Will is a 2006 young adult novel by Australian author Maria Boyd. It was released in the United States in 2010. The novel tells the story of the titular character, Will Armstrong, who after the death of his father begins to play up at school, culminating in him dropping his pants and mooning a girls' school bus after being dared to by friends. As punishment for his crime Will is forced to help out in the high school musical, The Boyfriend. Throughout the novel Will learns many lessons about life, love and doing what is right.
The latest incident – mooning the girls' school bus – lands him in the deputy principal's office. He could be suspended or expelled, but instead Will's concerned English teacher, Mr Andrews, makes a suggestion that he thinks will solve the problem. Will is to help out with the school musical, playing guitar in the band.
For Will, the new punishment is ten thousand times worse than expulsion. Will doesn't know anyone in Year 11 who voluntarily takes part in school musicals, and even the prospect of meeting girls from Lakeside Girls' is not enough to make it worthwhile. The musical is definitely just for band geeks and try-hards.
At the first audition and rehearsal, Will's fears are confirmed. But he's about to learn that stereotypes are not always what they seem. Year seven trombone playing geeks can be wiser than their years, hot girls like Elizabeth are not just in the musical to pretend they are stars on Australian Idol, and rugby-playing jocks like the new guy, Mark, can sing and dance – and they can be gay, too. Will thinks he can get through the eight weeks of the musical by staying in his bubble and not feeling anything. This technique has worked for the six months since his dad died (a fact that is revealed later in the book), but Will finds out that suppressing his grief and his emotions cannot work forever. Things come to a head just as the performances are about to start.
Maria Boyd has spent the better part of the past seven years working as a teacher in two Sydney boys’ high schools, a job that ensured her, among other things, at least four belly laughs a day. Before that she was completing her Masters in Cultural Studies, and before that, she was travelling the world from her base in London. She has explored many different types of opportunities in her working life but nearly all of them have had something to do with young people and teaching. There is no coincidence in this - she enjoys and believes in them both. Maria lives in Sydney. WILL is her first novel.!!!