Product Overview
A slight, homesick newcomer arrives at a Maryland preparatory school expecting camaraderie and adventure, only to find himself lodged with a bullying older boy and overlooked by nearly everyone else. A chance canoe outing introduces him to an irrepressible friend whose jokes, schemes, and fierce loyalty make the unfamiliar campus feel less lonely.
As autumn brings football fervor and the crew season gathers momentum, the boy longs to earn a place in the school’s athletic life despite his size. Along the river, he learns the demanding language of shells, oars, currents, and teamwork while navigating quarrels, rivalries, and the pressure to prove himself. With the school’s eight searching for rhythm and purpose, one determined student discovers that courage is not always measured by strength—or by the position a boy holds in the boat.
