Barry Locke, Half-Back

A newly illustrated edition with reader's notes for tricky words. Complete and unabridged.

A new school can feel like a whole field of strangers—and Barry Locke is about to learn that choosing his team matters as much as making one. At Broadmoor, will he follow his old friend’s advice, or trust his own instincts?

Barry Locke arrives at Broadmoor with a suitcase in one hand and a crowded schoolyard waiting beyond the gates. At first, the handsome halls and lively campus seem full of promise—but Barry’s room is a disappointment, his welcome is uncertain, and his friend Clyde has a plan for who he should know and which sports he should play. Then there’s Jones, a quick-witted housemate with a talent for showing up when help is needed, and Toby Nott, whose bedroom is a jungle of jars, specimens, and one very startled frog. As Barry finds his footing among new classmates, old loyalties, and the pull of the playing field, he’ll have to decide what kind of boy he wants to be. Can Barry make his own way at Broadmoor—and find the right place on the team?

This complete and unabridged edition of Albertus T. Dudley’s story includes reader’s notes to help young readers with tricky words.

At Wise Minds Press we believe the years between childhood and the teenage leap are a golden window: curiosity runs high, vocabulary explodes and a single page can spark a lifetime of possibility. We were those wide‑eyed readers once—hungry for challenge, eager to roam far‑flung worlds, and guided by parents and teachers who knew the right story could light the path ahead. Today we honor that legacy by bringing time‑tested classics to young readers complete and unabridged, with reader's notes for the tricky words, and original illustrations for Grades 4‑7 (Ages 9‑12).

Our mission is simple: to place in every young reader's hands a bridge to literature's greatest adventures, turning boundless imagination into confidence, empathy, and the readiness to write their own remarkable futures.