place at the prestigious London Gymnastics Academy, it looks like she has a chance to make that dream come true. But there are many obstacles to overcome, new friends to make, and rivalries to face Will she make it, against all the odds?

The first new novel Oe has published since winning the Nobel Prize, Somersault is a magnificent story of the charisma of leaders, the danger of zealotry, and the mystery of faith. A decade before the story opens, two men referred to as the Patron and Guide of mankind were leaders of an influential religious movement. When a radical faction of their followers threatened to unleash an apocalypse, they recanted all of their teachings and abandoned their followers. Now, after ten years of silence, Patron and Guide begin contacting their old followers and reaching out to the public, assisted by a small group of young people who have come to them in recent months. Just as they are beginning this renewed push, the radical faction kidnaps Guide, holding him captive until his health gives out. Patron and a small core of the faithful, including a painter named Kizu who may become the new Guide, move to the mountains to establish the church’s new base, followed by two groups from Patron’s old church: the devout Quiet Women, and the Technicians, who have ties to the old radical faction. The Baby Fireflies, young men from a nearby village, attempt to influence the church with local traditions and military discipline. As planning proceeds for the summer conference that will bring together the faithful and launch the new church in the eyes of the world, the conflicting agendas of these factions threaten to make a mockery of the church’s unity—or something far more dangerous.

This long beloved poetry treasury from acclaimed anthologist Jack Prelutsky is now available in paperback for the very first time! America's favorite children's poet and anthologist, Jack Prelutsky has selected more than 200 poems for every occasion, every event, every experience that a young child encounters, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, all written by popular and well-known twentieth century poets. Each poem is artfully brought to life in the bright, playful illustrations of award-winning artist Marc Brown. From cover to cover, this fantastic anthology is filled with timeless fun that will open young minds to the magic and meaning of words and enchant both parents and children for generations to come. "A spirited collection, covering the day from dawn to dusk. Exuberantly illustrated." —The New York Times Book Review