• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

Slacker by Gordon Korman

April 22, 2016 by Jennifer

slacker

5M4B disclosure

I love reading middle grade fiction. Good writers — like Korman — write well in general, but specifically in a way that feels real to his target audience. This book amused me and also warmed my heart.

Cameron Boxer spends all of his time in the basement, wearing his headset, battling in a fictional world with his friends by his side (virtually, on his headset), teaming up together to try to prevent screen name EvilMcKillPeople from besting them. According to him, it’s not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. When this “lifestyle” results in him practically letting the house burn down around him, his parents force him to get involved in something else. This leads to him and his friends creating a club, the Positive Action Group, just to say they did. But will this club actually change the community and the school? More importantly will it change them?

My own video-game aficionado 6th grade son had a hard time getting into this book. He didn’t like the fact that in the first nine chapters, five characters are introduced. The short chapters are told from the point of view from several characters: Cam’s two best friends, the guidance counselor, the girl who is too excited about the club, the athlete on probation who has to join the club to stay on the team, Cam’s sister. I thought it was a great way to advance the story and give readers different characters with whom they might identify.

Slacker is an original, funny, and little bit outrageous novel. The outrageous part comes from that suspension of disbelief that the book — and lots of good middle grade fiction — asks of the reader. The club grows in leaps and bounds where it quickly is populated by over 700 students. Its plot points such as that are what makes it more powerful and fun.

Filed Under: Children's Books, Jennifer, Middle Grade Chapter Books

« Looking for Lovely by Annie Downs
The Rules of the House {Review & #Giveaway} »

Comments

  1. Barbara H. says

    April 26, 2016 at 10:01 am

    Just a friendly reminder about What’s On Your Nightstand. 🙂

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Sunday
  • Rules for Ruin
  • After Pearl
  • Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
  • I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2025 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316