Cool Snowboarders/Mighty MotoXers/Super Surfers

These are the kind of books that give parents nightmares. The slim volumes in the X-Moves series are packed with information and photos of young people doing all manner of wild things that usually involve someone flipping through the air. Cool Snowboarders gives a good history of the sport, complete with a vintage ad for a forerunner of the snowboard, the Snurfer (“The thrills of Skiing! The skills of Surfing!”). Mighty MotoXers focuses on the sport that grew out of British motorcycle races of the 1920s, though motocross only gained popularity in America in the 1960s. Of the several riders mentioned, readers may be most impressed with Ashley Fiolek, the sport’s top female rider, who also happens to be deaf. From its beginning in Hawaii more than 1,000 years ago, surfing has been an extreme sport. Super Surfers discusses how the sport spread with surfing competitions, now prevalent around the world. Some riders, however, avoid the competition, preferring to catch monster waves on their own. Danger is mentioned, but warnings pale beside the color photos of amazing, gravity-defying feats. A final page shows the athletes in full gear, with each piece of equipment helpfully labeled. Glossaries and additional print and online resources are appended.