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Brawler

Brawler

by Neil Connelly

Subject
Sports & Recreation - Martial Arts
Age
Teen
Format
Hardcover
Pages
320
Publisher
Arthur A. Levine Books
Size
14.5 cm × 21.1 cm
ISBN
9781338157758
The searing story of a boy who runs away after ruining his promising wrestling career, only to get caught up in an illegal fighting tournament---the only place he thinks he can build a future.Eddie MacIntyre--Mac to a handful of friends--is Pennsylvania's most promising wrestler. His future is bright with scholarship offers and the dream of helping his struggling mom. But then comes a fateful match at the state championship, when his famous rage consumes him and he assaults a referee. In an instant, Mac loses all he and his mom have worked to build since his abusive father was locked up years ago.Facing arrest, Mac runs away to another town, where he is taken in by a shady promoter who has followed his career. He recruits Mac into Brawlers, an illegal underground fighting ring run by a gangland boss. This is a bloodsport that has no rules . . . but offers plenty of reward. Mac teams up with Khajee, a girl with the fighting skills he'll need to learn to survive . . . and her own dark past tying her to the head of the ring. Together the two must figure out their place in a world that hasn't been kind to them . . . and forge a future that could be.

About the author

Neil ConnellyAuthor

Neil Connelly is the author of seven critically acclaimed books, among them four YA novels. The most recent was Into the Hurricane, which Kirkus Reviews called "thoughtful and provocative." He teaches creative writing at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife and their sons. You can find him on the web at neilconnelly.com.

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What reviewers said

Advance Praise for Brawler:"Brawler is action-packed, adrenaline-filled writing at its best, made even better by interesting and believable characters and a huge heart." -- Francisco X. Stork, author of DisappearedPraise for Neil Connelly:"Neil Connelly writes elegantly and understands the human heart uniquely." -- Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain* "Sophisticated... will likely draw readers." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review of St. Michael's Scales"A richly layered, thought-provoking novel of how one boy learns to make weight." -- Ki…
Kirkus Reviews on Into the Hurricane
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.