For a group of mostly inexperienced preteens, the Good Citizens Committee has done a fine job protecting the town of Rocky Gorge from vampires. Sure, they’re not as effective as a group of experienced Abomofuo, but they can hold their own.

Partially because they’ve all been trained by a true Abomofuo. But mostly because they balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Take Mateo and Gavin, for example. One is an extrovert, the other an introvert. Normally, we’re not sure that these two would be such close friends. But it’s their shared bond, and their bond with the other three members of the GCC, that has kept them alive this long.

Even if it’s that very same bond that’s cost them everything else in their lives . . .

Hawk(four)eyes

Every group of vampire-fighting pre-teens needs a Mateo. In case you haven’t heard, he’s the GCC’s resident “idea guy.” Mateo is the group’s idea guy.

Mateo may not be the one leading the charge into battle (we’ve seen him jump when someone opens a drawer too loudly), but he is always the first to find a creative solution to whatever sticky situation the GCC finds themselves in.

Even if he sometimes struggles to speak up from time to time. But maybe that’s due to all the nasty comments he’s received at school about his stutter. Although we bet that if those bullies could see Mateo handle a bow and arrow these days, they would probably shut right up.

Need for Speed

Gavin McKenzie, on the other hand, often struggles to keep quiet. Maybe it wasn’t best idea for the goddess Asaase Yaa to bless the GCC’s biggest motormouth with enhanced speed, but here we are.

Even still, there are a few things that Gavin struggles to talk about, like how he honestly feels about the fact that the vampire-hunting Abomofuo have wiped the memories of the GCC’s families so that they wouldn’t question the group’s sudden disappearance.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that Gavin is no fan of the current situation. His two foster fathers have been trying to adopt him, but his case has been ensnared in the legal system for years. Gavin is so worried about losing his foster parents and siblings that he could possibly jeopardize the GCC’s mission to stop Nana Bekoe and save the world from a vampire takeover.

And would you really blame him?

The real question is, if Gavin bails on the rest of the team and heads back home, would any of the GCC be able to catch him?

Guardians of the Gorge

Protecting the town from vampires is one thing. But now, in their final adventure, the GCC must push themselves past their limits (and their magic powers), to find the inner strength necessary to move forward.

Serwa may have trained Mateo, Gavin, and the rest of the GCC in the art of vampire hunting, but there are certain lessons that these two boys must learn on their own, and as part of a larger group.

For Gavin, it’s trusting that his friends are telling the truth when they say that they’ll find a way to restore his family’s memories. And that even if their knowledge of Gavin may be gone, the love they share still exists deep within.

For Mateo, it’s not only finding the right words of encouragement to share with his friends when everything seems hopeless, but also the confidence to speak those words aloud.

You can train a kid to wield an enchanted bow or to control the flow of water. But matters of faith, trust, and courage? You only learn those things through experience. And with the support of your best friends in the world.

That is, if Gavin and Eunju don’t get on one another’s nerves so much that they strangle themselves to death first. But what else is new?

Now that we think about it, maybe there’s a good reason Mateo keeps certain things to himself . . .

Catch more of Mateo and Gavin, along with the rest of the GCC in Rick Riordan Presents: Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Saving the World by Roseanne A. Brown, on sale now!