 Sean Myers | Welcome to the final Weekend Picks of May! We end the month with another awesome contribution from Oakland University Sean Myers, and my (Amanda) recent student. It has been wonderful to see the reading selections this month from the newest, emerging voices in our field: teacher candidates. This weekend, Sean brings us another Gary Schmidt YA novel: The Labors of Hercules Beal. Thank you, Sean, for all three of your May Weekend Picks! Sean Myers is an English for Language Arts Education Graduate student at Oakland University. He is currently preparing to go into his final student placement and his student teaching, with hopes to be teaching high school English soon! |
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt
 | This book was one of the most fun reads I’ve had in the past few months. As a kid that grew up with Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles, this felt like a welcome back home to my happy place. The Labors of Hercules Beal follows brothers Achilles and Hercules Beal, who are recently orphaned, and are left their parents’ Cape Cod farm and nursery. With Achilles working constantly, a vampire in his home, and a new school to start the year, Hercules is skeptical, especially when he’s assigned to complete Myth Hercules’ infamous Twelve Labors. Even though the Hydras and Neiman Lion that Myth Hercules aren’t real, Boy Hercules has his own, and sometimes his brother’s issues to worry about. We get to follow along as Hercules might not be conquering monsters, but his own fears, stressors, and grief are beautifully contextualized as something just as terrifying. |
| His biggest lesson learned? You’re never alone. Myth Hercules had aid, but was expected to do each labor himself. Boy Hercules learns to embrace his brother, friends, neighbors, and even his scary homeroom teacher: Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer. This sassy-mouthed seventh grader had me laughing and crying my whole way through this novel, and I really hope that our Weekend Picks readers will enjoy it as well. Gary D. Schmidt wonderfully executes a very passionate story on grief and non-traditional familial structures. The Labors of Hercules Beal was such a fun read, with such an important message of bringing together communities, and holding onto each other through hell or high water. |  Gary Schmidt |
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