The Labors of Hercules Beal

By Gary D. Schmidt

A boy must complete mythical labors in real life, discovering friendship and self along the way.

4.5/5 Goodreads · 8,445 ratings

352 pages· 75,952 words· Est. 10.5 hour read

$19.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Seventh-grader Herc Beal faces an unusual school assignment: replicate the Twelve Labors of Hercules. As he navigates this daunting task, he grapples with loneliness and the absence of his parents. On Cape Cod, where mythical beasts are scarce, Herc finds unexpected allies in new friends and animals. Will he learn that even legendary heroes need help? Join Herc on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and community as he attempts the impossible.

From the publisher

From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday Wars, in which a seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill an assignment to perform the Twelve Labors of Hercules in real life–and makes discoveries about friendship, community, and himself along the way.Herc Beal knows who he’s named after–a mythical hero–but he’s no superhero. He’s the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules’s amazing feats in real life, he’s skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod–and not a single Hydra in sight.Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn’t working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.

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