pennymine's review
4.0
Read this to my 9-year old and we really enjoyed it. Told chapter by chapter from a different kid's perspective. The author does a good job of keeping the mystery going and revealing enough to make you want to keep reading. We are going to read the next one in the series!
literatehedgehog's review
3.0
A page-turner from a tried and true middle grade author.
I have some quibbles with character development, most pointedly the unnecessary bits about Amber's "goal weight" - you can show she desires control and consistency in many ways, without tangling preteen's body image and dieting in the mix. Lazy writing at best, and unconscionable harm at worst.
I have some quibbles with character development, most pointedly the unnecessary bits about Amber's "goal weight" - you can show she desires control and consistency in many ways, without tangling preteen's body image and dieting in the mix. Lazy writing at best, and unconscionable harm at worst.
sidkneelions's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
mayyyyy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
cogsofencouragement's review
5.0
Chose this book at the bookstore (kids spending gift cards) because we enjoyed other books by Korman. It was an excellent decision. We look forward to reading the next books in this series soon.
heatherbermingham's review
5.0
When I did my internship hours in a library for grades 5-7, Gordon Korman was one of the highest circulating authors which surprised me a little bit because, I have to admit, I'd never heard of him. Now that I'm running a grades 5-6 library, I figured it was time to catch up. This is the first book of his I've read and I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Funny, adventurous, the mystery/scariness is just right for the target age group. I'm planning on grabbing the sequel at the library tomorrow. (My only complaint would be a 12-13-year-old girl mentioning a few times that she has a target weight, and while it's probably fitting for her Type A personality, I'd rather just not see those kinds of messages at at all in books for preteens. It doesn't have anything to do with the plot so it could have easily been left out.)
sunnydog_31's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
3.0
gibby_'s review
5.0
Fabulous for children 9 - 13. I am a middle school girl and I loved it and still re-reading it.