Project Sweet Life

April 1, 2009
Gr 6-9-Fifteen-year-old friends Dave, Victor, and Curtis are looking forward to a long summer of freedom. Much to their dismay, their fathers require them to get jobs. In an effort to salvage their vacation, the boys devise a plan: they will tell their dads that they are working and then figure out a get-rich-quick scheme. If all goes accordingly, they will earn money with little effort and have a relaxing time all to themselves. They dub their plan Project Sweet Life. What results is a hilarious story filled with mishaps, close calls, and outrageous adventures. Peppered with Dave's mom's strange culinary creations (fish stick stew, spaghetti meatloaf, canned-tuna tacos, anyone?), the plot is a bit far-fetched; however, it will keep readers laughing and engaged. The novel will be especially appealing to middle school boys, who will wish they could start their own Project Sweet Life."Sarah K. Allen, Thetford Academy, VT"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2008
Grades 6-9 Fifteen-year-old Dave and his buddies Victor and Curtis are shocked when theirfathers demand they get summer jobs. As the boys glumly contemplate actual work, they decide to deceive their families, avoid employment, and live the sweet life for one last summer. Still, they need to figure out a way to make money, which they can pass off to their parents as hard-earned wages. In a series of ill-fated schemes that range from bank stakeouts to scuba diving, the boys weave a complicated and uncomfortable web of lies and rack up a large debt. At last, they try a desperate plan to locate stolen gold that plunges them into the China Tunnels, a remnant of a black time in the history of Tacoma, Washington. Hartingers comedy of errors is improbable but entertaining. The characters ring true, and teens will appreciate that the trio puts more effort into evading work than they would have expended at a real job. An amusing story with great teen appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)