The Fisticuffs, book two in the Adventures of Tank and Pudge series, takes readers to the North Carolina mountains in the year 1962. The book's main characters-the powerful Douglas "Tank" Banner, the thoughtful Richard "Pudge" Hawkins, the irrepressible Gene Clodfelter, and the insightful and steadfast narrator, Hal Grayson-are now juniors in high school. Adventures unfold as Hal engages in a budding romance with his forever-crush Sophia Bishop, the gang rollicks in wild and witty teenage antics, and Hal is challenged to fisticuffs by Wilbur Bledsoe. Now Hal must conquer his fears, face Wilbur's notorious haymaker punch, and defend his love for Sophia-all before the school year's end. Written with masterful description, sharp wit, and a heaping dose of nostalgia, the Adventures of Tank and Pudge series recalls those thrilling days of yesteryear when cars named Falcon, Thunderbird, and Corvair roamed the highways; when teenagers listened to Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis on transistor radios; and when "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the number one TV show.