Chapter 1, Ready? Summary

Eddie Ryan has turned thirteen, and, overnight, he has witnessed the horrors of being a teenager—pimples, dandruff, a changing voice,and body odor—as he finishes the eighth grade at St. Bastion Catholic Grammar School. He has managed to finally earn decent grades and faces high school with ambivalence, excited to turn a new page in his life but somewhat concerned about the potential academic expectations. He has chosen Bremmer High School, along with friends Tom Lanner and Tim Heidi, a Catholic boys' school run by the Brothers of the St. Bremmer Order. For Southside Chicago teens, Bremmer is a good school, from which deserving students can go on to good colleges. Also accepted to Bremmer is Felix Lindor, the "filth fiend" of the eighth grade. In addition to having the "dirtiest" mind, he has taught other eighth...