In the summer of 1983, an eleven-year-old boy named Carroll Simms embraces a new identity. You would, too, if your parents named you Carroll. Dubbed “Backpack” by his counsellors, Carroll is ready to navigate the exquisite pain and horrible joys of Woodfield Camp for Boys with a backpack full of notes, reference materials, Band-Aids, bug spray, a Swiss Army knife, and more.
But this is different from his previous adventures. Those were invented within the world of Dungeons and Dragons and controlled by the roll of a twenty-sided die. Here, in the heart of the Blueridge Mountains, the caves are darker, the monsters are scarier, and the rewards are sweeter than he imagined. During the three-week camp, Backpack makes friends, enemies, and more than one macrame bracelet. But when tragedy strikes one of Woodfield’s own, Backpack realizes this is no game.
Along beautiful mountain trails and refreshing sliding rocks, life and death are just inches from each other. And the truth is what you make it. With this new insight into the nature of living, Carroll changes from a follower to a leader and – he dares to hope – a hero in the eyes of one very special girl.
HIGH POINT explores the harsh beauty of nature, the right amount to burn your marshmallow and the struggles of a boy on the edge of manhood. This is a coming of age adventure story where compassion wins and confidence grows among the tall pine trees of the Smoky Mountains.
Word Count: 87,000
Upmarket Fiction
Comp Titles: John Green’s Looking for Alaska and Meg Wolizer’s The Interestings