Holding Back

Holding Back was written to represent homeschoolers and the lesser-known sport of campdrafting, as well as to encourage teenagers who feel socially insecure to break out of their comfort zones. It provides an authentic look at a homeschooled male teen who needs to learn to challenge himself—in sports, in life, and in his social skills.

Nick is a fifteen-year-old boy whose best friend is his little sister, and he tends to be a bit of a loner. Although Nick is the older brother, he finds that his little sister performs better in the sport of campdrafting than he does. He tends to get nervous, makes hasty decisions, and often messes up. He feels awkward around the other competitors. However, Nick decides to join a local swim squad to challenge himself and make some friends. Along the way, he discovers he’s a competitive breaststroker and figures out how to fit in with a mixed group of teens, growing more independent in the process.

The other four teens have a variety of personalities: a super friendly guy, a super self-confident guy, and two girls. One of the girls becomes very interested in campdrafting and later asks Nick for riding lessons. He becomes good friends with one of the guys and visits his place to ride motorbikes. The new friends come to see him compete at a campdraft, where he is more relaxed with the other competitors and achieves greater success in the competition.

This book is unlike most others on the market and will appeal because of its unique nature. Many teens may have wondered about homeschooling. Campdrafting is a unique Australian sport that many may not have heard of. Actual homeschoolers—over 40,000 in Australia—will feel validated to see themselves represented positively in literature.