newtons's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
amandamarieger's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
amandabock's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mimireads320's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this middle grade book and it was perfect for the summer. It centers around a group of middle school students who experience the power and force of friendship and learn self resilience and strength along the way through the experience of a summer camp setting. The exception is--all attendees have extraordinary challenges and are considered RISK kids by the government. Some may call these RISK factors a threat- others may see it as exceptional. Very relatable and a fun read for upper elementary or middle school students. Boy or Girls would enjoy the plot.
lazygal's review
3.0
A perfect read for Middle School Boys set in a camp for people with different abilities. In this case, Emerson literally floats, tethered to earth by heavy shoes and a vest (and tied into his bed at night). He quickly makes friends with his bunkmates, each of whom isn't quite normal (one can set things on fire, one time-travels, and one could be called the sometimes invisible boy). They have the same experiences many campers have, with bonfires and hiking, pranks and KP duty, and trying to meet the girl campers. And yet... those abilities...
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
yapha's review
4.0
What would be the science fiction equivalent of Magical Realism? I don't know, but this book is definitely it! This super fun read contains all of the glories of summer camp traditions with a group of differently abled children with not so useful super powers. Or are they finally useful after all? Highly recommended for summer reading or any time, really. For grades 4 & up.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
My daughter and I both loved that this book took the "superhero" character trope and turned it on its head, and my son was super pleased to read a book that "had all boys as main characters." (Seriously, there's a dearth of boy-lit out there in MG right now.)
Being born with the power to float sounds fantastic -- if you can control it. If you can't, it's terrifying. You'd float away if you weren't anchored to something, all the time. That's the hard truth of life of a RISK -- Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind -- teen.
So what would summer camp look like? Being tied to the dock while others go swimming in a lake? Tied to your bunk while you sleep? Would you wear huge, clunky, heavy shoes? Maybe a super-heavy vest? You'd still have to be strong enough to carry the darn things and they'd make long hikes and nature trails pure misery.
That's what 12-year-old Emerson finds at Camp Outsider. His first friend, Hank, can turn invisible, but it's a pain to disappear when you're trying to chat up a girl. It's a pain in other ways as well for Hank, who embraces his invisibility and has no qualms about running around naked to be totally invisible.
Then there's Murphy, a teen time-traveler with his own federal agents / body guards who jump all over him when he gets back from his time travels (to prevent anyone else from taking advantage of them).
Gary's known as "Sticky" -- but imagine not being able to choose who or what to stick yourself to, and then being unable to unstick yourself, say, to a rock? Or a tree? For hours, or even days, at a time?
Zeke has "sporadic x-ray vision" and naturally bad eyesight to boot. His therapy skunk, Mr. Stink, makes quite an impression.
Slowly the boys realize Murphy's seen his own death. And they've got to find a way to save him. A fantastic boy book!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Being born with the power to float sounds fantastic -- if you can control it. If you can't, it's terrifying. You'd float away if you weren't anchored to something, all the time. That's the hard truth of life of a RISK -- Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind -- teen.
So what would summer camp look like? Being tied to the dock while others go swimming in a lake? Tied to your bunk while you sleep? Would you wear huge, clunky, heavy shoes? Maybe a super-heavy vest? You'd still have to be strong enough to carry the darn things and they'd make long hikes and nature trails pure misery.
That's what 12-year-old Emerson finds at Camp Outsider. His first friend, Hank, can turn invisible, but it's a pain to disappear when you're trying to chat up a girl. It's a pain in other ways as well for Hank, who embraces his invisibility and has no qualms about running around naked to be totally invisible.
Then there's Murphy, a teen time-traveler with his own federal agents / body guards who jump all over him when he gets back from his time travels (to prevent anyone else from taking advantage of them).
Gary's known as "Sticky" -- but imagine not being able to choose who or what to stick yourself to, and then being unable to unstick yourself, say, to a rock? Or a tree? For hours, or even days, at a time?
Zeke has "sporadic x-ray vision" and naturally bad eyesight to boot. His therapy skunk, Mr. Stink, makes quite an impression.
Slowly the boys realize Murphy's seen his own death. And they've got to find a way to save him. A fantastic boy book!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
marsha1268's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aconant's review
4.0
I loved Laura Martin's Glitch so I was very excited about this book. I read the ebook (I make note of that mostly because I typically listen to audios).
First off the concept is really fun. It seems like a familiar genre, a group of kids with special powers are grouped up in one place. They are all stuck together at camp for kids with special powers. What kid wouldn't find this?
It's fun and fast-paced and has a strong enough storyline that threads through the text to hold kids' attention. It's summer camp fun with the twist of superpowers. I might go so far as to think it has a Goonies or Stand By Me vibe in the motley group of friends aspect.
There are a lot of great messages about getting out of your comfort zone, taking Risks and putting yourself out there for the world. Enjoying and making the most of life. At the end what I really loved were the very clear messages about putting away electronics and getting back to things that really matter, exciting life journies. It wasn't a message throughout the book but BAM it was loud and proud right in the last couple of pages. As an adult, I was definitely cheering. It didn't sound preachy, after the storyline it seemed genuine and not forced.
I'm not convinced it's a great purchase for a K-5 library. It might be better in a middle school library. Read it yourself and decide.
First off the concept is really fun. It seems like a familiar genre, a group of kids with special powers are grouped up in one place. They are all stuck together at camp for kids with special powers. What kid wouldn't find this?
It's fun and fast-paced and has a strong enough storyline that threads through the text to hold kids' attention. It's summer camp fun with the twist of superpowers. I might go so far as to think it has a Goonies or Stand By Me vibe in the motley group of friends aspect.
There are a lot of great messages about getting out of your comfort zone, taking Risks and putting yourself out there for the world. Enjoying and making the most of life. At the end what I really loved were the very clear messages about putting away electronics and getting back to things that really matter, exciting life journies. It wasn't a message throughout the book but BAM it was loud and proud right in the last couple of pages. As an adult, I was definitely cheering. It didn't sound preachy, after the storyline it seemed genuine and not forced.
I'm not convinced it's a great purchase for a K-5 library. It might be better in a middle school library. Read it yourself and decide.