Band of the Hand: Freshman Year

Xavier McTall, Chelsea Lambert, Colby Lyons, Andy Wolff and Amara Creed are five extraordinary teenagers, handpicked to carry on a decades-old tradition. The Band of the Hand, formed in 1947 by the five most unlikely co-conspirators imaginable, exists to prank, pester and peeve those who use their power to persecute the peons of Centralia High School. Five freshmen, each selected for his or her singular specialty, with nearly eight decades of continuing support from former members, take on the injustices of the secondary education system. With the help of the mysterious “Mr. Sage,” the tradition continues. Meet this year’s version of the Band of the Hand: Xavier, the 11-year-old computer genius and social misfit; Chelsea, the studious animal-lover with a weakness for jazz; Colby, the daredevil punk rocker prodigy with an aptitude for foreign languages and a penchant for getting into trouble; Andy Wolff, the star athlete; and Amara, the “Girl Most Likely to Be Perfect.” The freshmen pranksters target their talents toward Vice Principal Arnold “the Pig” Riggs—a mean-spirited, malicious miscreant who despises teenagers and whose favorite target is Colby Lyons. It’s all fun and games until Andy’s father is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, and the Band of the Hand must use their considerable resources and their extraordinary expertise to reveal the true culprit.