Reviews

Restart by Gordon Korman

brynnie_boo52's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

archaicrobin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this book with my fifth graders as a whole group read aloud and they absolutely loved it. Chase was a horrendous bully before falling off his which puts him in a coma. When he wakes up it’s revealed he has amnesia and this begins his journey of discovering who he used to be and who he now wants to be. 

This was an excellent read aloud for the beginning of the year because it talks about self-control, bullying, and how our actions affect more than just ourselves. If you’re a YA reader or also a teacher looking for read alouds I highly recommend Restart. 

rachelmcg2004's review against another edition

5.0

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. A truly powerful story of beginning ones life anew. My favorite book. :D

Just as good the second go around - however, it was a much faster read! A short-read packed with goodness.

jgrant's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

nesskraem's review against another edition

3.0

Good for 6th grade summer reading :)

soontobeauthor's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tysoncole's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Restart is about a middle school boy named Chase Ambrose who ends up getting amnesia after falling off of his roof. What I like about this book is that because Chase has amnesia, he ends up forgetting something really bad that he did which gets him into problems that didn't even know he deserved to be in. It adds a lot of tension and satisfaction when progressing through the book. Chase gets put in the perfect position to turn his life around and he becomes someone who helps people instead of someone who hurts people. The only problems I really have with this book is that it seems like too much of a coincidence for someone like Chase to get amnesia but that's very important to the plot so it's understandable. Overall, this is a very good book to read if you're ever bored so don't be afraid to read it if you have a chance.

helliott166058's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

3.75

jenbsbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful

4.25

Just a quick, YA read, that has some depth to it ... it's always interesting when I read a "kids" book and think about possible book club questions ;)  The characters here are in middle school ... to me, they felt a little older, high school age; with crushes, bullying, community service, football (my middle school didn't have a football team). 

There are 30 chapters, shifting POVS (Chase Ambrose, Shoshana Webber, Joel Webber, Brendan Espinoza, Aaron Hakimian, Bear Bratsky, Kimberly Tooley) ... Chase, Shoshana and Brendan are the main characters. All the POVs are 1st person, present tense. All very conversational in tone. In the audio version, there were different narrators for the various POVs. 

I remember a TV show with a similar premise ... Samantha Who, starring Christina Applegate. I think I only got around to watching a few episodes, but the same idea; an accident, amnesia, and a changed person who can't quite believe what a jerk they were before. It brought up some interesting questions. CAN a person change like that? What are the expectations to those who were wronged before? Shoshana's parents and Joel, while both believing Chase is different than he was, still can't  just "forgive and forget" the past. Should they? 

A good book to address some of the issue of middle/high school kids, the bullying, attempts to fit in, expectations/judging, etc. Nice to have some redemption. 

yoteach87's review against another edition

5.0

Great story, and a perfect book for middle grades. A positive message about a former bully's dramatic turnaround.