Elliot was beaten up by bullies at his old school. He is determined to reinvent himself at the new school. This time he will be so cool that no one will touch him. But he is too successful. He is taken up by the Guardians, the mysterious group who control the whole school, manipulating others to create a reign of terror. He is invited to become a Guardian himself and goes along with it. He is not going to get hurt again, whatever it takes. Until he realizes that he is as good as dead unless he takes the risk of standing up for himself. Written with great power and economy, this psychological novel was inspired by George Orwell's 1984 and is reminiscent of those two great children's writers Robert Cormier and Robert Westall. It has strong characters, strong moral dilemmas and a story that moves at a great pace to a highly dramatic ending. It is an incisive and compelling look at the terrors and rituals of adolescence and you're there with Elliot every step of the way.