Bricked — J. Michael McGee

Jobless and divorced, Pat Riordan takes a little-sought-after teaching job at the District's school for the hard-to-handle, Wolfcreek.  His sense of loss makes him a good fit for the boys of the school who call their banishment from the mainstream "bricked."

Doug Donovan, the school´s principal, agrees with Riordan that gentle, but firm teaching strategies are the best way for their kids to learn. But ego-driven administrators, who want the school location for more promising students, feel otherwise and start a campaign to discredit the school staff and curriculum.

As the school year unwinds, Riordan finds his way into the personal life of one of his students, Bobby, and gets thrust into the role of rescuer when Bobby's mother is abused by her live-in boyfriend.

Will Riordan be able to put aside his own sense of loss to inspire his students to rise above theirs? Can Wolfcreek prove that these young adults are worth investing in, despite troubled behaviors, in order to save the school from closure? Bricked follows Riordan, the students and staff in what might be the school's final year.