Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him.
Oops.
It's time for some serious damage control--so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real--and Cameron is stuck being president.
Soon Cameron is part of a mission to save a beaver named Elvis from certain extinction. Along the way, he makes some new friends--and some powerful new enemies. The guy who never cared about anything is now at the center of everything . . . and it's going to take all his slacker skills to win this round.
**
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-Korman's many fans will not be disappointed with this latest novel. Cameron is a gamer; he doesn't like to do anything else. Spending every moment he can playing video games, he sometimes gets carried away. This is how the kitchen burns down and he loses his gaming privileges. His parents decide he needs to get involved in a group and interact with other kids his own age. So he and his friends create the Positive Action Group as a front so they can simply continue gaming. Things get hairy when people become interested in actually joining the group and it gets a faculty advisor. Suddenly the fake group has become very real. Korman has a talent for writing engaging characters in wacky, laugh-out-loud plotlines. This story is told through multiple perspectives, though it is Cameron who stands out. He talks and acts like a real gamer, lending the high jinks an undercurrent of authenticity. As the Positive Action Group becomes real, things begin to change for Cameron as he learns the value in helping others. VERDICT Short chapters and chuckle-inducing moments give this book a charm that is hard to resist. An excellent pick for reluctant readers.-Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, Providence, RIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
Praise for Swindle
"Scary, funny, and hysterical adventures!" -- Chicago Tribune
"Pure fun from top to bottom." -- School Library Journal
Praise for The Hypnotists:
"Fast-paced... an entertaining mix of intense action and goofy fun." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for Ungifted
"A gem for readers looking for a book where the underdog comes out on top." -- Voice of Youth Advocates
"Funny and insightful." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for Schooled
"This rewarding novel features an engaging main character and some memorable moments of comedy, tenderness, and reflection." -- Booklist , starred review
Description:
Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him.
Oops.
It's time for some serious damage control--so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The problem? Some kids think the club is real--and Cameron is stuck being president.
Soon Cameron is part of a mission to save a beaver named Elvis from certain extinction. Along the way, he makes some new friends--and some powerful new enemies. The guy who never cared about anything is now at the center of everything . . . and it's going to take all his slacker skills to win this round. **
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-Korman's many fans will not be disappointed with this latest novel. Cameron is a gamer; he doesn't like to do anything else. Spending every moment he can playing video games, he sometimes gets carried away. This is how the kitchen burns down and he loses his gaming privileges. His parents decide he needs to get involved in a group and interact with other kids his own age. So he and his friends create the Positive Action Group as a front so they can simply continue gaming. Things get hairy when people become interested in actually joining the group and it gets a faculty advisor. Suddenly the fake group has become very real. Korman has a talent for writing engaging characters in wacky, laugh-out-loud plotlines. This story is told through multiple perspectives, though it is Cameron who stands out. He talks and acts like a real gamer, lending the high jinks an undercurrent of authenticity. As the Positive Action Group becomes real, things begin to change for Cameron as he learns the value in helping others. VERDICT Short chapters and chuckle-inducing moments give this book a charm that is hard to resist. An excellent pick for reluctant readers.-Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, Providence, RIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
Praise for Swindle
"Scary, funny, and hysterical adventures!" -- Chicago Tribune
"Pure fun from top to bottom." -- School Library Journal
Praise for The Hypnotists:
"Fast-paced... an entertaining mix of intense action and goofy fun." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for Ungifted
"A gem for readers looking for a book where the underdog comes out on top." -- Voice of Youth Advocates
"Funny and insightful." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for Schooled