FINALIST - 2026 Literary Global Children's Book Awards (Adventure and Sports Categories)
WINNER - 2026 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award, Best Children's Concept Book
WINNER - 2026 NYC Big Book Awards, Educational Series (Career)
From the So You Want To Be A... Series - 2026 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, Grand Prize Winner
What does it actually take to fall off a building for a living - and walk away unhurt?
Stunt performers are among the most skilled, disciplined, and invisible professionals in the movie industry. They train for years across martial arts, gymnastics, precision driving, high falls, wire work, fire, and water - mastering each discipline so completely that danger gives way to preparation. And yet most audiences never think about them at all. That is the job done right.
So You Want To Be A Stunt Performer opens this fearless, fascinating career for kids ages 10 to 14 who want to know how it really works. Not just the spectacular moments caught on camera, but the months of choreography, rehearsal, physics, and problem-solving that make those moments possible. This is nonfiction that treats young readers as equals - curious, capable, and ready for the real story.
Inside, you will learn how fight choreography is designed across multiple combat styles so every hit looks devastating but no one gets hurt. You will discover how performers train in precision driving and motorcycle work at speeds that would be catastrophic without total technical mastery. You will see how high falls are calculated so the physics of impact is never left to chance, and how fire stunts are performed with a calm built on preparation rather than recklessness.
You will also meet the team that surrounds every stunt - coordinators, riggers, safety specialists, and camera operators working together so that a three-second moment on screen is planned and executed with surgical precision. You will explore the history of stunt work and the legendary performers who shaped the action filmmaking we know today. And you will find out what young people can start doing right now - the sports, the training, the mindset - to discover if this career might be their path.
Richly illustrated and thoroughly researched, this guide covers the science behind controlled danger, the physical and mental demands of the profession, and the real career steps that lead from training to the set. It is honest about what the work costs, because kids who dream big deserve answers that match the size of their ambition.
The greatest compliment a stunt performer can receive is an audience that never once thinks about them - because all they see is the story. If you are the kind of reader who watches the impossible and immediately wonders how it was done, this book was written for you.
Linda Soules is the author and creator of the So You Want To Be A... series, a growing collection of career-exploration books for readers ages 8-14. The series covers everything from astronauts and marine biologists to magicians, stunt performers, and roller coaster designers. Her philosophy is straightforward: never talk down to kids. Young readers are smarter, more curious, and more capable than the publishing world often gives them credit for, and they deserve books that respect their intelligence while genuinely sparking their enthusiasm. Each title is written to pull back the curtain on a real career - its joys, its challenges, the path to get there - and to leave readers with the sense that the world is wider, more interesting, and more reachable than they imagined. Before turning to children's publishing, Linda spent twenty-five years in law and finance, advising hedge funds and sophisticated financial institutions on complex regulatory matters - a career that taught her precision, discipline, and how to translate intricate subjects into language anyone can use. She brings that same clarity and care to every book she writes, paired with a deep belief that curiosity is the engine of a meaningful life. Linda lives in Seattle with her husband and two children, where the steady rhythm of family life, the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and the questions her own kids ask every day continue to fuel her work. Additional information can be found on her website at http: //lindasoules.com.
