User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Jett Baranov is a mega richs spoiled brat and he has been exiled to a wellness camp in the Arkansas boonies for six weeks. The Oasis is low frills, no tech, and vegetarian. Jett is bored to tears and resisting the good life. Will the camp change him before he can change the camp? Korman gives us a rich cast of characters and some mysteries to solve. Why does Brooklynne participate so little yet know so much? What would happen if someone started selling black market candy bar around camp? What is going on at the big fancy house just down the road? Books like this are so appealing to rule-followers like me. I love seeing how the other half lives.
Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
As I come closer to 50 I seem to get more nostalgic about my youth. As an early teen I read all the Gordon Korman books i could and loved Bruno and Boots. One factor that made me such a fan, and the reason I requested this title was the subversive humor Korman used throughout his writing.
Although there are clever scenes and dialogue in this title it did not quite give my heart a glow and my tummy a chuckle that his other books did. I would recommend this title as a good jumping on point to discover some of his other works.
Rating: really liked it
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
The Oasis meditation retreat, run by Magnus Fellini and his assistant Ivory, attracts all sorts of people who want to unplug, destress, and learn healthy habits. There's Grace, who is very invested in the healthy living and comes with her family every year. Brooklyn really wants to have the level of enthusiasm that Grace has, but isn't that into it. Brandon's former football player father likes the family to come so they can watch their weight, and Tyrell is so beset by allergies that he'll try anything, even the boiling hot springs. The most disruptive guest, however, is Jett Baranov, the son of the founder of Fuego industries, who invented all manner of technology upon which people have become dependent. Jett is a jerk, and after a series of unpleasant actions on his part, his father sends him to Oasis with a handler, Matt. Jett isn't happy about giving up all of his technology and eating a vegetarian diet, and he makes his displeasure known by being difficult during meditation, stealing his phone back and ordering a vast amount of merchandise, and generally proving his father's point in sending him away. When Grace finds a tiny, helpless lizard, she enlists his aid, along with that of Brooklyn and Tyrell. The four break out of camp and go to nearby Hedge Apple to get meat for their new pet, and pick up some candy bars and other goodies along the way. Grace isn't happy about that, but they are useful when they are blackmailed by Brandon, and Jett finds a side line making money selling the candy at a profit, During repeated trips to the town, Jett is intrigued by a mansion, and the owner, Snapper, who seems out of place in Arkansas. He and Brandon also notice that the parents, who do "deeper" meditation with Ivory, are acting strangely. While dealing with the lizard, Needles, Jett becomes a little less problematic, and does start to work better with others. Will the group be able to solve the mysteries that have arisen, fueled only by veggie burgers and the occasional candy bar?
Strengths: Korman works are the hoodies of middle grade literature. When you don't know what else to wear, you can count on a hoodie to always keep you happy, cozy and comfortable. The characters are amusing, the plots easy to follow, the twists surprising, and the funny instances perfectly amusing. I love how his characters always manage to work together, and evolve in surprising ways. I loved Matt's path! This had a bit of a Swindle vibe that I didn't expect. Some reviewers say that the book was a bit cliche, but I look at it this way. I'm not going to wear hoodies to school every day; I'm an adult. It would be right. But like hoodies, Gordon Korman's books always fit middle school students just right.
Weaknesses: Jett referred to Magnus as "Nimbus" as a derogatory term, and for some reason this just grated on me!
What I really think: I think librarians and teachers should crowd fund a personal chef and personal trainer for Mr. Korman so that he lives to a healthy, productive old age!
Rating: really liked it
Actual rating: 3.5
Read this in a day. Fun story but way too slow moving. The mystery was also really predictable and didn't unfold as intriguingly as I wanted it to.
Rating: really liked it
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Do you ever get so excited to read a book that is coming out next year? Yes, next year! I don't know about you but I really do get excited. It honestly doesn't even matter what kind of genre it is, I'm in. That being said,
Unplugged was a pretty good book to dive into.
First off, that cover is just all kinds of adorable. Second, a retreat where people unplug and connect with other people - Gasp! I mean it sounds kind of fake since we are currently living through this pandemic. Yet, in this world there's no such thing as COVID-19. So, in a way, I was all for it because that just means more times for me and my books.. and less time for distractions and people.
Long story short, sign me up for some peace and quiet.
Besides that, the characters were okay. A bit predictable and cliché at times but I still enjoyed everything that was happening. I would've enjoyed a bit more personal growth but I can be satisfied with what was done.
Rating: really liked it
This book was surprisingly very good. A younger sibling of mine got this and enjoyed it, and I had read through all the books I brought already, so I tried this book. I was under the impression this book was for very young children, however this book had some great twists, and character development. The main character is a boy named Jett who is son of the richest man in the world, and always creates mischief, so his father sent him to a "camp" for wellness. He stays there and slowly gets used to the place and makes friends. There isn't much action or thrill, but it still has a decent story line. The development for his character is very nice, as he learns to care for others around him. This book is an 8/10, for the comedy and development. Gordon Korman has written many other books with similar genres, so check those out if you liked this book.
-Reinaldo, PWPL Summer Reading Volunteer
https://librarycatalog.pwcgov.org/pol...
Rating: really liked it
This was a cute read. I liked the friendships, the mystery, and it had a good pace. Jett starts out as a bratty twelve year old who's forced to attend a technology and meat free retreat. He pushes back and tries to make life miserable for the other attendees until he finds a lizard that he names Needles. The secret pet brings Jett together with Tyrell, Grace, and Brooklyn. The group become friends and start to enjoy their time.
The mystery was a bit silly, but I liked seeing Jett investigate and the climax of it all was exciting. It also lent some drama to the story and I was happy with the changes Jett went through. He's at an age where he starts deciding what kind of person he's going to be and I think he made some good steps in the right direction.
The automated voice that read the audiobook was okay, but it was a bit difficult telling the different characters apart. I'm sure once there's a human narrator that problem will go away.
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
Rating: really liked it
impulse grab from the newly opened local city library new books display ... a new MG Korman, yes!
---
Didn't disappoint. For a while it seemed like it was going to get heavy into the issues, but then it picked up with a mystery and crazy adventures. Not that characters didn't experience growth, but primarily the story was *fun.*
Tyrell's parents are guilty of child abuse, though. By putting him on the same restrictive one-food-group diets that they are stupid enough to go on, they're not only harming his health in general, but causing his vulnerability to allergies. That part is not funny.
Rating: really liked it
I liked this book! It was a mystery/coming of age story, and I'm glad I read it! The only reason I picked it up, or really even heard of it in the first place, was because of the Goodreads choice awards for 2021, as I wanted to see if I liked this or Alone better. I haven't read Alone yet, so I couldn't say as of right now which is better, but this one turned out better than I thought. It was just a really entertaining read.
Rating: really liked it
A solid four star read. Just not the usual (for me) five out of five Gordon Korman-Mindblowing-Awesomeness. This was the twelfth GK-novel I've finished in the last one month, and most of them were that mentioned deeply thoughtful brilliance, some of the greatest middle-grade fictions I've ever read, and couple of others were blissful fun but not that one-of-a-kind five-star read...
Unplugged unfortunately, falls under the later category. Without much depth or thoughtfulness in the story, still a thoroughly enjoyable, at a times laugh-out-loud funny, feel-good middle-grade fiction though, and as compulsively readable as any Gordon Korman book ever. 4 out of 5.
Rating: really liked it
It was a very nice short read. I thought it might be cheesy but it wasn't and the character relationships as well as development was very good. Not my favorite book ever but a good quick read if you just want to read something light and happy.
Rating: really liked it
Another great middle school book by Gordon Korman told in multiple perspectives of tweens who are sent to Wholeness Oasis summer camp. All attendees must turn in their electronic devices and be ready to eat as a vegetarian and meditate regularly. One unlikely camper is Jett, a billionaire’s son who was sent to the Oasis as punishment. Loved this one almost as much a Restart.
Rating: really liked it
3,5/5. Good audibook, the narrator was great and the story itself was fun. Not the most original middle grade «plot», but I like the setting of an unplugged retreat for children and the morale it try to pass on, with subtility to not overtake the story, but still present. The characters were a bit strong on stereotypes, but it didn't bother me much. Overall an entertaining and enjoyable middle grade book with a some depth to it, that compensate for the low originality. I like it!
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for granting me access to this title in exchange for an honest review.
Unplugged in the story of Jett, a 12-year-old spoiled rich kid whose father is a billionaire tech mogul. After getting in trouble one too many times, Jett is sent to spend his summer at the Oasis, under the watchful eye of one of his father's employees, Matt, and to Jett's utter dismay the Oasis is a hippy-like commune of mindfulness, lots of yoga, a vegan diet, and absolutely no personal electronics. It's also in the middle of swampland, Arkansas. While at Oasis, Jett butts heads with the other kids in attendance, who've all acclimated to the atmosphere of the place and find his rebellious attitude disruptive. Until they rescue a small lizard in need of non-vegan sustenance, that is. For most of the book, this is the story of unlikely friends bonding over shared responsibility for a contraband pet.
In a vacuum, I like this concept of this novel. Spoiled tech brat thrown into a tech-free situation and forced to socialize in person. The idea has a lot of potential, and while I haven't personally read other titles by this author, I recognize many of his titles from seeing them in the homes of friends with younger siblings in my teenage years. That, combined with the very attractive cover art and curiosity over the experimental pre-production synethetic voice audio ARCs now being offered are what made me request this title to review.
In execution, this book fell short of my expectations. It has far too many POV characters who have such similar voices that I was rarely sure which character I was reading. We've got a whiny spoiled brat, a kid who's way too into the Oasis mentality, a kid who's allergic to everything but not too bothered by it, somebody's sister, some bully, Matt the programmer-turned-baby sister, and I think the surprise reveal girl is yet a different character and not one of the previously mentioned kids? My opinions on the POV characters ranged from neutral detatchment to annoyance to hatred. (Jett is insufferable.) None of the characters made me care, and some made no meaningful impact on the story. This book could have been written with half the POVs (and likely half the pages) and still tell the story it set out to tell. Since I was listening to an audio ARC, I increased the playback speed and powered through, but had I been reading the text for myself this would have been a DNF for me.
I would like to give my compliments to the cover artist, as the cover caught my eye and made me want to read the book no matter what it was about. Featuring the "lizard" Needles (why did none of the kids call it a baby gator for 99% of the book? It's clearly a baby gator...) was a great choice, as he ended up being my favourite character.
This book is 2 stars for me because I could not get past my dislike of all the POV characters. Perhaps someone younger would connect better with the characters. I'm 32, a mother, and the daughter and sister of teachers. These kids are our nightmares. Perhaps teenage readers who haven't had experience working with spoiled brats would be more forgiving.
Rating: really liked it
Another year, another Gordon Korman novel. This one did not break any new ground, but I don't think that was the point. It was the usual multiple perspectives of a group of misfit kids united against a larger organization by a common quest. The most interesting kid was the main one, Jett, the son of a tech zillionaire. Jett had a lot of privilege but also a lot of critical thinking skills.
Korman focused on kid POVs instead of mixing in adult POVs. The result is that the book is sillier and less grounded than usual. These Korman stand-alone books come in a spectrum from "semi-serious" to "complete nonsense," and this one is more on the nonsense end of the spectrum. That's probably what the author was aiming for.
Because the setting is a cultish summer camp, it immediately made me think of the classic I Want to Go Home! that Korman wrote when he was 18. It is interesting that this book is underpinned by an understanding of cults and health fads, whereas the book he wrote as a teenager is underpinned by surreal nihilism and a refusal to accept adulthood.
This book is as good as most any Korman book. Recommended for people who enjoy goofing off for a few hours.
Newbery Comment Well, the only other book I've read all the way through this year is Amari and the Night Brothers. I think I would prefer that one over this one, but neither is high-brow. I think that's kind of a problem. I think the Newbery conversation should feature more mid-brow books like these that teach children the joy of reading.
