Parkour is an urban athletic training discipline developed in France, also referred to as l’art du déplacement. Parkour has inspired many modern videogames and stunt films world- wide. Parkour combines martial arts, gymnastics, and military training along with the philosophical concepts of altruism, courage, and discipline. Parkour plays a central role in this French learner’s novel. Malik is a teenager in Paris struggling to see anything positive in his life. Just when he thinks life can’t get much worse, he has a transformative experience that begins to change his outlook. However, he doesn’t have a record of making good choices. Malik must walk the fine line between making the leap towards a better life and the painful fall into failure.
This novice-mid to novice−high novel incorporates many cognates, cultural and vocabulary footnotes, as well as a full glossary at the end. Although fictional, much of the information about Parkour is based on interviews and articles about David Belle, the founder of le parkour. Level 1-2
