Thursday, November 9, 2017

Slacker by Gordon Korman

It took me a while to get around to reading this one, but I've been recommending it since it came out as hilarious, knowing I could trust Gordon Korman. SPOILERS.

Cameron Boxer is a slacker. He's proud of it; he's worked hard to get where he is. Completely uninvolved in anything except video games, the height of his ambition is to win big $$ at an upcoming video game competition. But when he accidentally almost gets the house burned down, his parents give him an ultimatum: Get involved in something or his gaming will be cut off. Cameron panics - he doesn't have time in his busy schedule to actually DO stuff! Fortunately, one of his friends can hack into the school website and set up a fake club for them. The Positive Action Group, that sounds good. Now Cameron can get back to gaming and his life will go on as usual.

There's just one problem - kids want to get involved with the PAG. And Cameron is supposed to be the president! Wild hijinks ensue as fellow students, teachers, and even his own friends decide they want to do good deeds. Before Cam knows it, things are out of control, he's being threatened by the high school Fuzzies (a competing good deeds club) and then there's the whole Elvis-the-beaver thing... Will Cam be forced to give up his gamer lifestyle and actually, you know, get involved?

Korman's trademark humor abounds, from the football player who refers to himself in the third person to the extracurricular-obsessed high school Fuzzy president. Cam himself is a typical Korman anti-hero - he just doesn't want to get involved and can't understand why people won't leave him alone. The events are a little over the top, but along with a big dose of humor there's a subtle suggestion that maybe making a difference isn't as hard as you think - and kids can definitely make that difference.

Plus Cam's younger sister turns out to be his gaming arch-nemesis (and much better than him) which was hilarious also.

Verdict: A must-have in your collection - give it to your slacker gamers, kids who want to get involved, beaver fans, and anyone who likes a funny book.

ISBN: 9780545823159; Published April 2016 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library

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