On his first day of high school, a boy must confront his fears
As soon as he wakes up, Eric senses doom on the horizon. A bright fourteen-year-old, he has been fast-tracked from junior high to the tenth grade, and he is terrified. The only thing saving him from panic is the knowledge that Paul, his best friend since childhood, will be by his side. Where Eric is scared of the unknown, Paul is fearless and seems capable of anything. But neither of them is ready for what’s in store.
Eric attempts to leave his comfort zone, trying out for sports teams and joining the debate club, but the sadistic debate coach, Mr. Drake, is intent on destroying the young boy’s confidence. Eric is paralyzed by his fears until he encounters the story of the brave knight Beowulf, who encourages him to put worry aside and embrace the warrior within.
Joyce Sweeney is the author of fourteen books for young adults. Her novel Center Line won the first-annual Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel. Many of Sweeney’s works have appeared on the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults list. Her novel Shadow won the Nevada Young Readers’ Award in 1997, and Players was chosen by Booklist as a Top 10 Sports Book for Youth and by Working Mother magazine as a Top Ten for Tweens. Headlock won a silver medal in the 2006 Florida Book Awards and was chosen by the American Library Association as a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Sweeney also writes short stories and poetry and conducts ongoing workshops in creative writing, which have so far produced forty published authors. She lives in Coral Springs, Florida, with her husband, Jay, and cat, Nitro.