“Unplugged” is a fun middle grade mystery by the master, Gordon Korman. There was elements of this story that reminded me of the modern middle grade classic, “Holes,” which is truly high praise coming from a middle school librarian. I like that this book will make kids consider the pros and cons of all the technology we surround ourselves with. There is something to be said for breaking away and making healthier choices, especially by getting outside and into nature more. And yet, being completely cut off can also leave us vulnerable. There is a deeper message here about the exploitation of people seeking help and guidance and the way greed can corrupt folks. Plus, there are adorable baby alligators! What more could you want?!

Adorable cover! I really disliked the audiobook’s narrator so I had to download the ARC from Netgalley. I enjoyed the premise of this book: rich kid needs to unplug to find out who he is and wants to be. I would have liked a bit more personal growth, but really enjoyed the idea behind it. I believe we all need to unplug more in our lives. It’s a good message for kids. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fun and engaging middle grade mystery from Gordon Korman. If you like his other books this one will be a winner!

Jett is a spoiled rich kid and when daddy's jet drops him off in the middle of nowhere and he is forced to give over his phone and do all these weird things he would never do. But as the time goes by he gets used to it, but what happens next?

Unplugged is another awesome book from Mr Korman. The loss of being plugged in is not the end of the world and you will live through it but watch out for the meditation. The mysteries and humor Korman puts into his books always draws me in and I love it and this book doesn't disappoint either. This book is great and I can't wait for the next.

This will appear on my blog on Jan 5th.

Gordon Korman is a popular author in my classroom, so I was excited to try this audiobook. I, personally, am not a fan of his work, but my students like some of his books. The audiobook version of this is, honestly, pretty terrible It was hard to follow, and the characters weren’t that interesting. I think it might be better as a book, and I will definitely purchase for my classroom. Overall, this is a good middle grade book.

*in stores 1/5/2021

Unplugged is a middle-grade mystery novel about the troublemaking son of a tech billionaire and his forced visit to a health and wellness camp in Arkansas called Oasis.

In Uplugged the reader follows Jett Baranov as he arrives as Oasis and realizes his dad hasn’t sent him to a five star posh resort but instead signed him up for a camp with a no-cell phone rule, vegetarian menu and daily meditation and hypnosis. Jett is predictably annoyed with the camp rules and menu and joins up with other kids interested in trips offsite to get candy and taking care of an non-sanctioned reptile pet called “Needles”. As Jett snoops around camp he starts to find things that don’t add up and maybe camp Oasis isn’t the haven of wellness it claims to be.

I think readers of all ages will enjoy this middle-grade adventure and mystery. It has enough laughs and plot twists to keep the interest of teen and tween readers but isn’t childish or silly.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audio copy of Unplugged in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four stars

Kids are forced into unplugging from electronics while at a wellness camp. Jett Baranov is used to getting his way so he can't believe he has to hand over his cell phone. As the kids get used to their new reality without electronics, they notice that the adults are acting strange.

My students are going to enjoy Unplugged. The cover is adorable and it will catch their attention. The story is also fairly predictable if you are an adult, but my students won't think so. It would be a fun read aloud.

I listened to the audiobook and it was hard to keep the characters separate, but the traditional book will make that a little bit easier to follow. I found it a little slow in the beginning, but it did get better as it went.

Imagine a summer camp that is so boring and horrible that four kids who mostly don't even like each other would bond over a lizard. That is The Oasis. Told from multiple points of view which are often difficult to distinguish due to the robotic reading (I can enjoy a book well enough with this voice sometimes but it is definitely suited to a one POV book better than this one) we know that most of these kids are pretty one dimensional and not very likable. I sometimes try to put myself in my students' place when reading something like this. Then I realize that when I'm doing that, the book isn't as good as when I don't even think of that. Literature for children should be just as engaging and well developed as literature for adults. Just with different word choices and situations when necessary. These characters were all a little too flat for me. I think middle aged kids will read it and think, "That was good." I do not think they will reread it or tell their friends they should read it. I guess that is my bar.

Getting this right out of the way: the audiobook was read by a synthetic voice which is very odd listening to a robotic tone reading a book centered around ridding your life of technology. It is very hard to judge the audiobook as a result, but luckily, I also got an eARC of the book itself.

This book is just what you would expect from Korman. That playful humor that emanates throughout the rest of his stories is alive and well in Unplugged. Kids are not going to be even a little disappointed in this story and I expect it to end up on many statewide book award lists.

For Libraries: If Korman's other works are popular in your library, you certainly won't want to pass this one up.

I think the synthetic voice made it hard to follow which person was speaking at which time, however, I got the point of the story. It was very cute and quick, not my favorite of Mr. Korman's work but definitely a great quick read! The kids at my library are going to eat it up.

Very cute story with a great message. I also really liked the cover art. I find it a great idea to have digital books to listen to at night to wind down.

A fun YA book with some interesting twist and turns. Jett is sent to a health resort to help him understand his action have consequences.
At first I really dislike Jett as a spoiled brat as the book goes one you fine that he is just lonely. With a group of the most unlikely group of friends and a lizard the summer becomes interesting. Gordon Korman word play is entertaining and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks to @netgalley for an Audiobook. Narrated beautifully

While ¬Unplugged has a great plot, the audio version makes them no more likeable. In fact, I found the audio no more likeable. A good narrator is essential to audio books. This digitally generated voice added no depth to the story. Told by several campers, the voice needed to change for each camper who was telling their viewpoint about the summer camp in which they had to give up all technology. Without the voice changes, it was too difficult to keep track of who was talking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for a review. So first I will say that this particular audio was hard to follow for the first couple of chapters because it is a digital voice which threw me for a bit until I got used to it. I loved the preface of this book being kids and families in a detox from foods, jobs, and technology. It took awhile to see where it was all going but I couldn't wait to see. All the different characters were great. Love the idea of different narrators. I love the onions addition of Needles. The ending was completely unexpected and I think this will be another middle grade winner that will be highly requested!

Jet is a spoiled rich kid who gets sent to a specialized camp, The Oasis, in an attempt to adjust his self-absorbed, problematic attitude. Everyone at The Oasis is living a wholistic, peaceful lifestyle and Jet starts to settle in, even forming friendships with some of the other children at the camp. However, when Jet becomes convinced something shady is happening, he has a hard time getting others to see his side.

UNPLUGGED is an entertaining middle grade novel, with many elements that its intended audience will enjoy. I found it a touch superficial and overall predictable (not necessarily the details though). Overall, a solid work of fiction worth including in libraries serving grades 4-6.

NOTE: This was my first experience with a computer generated narrator and it took me a while to get used to it. It highlighted how much depth a good narrator adds to the story.

This was a cute story. Great for middle grades. The characters were very likable. I liked hearing the story from different perspectives. While parts of the story seem a little far fetched, you can also see how it could happen. It was a fun, quick story to read that I think kids will enjoy.

Jett is a privileged son of a tech billionaire used to getting his way. When he is forced to unplug at a wellness camp, he becomes determined to make trouble in order to get sent home. When his plans backfire, he ends up helping care for a rogue lizard, Needles, and making friends. When Jett begins to suspect that everything at the camp is not what it seems, he and his friends work together to solve the mystery.

Part mystery, part adventure, and part friendship story, the twists, turns, and humor will appeal to many middle grade readers. I look forward to recommending this to my middle school library students.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This author has long been on my TBR list, so was glad to get the advance copy to listen to. I now have first hand experience reading a book of his and can confidently continue to recommend to those looking for recommendations at the library. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints, which took a little while to keep track of who was who, but once I was keeping the characters straight, was a great way to get a variety of perspectives on the adventures that unfold. Gordon Korman did a great job of keeping the suspense of figuring out exactly how you'd get to the end that you may have some suspicion on, but enough loose ends that you really can't be certain. There was a mix of real places and companies mentioned, and some completely made up, but loosely based on real ones, that made it feel like it was the telling of a true story. The main character may have been a bit extreme, but that's what makes a good story.

I ended up DNFing this audio book. To me the voice was emotionless. Especially when reading middle grade I want a really animated story, and t hat was not this. I made it about 30% of the way through and decided to call it quits.

I've been a fan of Gordon Korman's books since I discovered the 39 Clues. I loved them. I've enjoyed other of his books since the 39 Clues series. Even though I'm past the age for the main demographics this book is geared towards, I still enjoy reading them. The characters are fun and their dry humor can pull a laugh from me.

The cover of this book is fabulous! I saw it and instantly wanted to know what this book was about. Reading the synopsis further clinched my desire to dive into this one. It was quite entertaining and kept me company while I listened and did work around my home. Get ready to meet an eclectic cast of characters. Teenagers and up. Jett is our main character, who has gotten himself into a few too many scraps and problems. His dad is done and without Jett knowing, sends him to The Oasis. Where Jett gets to try to tap into a world of mindfulness without any comforts or distractions of technology or any outside resources. Good luck Jett! He instantly meets several different characters who are also at The Oasis. Some of them by choice because of their parents taking the whole family, and others not quite by choice but by life.

Jett's commentary is pretty funny. He doesn't make the best impressions but soon there are a couple things that draw the other characters close to his age together. This mysterious lizard. Sneaking out of the compound. Snickers. And a little subterfuge. The other characters get to throw in their thoughts as well, as the POV changes. I loved getting more little bits and pieces of all of their stories as these clues led to the ending and some possible friendships.

Definitely a book I think several middle-grade readers will really enjoy and those readers who are still kids at heart.

Content: Clean

I received an audiobook copy from the publisher, Harper Audio (Balzer + Bray), via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!