Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Reformed by Justin Weinberger

How I Heard About It:  I have had this book in my TBR pile for quite some time.  I picked it up at the spring Scholastic Book Fair in my building.  I knew nothing of the book, but was intrigued by the cover and title.  This was my 14th book in my 21 day/21 book challenge.  

What It Is About:  School bullies or nice kids? Sometimes who you hang out with determines your fate. After four boys get in trouble on the last day of school, they get sent to summer reform school. Will this change their behavior? Will they find out who the real bullies are?  These end of the year fifth graders pull a dangerous prank on a "friend" of theirs.  The principal has had enough and lets the boys know they will be attending a summer camp.  The problem for the boys is that it is not truly a camp, but more of a reform school for "misbehaved" boys.  They each are surprised when they arrive as the other "campers" are a bit tougher, a bit rougher, and a bit more of a bully.  Each boy navigates camp in different ways and comes to terms with what happened back at their school with their so-called friend.  

What I Thought Of It:  I picked this out of my stack because it was a relatively short book and I wanted to make sure I finished it today.  Overall, this was a good story, but some of the elements confused me.  The writing was a bit different with the narrator (one of the four boys) was talking to someone named "Tom".  I may have missed who Tom was, and I didn't take the time to go back to find out who it was.  I'm thinking maybe an imaginary friend.  Once the guys got to the camp, I got confused by some of the characters and how they were related.  The theme of the story was an important one, but one that got a bit muddled for me.  I am glad that the main character did the right thing; even though it was very difficult for him.  

Who Should Read It:  I'm thinking certain male readers would be perfect for this book.  They would enjoy the antics of the boys and other campers the reader meets along the way.  There are humorous scenes throughout the story, but more importantly some important life-lessons that ALL young readers should learn.  The book would be perfect for kids in grades four, five, and six.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  3 STARS out of 5 Stars

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