T.Z. Layton

An all-new, action-packed novel from New York Times bestselling author T.Z. Layton! Cat Griffin cares about three things: her mom, her friends, and volleyball. But when tragedy strikes, Cat’s life is turned upside down in the middle of her sophomore year. She is uprooted from her quiet Kentucky town and whisked across the country to live with her estranged father in Silver Beach, California.Cat suspected the transition would be rough. But the reality is much worse.California might as well be a foreign country, and from day one, Cat is bullied by a group of girls on the varsity volleyball team, the most popular sport at Silver Beach High. Pile on the homework and a hopeless crush, and Cat feels like she’s drowning.Life at “home” isn’t much better. Her dad can barely make a sandwich and has no idea how to raise a daughter. With nowhere to turn, and all her friends a thousand miles away, Cat has never felt so lost.If Cat and her dad can get along for more than five seconds, and if she can prove herself on the court, she might have a chance at a normal life in California. And maybe, just maybe, she and her dad will forge another kind of doubles team along the way.The first book in a new series for young readers and for sports fans of all ages, Doubles layers friendship, love, redemption, and high-stakes volleyball into a story that reminds readers they can bloom wherever they are planted.Read T.Z. Layton's other sensational sports books:The Academy The Academy II The Academy III The Academy IV The Academy V The Academy VI

Z IHRISKA ZA DOMOM PRIAMO DO PREMIER LEAGUE Inšpiratívna séria, od ktorej sa neodtrhnete. Ideálne čítanie pre mladých čitateľov a milovníkov futbalu. Leo K. Doyle vyrastal v malom mestečku. Oceán pozná len z obrázkov a lietadlo videl iba z diaľky. Na ihrisku je však vo svojom živle. Je talentovaný, odvážny a má obrovské sny: o sláve rockovej hviezdy, olympijskom zlate a premožených drakoch. Doma mu robí spoločnosť jašter menom Messi a hoci sníva o profesionálnej kariére, netuší, ako vystúpiť z tieňa svojho mestečka. Všetko sa však zmení v jeden úplne obyčajný deň, keď si jeho hru všimne profesionálny skaut. Leo dostáva životnú šancu: pozvánku na letný tábor do akadémie slávnych Londýnskych Drakov, svetoznámeho klubu anglickej Premier League. Čaká ho cesta do novej krajiny a najväčšie dobrodružstvo jeho života. Má to však háčik: do tímu sa dostane iba jedenásť hráčov. Jedenásť z dvesto najlepších mladých talentov z celého sveta. Leo sa ocitne uprostred tvrdej konkurencie. Musí čeliť šikane, zvláštnemu spolubývajúcemu, prísnemu riaditeľovi kempu – a najmä vlastnému strachu, či na to bez poriadneho tréningu vôbec má. Leto mu zmení život. Podarí sa mu však prebojovať až do vysnívanej jedenástky?

Fresh off his success with the junior national football team, Leo K. Doyle is back in England and playing for the U16s, where he’ll be a newbie all over again.Will Leo get any playing time? Can he work his way into a starting lineup filled with older, bigger and more experienced players?Unfortunately, the move to a new division might be the easy part. There’s a new contender in the Youth Prem—the Southwark F.C. Scorpions—who have a roster full of superstars that play to win at any cost. They’re the dirtiest, roughest team Leo has ever faced, led by an old enemy who cheats at every turn.Starting secondary school. Meeting a pretty girl. An intense race for the title. Dealing with a tragedy that threatens to ruin the whole season.Whew.Playing at the highest level is never easy, but this might be Leo’s toughest season yet. Can he and his friends overcome their challenges and make another run at the title?T.Z. Layton''s inspiring sixth book in The Academy series is perfect for primary school readers and young sports fans looking for their next exciting read.Ideal for young readers aged 7-13 looking for:Page-turning football chapter booksA humorous, action-packed adventure book series like no other!

FROM THE PLAYGROUND TO THE PREMIER LEAGUEBorn and raised in a small town in the United States, Leo K. Doyle has never seen the ocean or stepped foot on a plane. But Leo is a star footballer with big dreams in life.Rock-star, Olympic gold, dragon-slaying dreams.While Leo has a pet lizard named Messi and longs to one day go pro, he has no idea how to achieve his goal – until a professional scout pays a chance visit to one of Leo’s games and extends an invitation to try out for the London Dragons youth squad, known as The Academy.Leo is stunned. The London Dragons isn’t just any old football club. It’s a world-famous Premier League club. Soon Leo is off to a whole new country, embarking on the greatest adventure of his life. The downside? Only eleven players can make the team.Eleven out of two hundred of the very best youth players on the planet.Along with the gruelling competition, Leo must also face a bully intent on torpedoing his summer, a roomie who doesn’t know how to have fun, a terrifying camp director, and, most of all, Leo’s own lack of formal training and the fear he’ll never succeed. By the end of the summer, Leo will become a much better player and forever changed by his experience.But will he be good enough to make the Academy?T.Z. Layton''s inspiring first book in The Academy series is perfect for primary school readers and young sports fans looking for their next exciting read.Ideal for young readers aged 7-13 looking for:Page-turning football chapter booksA humorous, action-packed, sports adventure book series like no other!

Leo K. Doyle, a small-town kid from the States, has beaten all the odds and made it into a Premier League youth squad.But he is far from the star player.In fact, he isn''t even a starter – and the U14 Lewisham Knights are the worst team in the league. They''re so bad that if they don''t improve this year, the owner will disband the team, which could jeopardise Leo''s dream of becoming a professional footballer.As if that wasn''t enough to deal with, Leo has to keep up with his schoolwork, make brand new friends in a foreign country, deal with a manager who doesn''t seem to like him, and survive away from home for a demanding season in the Youth Premier League.Leo believes he has the talent to help his team, but can he juggle all these balls and prove himself on the world''s biggest stage?T.Z. Layton''s inspiring second book in The Academy series is perfect for primary school readers and young sports fans looking for their next exciting read.Ideal for young readers aged 7-13 looking for:Page-turning football chapter books A humorous, action-packed, sports adventure book series like no other!