A blokes' weekend away. Tall stories, inappropriate jokes, sledging . . . The usual guy-time thing, right? But for five Kiwis - a high-country farmer, a radio DJ, a businessman, a photographer and a shoestring traveller nicknamed Blanket Boy - things get a bit more extreme when they decide to go to India. To play cricket. From Kolkata to Agra, Darjeeling to Delhi, they take to the pitch in the weirdest of locations to face off against kids who can bat and bowl like demons. Along the way the Black Craps, as they name their team, learn about life, love, death, compassion and the fascination of India. A book about travel, humour, mateship and the love of cricket that unites people whatever their age, race and station, Bowling Through India is an endearing and affecting read.

A hilarious story about a boy who is promised a Gamebox V3 by his dad if he scores 20 wickets in cricket and 10 tries in rugby, but is foiled at every turn by the class bully.'Toby, if you get twenty wickets and ten tries before the end of the year, Mum and I'll buy you a new GameBox V3.'Can you believe it? One minute I'm in trouble for double-bouncing my sister and the next Dad is telling me I've got the new GameBox V3! And it's not even Christmas. Shot!Toby thinks this will be easy - after all, he gets Player of the Day all the time. But he hasn't reckoned on Malcolm McGarvy. McGarvy is one of the biggest kids in the school and he's got a huge scar which he got in a shark attack - he wears one of the teeth around his neck. You know McGarvy is near because you get goosebumps up your arms. And he's going to make sure Toby doesn't get that GameBox V3...