Whitewater Scrubs

by Jamie McEwan

In this sequel to Willy the Scrub, the gang has joined an after-school kayaking club. Willy seems to get the hang of it fine, but Rufus and Clara are not doing so well. Clara, who is one of the school's top athletes, ends up upside-down in the rapids and develops a real fear of getting back into the water with her kayak. Her best friend makes sense: "Hey, you're a great athlete already. What do you have to prove? Just quit." Clara has to decide if this sport is "all wet" or if being a Scrub is really all that bad.

Jamie McEwan is the author of The Heart of Cool,The Story of Grump and Pout, and Willy the Scrub. He competed in whitewater canoeing in the Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1972.