Barry Locke, half-back

About the book

Barry Locke arrives at Broadmoor School expecting to share the comfortable arrangements promised by his friend Clyde Allen. Instead, he finds himself boarding outside the campus with Mrs. Lyle, and begins to question Clyde's judgments about the people worth knowing. Football offers a route into school life, but athletic standing does not settle the disagreements over loyalty and social acceptance that surround him. The quieter companionship he discovers at his lodgings provides a counterweight to Clyde's concern with belonging to the right set. Barbour combines the progress of a school sports season with domestic incidents and a small mystery, letting Barry's decisions away from the playing field establish the qualities his athletic performance alone cannot prove.

• Friendship and loyalty
• Sport and character
• Social belonging

Why read it

Barry's disappointing arrival makes the school story as much about judging people as earning a place on a team.

English text of the 1925 Century edition