Reformed

March 6, 2017
Twelve-year-old Ian has a set of rules designed to avoid being bullied, including “be quiet and fit in.” Ian’s friend Devon looks out for him, too, though Devon can be a bully himself. When Ian is an unwitting accessory to an allergic boy’s exposure to peanut butter, Ian, Devon, and two other friends are sent to a summer school for bullies. There, Ian vents his frustrations to the spirit of Thomas Edison (“You were my age once.... How did you transform from a twelve-year-old dropout to a self-taught inventor guy?”), nurses an inner voice he thinks of as “the Freak” that longs to speak up, and confides in friends Ash and Alva. Weinberger’s debut is filled with stunts and pranks that many readers will recognize, and when Devon goes too far, Ian is finally compelled to confront him. Ian’s fears of being bullied and guilt at not standing up for himself and others are strongly felt, although his wry observations and joking relationship with Ash add layers of levity to this coming-of-age journey. Ages 8–12.

December 15, 2016
Will Ian's friendships survive bully school? Will he survive? East Huron fifth-grader (soon to be sixth-) Ian Hart is loyal to his friends Ash, Mark, and Devon. Devon may not be the nicest kid, but Ian thinks he protects the quartet from bullies. On the brink of summer and the last day of elementary school, Devon trades lunches with Ian and slips his newly acquired PB&J to Max, who's been trying to befriend Ash and Ian. Allergic to peanuts, Max nearly dies, and Ian and friends land in the Juvenile Academy for Noncompliant and Underachieving Students, a summer camp for bullies. If they fail to learn their lesson, they'll end up in the KinderCorp Children's Village--actual reform school. Though they're younger by two years than the rest of the residents, Devon befriends the cool kids and blackmails Ian and Ash into giving up their new quirky friends. When Devon's actions make him uncomfortable, Ian must decide whether to risk being a target or turn a blind eye. The incident that sends the boys to camp in Weinberger's debut sets an unrealistic tone that the story never shakes. What four sets of parents would allow their kids to be sent away for an act so obviously perpetrated by one? The realistic relationships among the kids can't save this at-times confusing tale of troubled preteens. The cast appears to be a largely white one. A pale imitation of Gordon Korman's best. (Fiction. 9-12)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Where do adolescent bullies go to turn their lives around? And what would it be like if they all went to school together? Those questions form the basis of Weinberger's debut, which follows wrongfully accused sixth grader Ian Hart as he and his friends Ash, Mark, and Devon attend a summer reform school for bullies called JANUS. Ian's inner monologue is frequently troubled by an entity he refers to as The Freak, a stand-in for his adolescent social awkwardness and, more important, his budding individuality. Weinberger gives Ian a self-deprecating voice that will appeal to "Wimpy Kid" fans who are interested in exploring the ethical questions facing middle schoolers. Vivid supporting characters, including a pair of feuding dancers and a renegade computer hacker, provide color and comic relief. But Ian's closer friends, especially Devon, the book's main antagonist and the party responsible for the group's summerlong detention, would have benefited from further development. Weinberger tries to work too many of Ian's fantasies into the story (in addition to The Freak, there's an imaginary ghost of Thomas Edison and a sort-of time-traveling toilet), which can be confusing. VERDICT An entertaining and quirky read, suitable for fans of Tom Angleberger, Jeff Kinney, and James Roy.-Abigail Garnett, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 Ian's looking forward to field day, the last day of elementary school, but things take a turn when Devon tricks him out of his PB&J sandwich and gives it to a boy with a severe peanut allergy. Now Ian, Devon, Ash, and Mark are spending their summer in reform school. Strange things happen here, including bullying, survival hikes, and even dance lessons. Ian and Ash make friends with Alva, a girl from another school, and discover what true friendship is, and Ian finally learns how to stand up to Devon. Early in the story, Ian reads about Thomas Edison's childhood, which gives some insight into how Ian deals with conflict; he talks through problems with Tom, while trying to squelch the Freak, the monster that lurks inside his headthough these interactions are often more confusing than illuminating. Nevertheless, debut author Weinberger's understanding of preteen boys and their antics comes out in their immature, sometimes goofy behavior, and their characters develop as the summer progresses.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)