Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  Hercules Beal is trying to rebuild his life after his parents were killed in a car crash and his older brother has somewhat reluctantly come home to take care of Hercules and run the family nursery.  The last thing he needs is to start seventh grade at a new school and discover that his language arts and social studies teacher is a tough ex-marine who insists that his students call him Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer.  For their mythology unit, Hupfer assigns Hercules the task of reenacting all the labors of the original Hercules, with a 150-word reflection on each.  As Hercules goes through his year, he finds himself in a series of unique and occasionally dangerous situations that bring him closer to his neighbors, classmates, and family.  Slowly, the details of his parents’ accident emerge, and Hercules discovers that, despite his intense grief, he is surrounded by people he can depend upon to help him take on difficult tasks and move forward with his life.  352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  As ever, Gary D. Schmidt has created a memorable cast of characters and a story with equal parts humor and pathos.  The structure of the twelve labors is fun, and it’s delightful to see how Hercules connects events in his life with the myths.  Each chapter concludes with his reflection and Lt. Col. Hupfer’s comment and grades, showing the growing bond between the two.

Cons:  Although this seems to be a contemporary story, there is no mention of a phone (except for occasional calls), video games, or social media in Hercules’ life, making me wonder how much time Gary Schmidt has spent with middle schoolers recently.