Don't Call Me Ishmael

Fourteen-year-old Ishmael Leseur begins ninth grade at a new school, expecting more of the same torment he's endured for years from classmate Barry Bagsley, who mocks his unusual name. When James Scobie arrives and claims to have had his fear removed during a medical operation, he befriends Ishmael and helps him find the courage to stand up to bullies. Together with their classmates, the boys navigate the challenges of adolescence, including dealing with school bullies, a disastrous class project on Moby Dick, and learning what it means to be brave.