Alumnus Publishes Novel Set in Garrettsville

On Saturday, August 4, at 1 p.m., Hiram alumnus Scott Starkey ’93 will return to Garrettsville for the first time in 20 years for a book-signing for his novel How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying.As the novel’s setting is based in Garrettsville, The Village Bookstore on Main Street will make for a most proper locale for the signing.

The book was published by Simon and Schuster and is aimed at children between the ages of nine and 12.

It details young, yellow-bellied Rodney Rathbone’s experience of moving to a new school.  On the first day, just as the school bully has Rodney in his sights, a stray baseball knocks the bully out, and the student body misattributes this stunning feat to Rodney, gaining him the immediate admiration of his peers and a pair of big shoes to fill in the schoolyard.

Starkey is a soccer coach, an elementary school teacher and a father of three back home in Long Island, New York, so he had a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw from when writing.

Tagged alumni, creative writing, english, scott starkey