Way of the Warrior Kid

Jocko Willink's Way of the Warrior Kid is a get-up-and-go story for 8 year olds about a boy who's had a truly awful year at school and has one summer to turn it round.

What happens

Marc is ten and fifth grade has been horrible. He can't do a single pull-up. He can't swim. He still doesn't know his times tables. And a big kid called Kenny Williamson rules the jungle gym (the climbing frame) and makes sure everyone knows it.

The last day of school is the worst of the lot. Kenny calls Marc up to the pull-up bar in front of everyone, and the whole crowd ends up chanting "Zero!" Marc runs off behind the library and cries.

Then Uncle Jake arrives. He's been a Navy SEAL for eight years and he's sharing Marc's room all summer. When Marc finally blurts out everything that's wrong, Jake's answer is "Good." Every one of those problems, he says, is something Marc can change.

What follows is a summer programme, and it isn't gentle. A metal bin banged next to his head before it's light. Push-ups, burpees and a homemade pull-up bar in the garage. Flash cards for the eights, the times table Marc finds hardest. Jiu-jitsu classes where kids smaller than him keep flipping him onto the mat.

It's written as Marc's diary, so it all comes out in capital letters and exclamation marks. He's SCARED, he's EMBARRASSED, and then he's weirdly surprised that the early mornings make him feel good all day. He's very honest about feeling rubbish, and that's lovely to read.

It's an American book, so you'll get fifth grade, math and recess. There's plenty of military flavour too. Jake talks about the hard parts of war, and Marc reads a whole binder of warrior codes from SEALs, Vikings, samurai and knights. Some children will lap that up. Others might skim those pages.

Is it a story or a pep talk? Honestly, a bit of both. If your reader is the sort who rises to a challenge, and likes the idea that you can train your way out of a problem, they'll probably find it really motivating.

What to read next

If they'd like another boy working out what to do about the kids who pick on him, try Andrew Clements's Bully Buster. Jake Drake reckons he's met a bully in every single year of school, and he's got some rules for dealing with them.