Next Round Book Signing November 5, 2016
October 20th, 2016
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October 20th, 2016
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August 25th, 2016
“The rise of Arthur Biyarslanov, known as the Chechen Wolf, and his journey from refugee to soccer star to Olympian are chronicled in a narrative biography that is both inspirational and timely. Opening with the Biyarslanov family’s flight from Chechnya in a sequence that could be straight out of a movie, the book draws the […]
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August 12th, 2016
Next Round: A Young Athlete’s Journey to Gold takes the podium as one of CBC Books’ selections in their “15 Books for Young Readers during the Rio 2016 Games.”
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August 12th, 2016
The 2016 Olympics are on in Rio and the media will be trumpeting the success stories of many an athlete, but Chechen-born Canadian boxer Arthur Biyarslanov has a story like no other. And it’s a story that John Spray, benefactor of the TD Children’s John Spray Mystery Award, tells with inspiration and appreciation in Next […]
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August 9th, 2016
“Arthur looked around the small, two-bedroom apartment in Baku, Azerbaijan, in disbelief. This can’t be our new home, he thought, a lump in his throat. There was no yard to play in. There were no fruit trees to climb. He suddenly missed his home in Chechnya very badly. He closed his eyes and saw his […]
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August 9th, 2016
Dameon Okposio of Below the Belt Magazine has posted a timely and supportive video review of Next Round: A Young Athlete’s Journey to Gold by John Spray on the DO Boxing Show. Since Arthur is currently competing for Canada in the Rio Olympics, we’re pleased to share both Dameon’s review and our transcription of it. […]
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July 14th, 2016
This may be the most exciting video we have seen all month. It’s good to know that there is a Super Book Boy out there watching over the most exciting new reads! [youtube]https://youtu.be/FAYZSAmXukU[/youtube] Transcription: “Hello everyone, I am Super Book Boy, and today I have a new book for you. This book is called Next […]
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June 17th, 2016
“Gr 4-8–An intense opening scene: on one side of a bridge, hardened Russian soldiers, on the other, a young Arthur Biyarslanov with his family and 120 other Chechen refugees, hoping to cross through Dagestan to reach Azerbaijan. This biography follows the future Pan-Am Gold Medalist and Olympic hopeful as he fled Chechnya; sought refuge in […]
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June 7th, 2016
“John Spray – benefactor of the eponymous award – tells the story of 20-year-old boxer Arthur Biyarslanov, who overcame a turbulent childhood, fleeing war-torn Chechnya when he was three, spending years as a refugee in Azerbaijan before arriving in Canada when he was nine, learning two new languages along the way. Now one of the […]
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June 1st, 2016
“Spray captures little glimpses of Arthur’s young life—stealing fruit from the tree of his next-door neighbor and the old lady who gives him a talisman (a dog biscuit) to ward off jinni—as well as the sadness, lack of language, deprivation, and fear. The story here is of Arthur’s gradual rise in the world of sports, […]
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