T.Z. Layton – författare

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 AcademyThe Academy IIThe Academy IIIThe Academy IVThe Academy VThe Academy VI

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!

Leo tries to lead his team to glory in some of the most exciting, high-stakes football in the world!Last season, Leo and his teammates saved the Lewisham Knights by avoiding a last-place finish in the U14 Premier League. Their future looks bright – until they learn the adult Knights have dropped down to the second division, again putting the future of the U14s in jeopardy.All might not be lost. The team owner has entered the U14s into the Tournament of Champions, which takes place over the summer. Leo and his teammates will pack their bags and travel across Europe to play against some of the top youth teams in the world. But the tournament isn't just for pride and a trophy. Something else is at stake: a loophole that allows the winner of the tournament to stay in the youth Premier League. The competition will be fiercer than ever. No one is giving the Knights a chance to win. And as if the tournament wasn't enough to deal with, someone is trying to sabotage the team, and the Knights have a new star player with a serious attitude problem.The mountain to climb has never seemed so high. Can Leo find a way to pull his team together and have a fighting chance in the Tournament of Champions?T.Z. Layton's inspiring third 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!

Leo and his teammates are riding high after their performance in the Tournament of Champions.But last season, they still finished near the bottom of the table in the U14 Premier League. If they want to compete with the London Dragons, they have a big challenge ahead of them. Samantha is back to coach the Knights, but some of Leo's friends have moved to the U16s or transferred to other clubs. There's a whole new group of players, including Goran, a tough central midfielder who is determined to take Leo's position. To make matters worse, Leo has a setback that might ruin his season – or even his future career.The Youth Premier League is the best in the world, and Leo and his teammates will be tested like never before. Can they handle the pressure, overcome a whole new set of obstacles, and rise to the challenge of a Title Fight?T.Z. Layton's inspiring fourth 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!

Leo has become a star in the Youth Premier League and one of the brightest young football players in the world.But he faces his greatest challenge yet when he joins his junior national team and tries to lead an underdog football squad from the United States to victory in the greatest tournament of all for his age group: the U15 Cup of Nations.Unlike the Lewisham Knights, Leo's national team doesn't have a roster full of Premier League talent. Plus, the team has terrible chemistry and very little time to improve.The stakes have never been higher. The United States is the host nation, and the pressure is on to make a good showing. Can Leo become a true leader and bring his team together?Or will they flame out in the group stage and disappoint their country?T.Z. Layton's inspiring fifth 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!