Range (Adapted for Young Readers): How Exploring Your Interests Can Change the World

by David Epstein

Now adapted for young readers, David Epstein's #1 New York Times bestseller Range is full of inspiring stories of athletes, musicians, artists, and scientists, determining that excellence and expertise is built off of trying many things rather than specializing at a young age.

For years, experts have been saying that to become the best at something, one must focus on that skill and only that skill for thousands of hours. But recent research has shown that this school of thought is not necessarily true.

In Range, David Epstein carefully examines the world’s most successful people and discovers that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable— by far the greatest athletes, artists, musicians, and scientists are those who have garnered a wide skillset beginning at a young age, not those who specialized early in one skill.

Carefully adapted for young readers, this book follows inspirational stories of athletes, artists, scientists, and other accomplished adults across many disciplines and provides you with the tools to tap into your limitless potential. How will you expand your range?

This is an accessible and fun social sciences book, with fun behind-the-scenes stories of incredible achievers and their accomplishments, perfect for sports fans and those trying to find their path.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 16, 2025

About the author

David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. His next book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, will be published on May 5, 2026. He has master's degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and investigative reporter for ProPublica.

Reviews

[Marissa Moravec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read with your middle schooler. It explains why you don't have to decide what you're going to do when you grow up when you're still so young. It is great to try a variety of things and that failure is important.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this adaptation of his bestselling book RANGE, author David Epstein lays out a variety of examples that show young readers how a breadth of experiences may result in more success than a singular focus or specialization. Profiles of individuals from fields including athletics, art, sciences, and engineering show how trying different things and experiencing both successes and failures led them to significant achievements. Featuring a diverse range of individuals and with guiding questions at the end of each section, this book offers plenty for middle and high school students to think about as they consider possibilities for their future.

[Elizabeth Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be recommending to my middle and high school readers. High school upperclassmen especially would benefit as they are trying to navigate the stress of choosing a college and career, but also athletes, musicians, and kids who just don’t know what they are good at yet.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Range was recommended by Ryan Holliday as a parenting book and I saw this adaptation on Libby. I think

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-I kind of wish I learned some of this when I was in high school. Some examples were more interesting than others.