Headlock
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Being a pro wrestler takes talent, guts, and hard work—can Kyle make it to the pros and live the life he wants?
Kyle Bailey is a normal high school senior with a secret ambition: to be a wrestling superstar with the WWE. When he hears about a wrestling class at the local gym, he knows this may be his one shot at making his dream come true. The only problem is that no one in his life understands his love of wrestling, so he can't tell anyone what he's doing—especially not his grandmother, who has raised him since he was a kid.
As Kyle's talent becomes increasingly apparent, his instructor takes notice and invites him to wrestle in an upcoming professional match. With his newfound success—and his beautiful wrestler girlfriend—Kyle feels like he's finally exactly where he belongs.
But when his grandmother's health takes a turn for the worse, Kyle is torn between needing to care for her and wanting to follow his dreams. He isn't ready to give up on being a pro wrestler, but he can't abandon the woman who has taken care of him his entire life.
Headlock is a heartwarming novel about the strength it takes to let go of what you love and the courage it takes to ask for help.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An 18-year-old trades gymnastics for a professional wrestling class pursuing a chance to become "a WWE superstar" in Sweeney's latest novel, which makes the world of wrestling as fascinating a backdrop as basketball was in her Players. In class, Kyle Bailey finds a strange community, including an ex-con and a librarian; he even starts dating the lone female. Kyle also finds that he excels at professional wrestling's blend of "acting and dance and acrobatics." But right after his debut performance in a wrestling show, Kyle's grandmother, who raised him, is hospitalized. When Kyle puts everything on hold to care for her, he begins to realize that he could lose everything. The author lovingly describes an unusual subculture here (in Kyle's debut match, he is scripted to lose to Rat Boy, who celebrates victories by letting his pet rat crawl over his opponent). Even though the story arc is fairly obvious, readers will relate to Kyle, who was abandoned by his own mother, and so feels compelled to sacrifice his life for his grandmother. Readers may have trouble believing that such unusual characters could bond so quickly, or that serious problems, including Kyle's girlfriend's drinking, or his tense relationship with his mother, could resolve as easily as they do here. But Kyle's "big soft heart" and his amazing frog splash move on the mat makes for a quirky combination that readers, especially wrestling fans, are sure to enjoy. Ages 14-up.
