About
Against the Odds Synopsis
Sometimes adventure, like life, doesn't work out as you want it to. Even determined explorers make mistakes. Many of the greatest adventurers of all time have failed along the way...
Hand-picked by adventurer Alastair Humphreys, this compilation retells the extraordinary journeys undertaken by explorers who have tried, failed and succeeded against the odds. It features adventurers whose expeditions went desperately wrong, turning into struggles for survival. And adventurers who had to fight for their right to succeed in the face of discrimination or setbacks that threatened to squash their dreams. These are stories of self-belief, resilience, friendship, courage, determination and hope - against the odds.
Featuring explorers modern and ancient, from Zheng He to Joe Simpson, Jeanne Baret to Matthew Henson, these men and women ventured into space, oceans, deserts and jungles, and may inspire you to do the same.
"We often hold a very narrow ideas of what 'success' means. We think that if we don't reach a certain outcome, then we've failed and wasted our time. But in this book, you are going to read of changed plans leading to greater happiness, of personal disaster opening the door to wonderful experiences, of lessons learned from compromising, and even occasions when mere survival is triumph enough." - Alastair Humphreys
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781787410169 |
| Publication date: |
20th July 2023 |
| Author: |
Alastair Humphreys |
| Illustrator: |
Pola Mai |
| Publisher: |
Templar Publishing |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
92 pages |
| Suitable For: |
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| Other Genres: |
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Press Reviews
Alastair Humphreys Press Reviews
This lively, illustrated guide to 20 of the world's most impressive explorers, past and present, is a joyful read for those aged seven and up. - National Geographic Traveller
A Book about adventurers that seems like an adventure to read. A lovely mix of illustration styles and exciting comic strips that made me hungry to turn the page. - Teach Primary
It's easy to see why it made the Education Awards shortlist. - Writers Know How
Children will be amazed at the vast range of explorers that stretch across the globe. This book is an excellent mix of post- and modern history and children will be able to identify some of the characters but will be fascinated by the ones that they do not know. Pupils will be able to connect with the characters within this book and the stories could be used to support learning in history, science and geography - children learning about Space would find Jack Swigert's stories captivating as it can be seen as both a failure and success. I would truly recommend this book for every school library and I feel that these stories could be used in KS2 to produce some inspirational pieces of writing. I love the layout of the book as it makes it easier to read and follow. - ReadingZone
Extraordinary, motivational and riveting. Against The Odds encourages discussion and will inspire readers to believe in themselves and their own goals. - Tom Griffiths, Check Em Out Books
Author
About Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer and author. After training as a teacher, he spent four years cycling round the world, a journey of 46k miles through 60 countries and five continents. Sir Ranulph Fiennes called it, 'the first great adventure of the millenium'. Alastair has also walked across India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, rowed to France, run six marathons through the Sahara Desert, crossed Iceland by foot and packraft.
He has recently become the pioneer of 'microadventures', a movement encouraging people to seek out short, local adventures.
More About Alastair Humphreys
