Gripping in its psychological understanding, this unflinching novel takes readers deep into the mind of a boy who is coming to understand the nature of absolute power and its inevitable casualties, and also finding a bit of his own strength along the way.
When fourteen-year-old Elliot Sutton arrives at HolminsterHigh, he's determined not to stand out. He simply can't let himself become a target again--not like he was at his last school. This time, he's a new Elliot. Tough. Impenetrable. But then he meets the Guardians, a group of upperclassmen that secretly rule Holminster with a quiet and anonymous terror. Obsessed with George Orwell's book 1984, they desire power for the sake of power--and they always get what they want. Now, they want Elliot. Not to terrorize . . . but to join them. Can Elliot face his new future, or will he become his own worst nightmare?