Against the Odds

Overview

Meet the adventurers who have tried, failed and succeeded against the odds!

Some of the greatest adventurers of all time have once failed. Many more have had to overcome great hardships to pursue lives of adventure.

Hand-picked by Alastair Humphreys, this compilation retells the extraordinary journeys undertaken by adventurers who have tried, failed and succeeded against the odds. These men and women have ventured into space, oceans, deserts and jungles and inspired Alastair's own adventures. They may do the same for you too.

A book full of hope and the power of self-belief and determination.

“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 these chapters, 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

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 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. . . .  I would truly recommend this book for every school library.' - ReadingZone

Author Biography

Alastair Humphreys is an English adventurer, author and motivational speaker. Over a four-year period he bicycled 46,000 miles around the world. He was a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012. He is responsible for the rise of the idea of the microadventure - short, local, accessible adventures.