Unplugged

Unplugged

Gordon Korman

HarperCollins, 2021

324 pages

Grades 3-7

Mystery/Adventure

Multiple points of view tell the tale of bad-boy rich kid and lonewolf, Jett, who is sent to an Arkansas wellness camp to learn to curb his impulses and mellow-out. Sent with a flunky of his tech-mogul father for babysitting purposes, Jett must hand over his cell phone and report to meditation class and eat strictly vegetarian. As per his usual patterns, he acts out and orders tons of highly forbidden and very expensive merchandise to be delivered. Jett's outrageous behavior and dislike of the program puts the other kids off and, as usual, he makes no friends. This slowly changes as a fellow camper discovers a small lizard with razor sharp teeth and Jett decides to team up with her and two other kids to keep the forbidden pet safe. The problem is the little guy won't eat any of the vegetarian fare. How can they keep their new friend alive? A forbidden trip to town by "borrowing" the keys to the camp's boat solves the problem, as well as stumbling them into a mystery involving shady dealings of a camp employee. The kids must work as a team and Jett must learn to trust if they want to do the right thing and save the day.

Gordon Korman is a highly reliable author. All of his books are competently written and extremely high-interest, involving both adventure and humor. I can always recommend them to both readers and non-readers of both genders and know that the book will be enjoyed. This new title is no exception. A stand alone mystery, readers will enjoy getting to the bottom of the camp employee's dishonest transgressions and discovering the connection that the little reptile friend, featured on the cover, has to the whole operation. Smart kids will figure it out before Korman gets there and others will have a delicious ah-ha moment at the several big reveals. Many chapters end at cliff-hangers, which keep the pages turning, and the multiple points of view add interest. For a rich-kid, Jett is a sympathetic character and has a transformation through his summer experience as he learns to be a friend and not just think about himself. On top of it all, there is Korman's characteristic humor and quirky characters, which make reading the book fun. Though the story is wrapped up neatly, I could see a potential sequel with more adventures for the kids of The Oasis Meditation Retreat. A fun story that could encourage readers to try going "unplugged" maybe for at least an afternoon.