The Labors of Hercules Beal

Reeling from his parents’ sudden death in a car accident a year and a half ago, 12-year-old Hercules Beal lives with his older brother Achilles in Truro on Cape Cod, which Hercules calls “the most beautiful place on the planet.” Achilles has reluctantly given up a journalism career to oversee the family business, now with the assistance of his girlfriend (per Hercules, “the Vampire”). After Hercules starts at a new school, his flinty humanities teacher—recently retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer—tasks the middle schooler with re-creating his mythological namesake’s famed 12 labors. Initially skeptical about the classical mythology application project, Hercules slowly discovers occasions in his own life that loosely parallel the classical myths. By performing these tasks and growing close to people because of them, he develops a loving, vividly depicted community that presents opportunities for healing. Schmidt (Pay Attention, Carter Jones) employs his signature narrative style, balancing scenes of humor and affecting gravity through Hercules’s droll narration (“You have to admit, that was pretty brave”), which nimbly springs from labor to labor. It’s a moving hero’s journey that serves as a reflection on the durability of mythology and the necessity of community. Characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. (May)