This was an adorable book that will make both boys and girls read it page after page!! It's not only this cover that will make kids want to read this one!! I laughed so much when I read this one and I can not wait to get a finished copy of this so our mini reader can read it. (she's not doing ebooks as of yet). The mystery was fabulous to follow and the characters were great!

It’s twelve-year-old Jeff’s worst nightmare. Being trapped at a wellness camp eating food recently buried in dirt and bunking with strangers. Worst of all, no cell phone. Nothing is as bad as going Unplugged cold turkey. How can he get out of this 1960s prison? And why are the adults acting so strangely?

Unplugged has every 1980s comedy movie trope except for the furtive sexual tension. It is just as funny too. Middle grade children should enjoy it if you can drag them off their phones long enough. 4 stars!

Thanks to Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the review copy of this book. I was very excited to see a new book from Gordon Korman! Unplugged follows a young man named Jett, whose richer-than-all get-out father sends him to a wellness retreat called The Oasis. Jett hates everything about the Oasis, especially the fact that all electronics are taken away.

Jett’s story is quickly intertwined with straight-laced Grace, allergic to everything Tyrell, and free roaming Brooklynne when a young lizard is found wandering the camp. Ignoring the no pets policy, the four unlikely friends band together to care for it. As the summer goes on, the friends begin to realize that something strange is happening at the Oasis.

This book is full of heart and humor. I found myself reading parts of this book to my students as I was reading, and they are looking forward to it being added to my classroom library. Gordon Korman has confirmed that he is still a masterful storyteller.

Unplugged takes readers on a journey of friendship and how they can form in the most unlikely of places. Jett is a billionaire's spoiled brat and has pushed the boundaries so far that his father sends him to the Oasis; a vegan, tech-free, activity based camp for families in the middle of no-where Arkansas. The story has multiple points of view besides Jett's, which I enjoyed. I think 4th-6th graders will enjoy this book most. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All spelling and grammar errors are totally my own.

Unplugged by Gordon Korman overflows with humor, action, and heart. If you are a Korman fan, this is a perfect addition to your collection. If you are new to Korman, this will be the perfect gateway book. Jett Baranov is the son of a Silicon Valley tech genius. To call him spoiled would be a massive understatement. After a particularly risky stunt, from which his dad had to bail him out, Jett has been sent to spend a rehabilitative summer at the Oasis with his father's right hand man as a caretaker.

At the Oasis, Jett is forced to exist completely unplugged from the devices, social media, and entertainment he has come to rely on. Instead, he is invited to meditate, eat healthy, and relax in natural hot springs.

Of course, Jett is much more interested in finding a way out of the Oasis than he is in participating in any wellness activities. However, as the summer unfolds, Jett becomes entangled in a deception involving other kids at the Oasis, which leads him to a big mystery. Jett discovers what the Oasis is really about, but with all of the crazy pranks he has pulled, will anyone believe him?

In true Korman fashion, readers are drawn into the hearts and minds of multiple characters to explore what health, responsible living, and friendship really mean.

This will be a definite addition to my classroom library. Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for a free, temporary digital review copy of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of fun to read, and it was well written and had a great plotline and story. The author did a good job engaging the reader so, they felt interested and invested in the characters' futures and how it would end. I recommend this if you enjoy Gordon Korman's books or Middle-Grade realistic fiction.

Godron Korman definitely has a winning formula when it comes to his middle grade novels. Unplugged's protagonist Jett reminds me a little of Chase from Restart - there's the group of friends, the girl who can't stand him and of course, some fireworks. I loved the beginning but the story takes a sharp turn out of nowhere about halfway through, developing into a completely different direction than I was predicting, which then put me in catch-up mode. The ending made me smiley and happy and I think students will enjoy it. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #Unplugged by #GordonKorman

Jett Baranov is a mega richs spoiled brat and he has been exiled to a wellness camp in the Arkansas boonies for six weeks. The Oasis is low frills, no tech, and vegetarian. Jett is bored to tears and resisting the good life. Will the camp change him before he can change the camp? Korman gives us a rich cast of characters and some mysteries to solve. Why does Brooklynne participate so little yet know so much? What would happen if someone started selling black market candy bar around camp? What is going on at the big fancy house just down the road? Books like this are so appealing to rule-followers like me. I love seeing how the other half lives.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will appeal to Korman fans. It starts a little slower than some of his other titles, but kids familiar with his work will love it.

Unplugged took me by surprise. This is the first book of Korman’s I’ve read and I enjoyed the quick wit and character development. Some parts were a bit predictable, but I think that middle schoolers will definitely enjoy reading this book and diving into the mysteries and surprises it holds.

I read an Advanced copy of this book courtesy of #Netgalley and the publisher. I liked the premise of the book and the mystery that was threaded into the narrative. Students will connect to the characters and the idea of how hard it would be to live without your electronic devices. Of course there is an over the top element that Gordon Korman has within his novels. This will be a hit with fans of Gordan Korman.

I received an electronic ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books through NetGalley.
This in not one of my favorite Korman books but it is an interesting story. Readers meet Jett, a "spoiled brat" with extremely wealthy parents. As the story progresses, readers also see why Jett behaves the way he does. He is exiled to a wellness spa for the summer after his latest antics. While at the spa, he meets several other kids who are there with their families. Together, they form a tentative friendship group to take care of a baby lizard found near the hot springs. Their adventures and antics pull them together though suspicions and moments of mistrust remain.
Korman tells the story from a variety of POVs - perhaps too many in some portions. Middle grade readers will connect to the characters and attempt to sort out the mystery along with them.

Unplugged by Gordon Korman was a middle grade read about a group of kids who become connected due to needing to disconnect (#seewhatididthere) at a "wellness' camp. Each kid finds themselves there for a different reason, and these are revealed as the story goes. The kids also start to realize there are some interesting things happening at camp, and all is not what it seems. They realize they must band together to make it through, and they band together even more so to discover the truth of what's really going on with the adults and activities who are there. This is one of those stories I could see kids totally digging as it has some unexpected twists in relationships and in what's actually going down! Let's just say, there's more to that lizard on the cover than I would have ever guessed, and that's part of the thrill of this one! Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2021 release!

Gordon Korman is one of my go-to authors for reluctant readers. His writing style propels a story forward easily without bogging the reader down in unnecessary or complicated details. Jett is quite a stinker; an overwhelmingly spoiled adolescent rogue, and at first it is difficult to like him. But he grows on you.
In this book the plot propels the story, not the characters. Explosions, some serious villains, and fear of being eaten by alligators certainly keep the pages turning! I'm hoping this book has a sequel so that Korman has a chance to dig more deeply into these characters.

4 stars! Listened to the audiobook after I was already approved for the digital arc. Kids are sent to an "unplugged" camp where they don't have technology and of course hilarity ensues. Highly recommend to upper elementary and lower middle readers.

This is a really fun, friendship story. This book takes a twist on the children going to a summer camp storyline. The main characters are at wellness camp to better themselves. The main character, Jett, has a rich parent who has sent him to camp after he has messed up again. Then learn to grow as friends and as people throughout the storyline. There is some mystery and suspense that keeps the reader wanting to read more. I always love Gordon Korman's books, they are always fun caring books.

Jett Baranov has finally pulled one bratty, Silicon Valley rich kid prank too many and is sent to a health and wellness retreat to "Be Whole." Upon arrival, Jett must surrender his electronics and from that point on makes it his mission to sabotage all the activities at the retreat and figure out a way to get sent home. Grace, Tyrell, and Brooklynne are also at the health and wellness spa and the four kids could not be more different. They all put aside their differences after Grace finds a mysterious lizard in the hot springs and hides it (no pets allowed!) and tries to keep it alive. As the kids conspire to the keep the 'lizard' alive, they realize something isn't quite right about Ivory, one of the head Pathfinders and they are very curious about the mansion in the middle of the small town outride the spa that is owned by the mysterious Snapper who roars around town in a tinted-window Ferrari.

I absolutely love Gordon Korman. As a children's librarian, he is by far one of my favorite children's authors. While this book wasn't my favorite of his, it was still trademark Korman with the assertive children characters, the big crazy Carl-Hiaasen-esque problems and the grand finale ending. Definitely recommended for upper elementary and middle school libraries and another one that should make some state reading award lists.

I have read several of Korman's books and this one ranks high on the list. The concept of unplugging kids from their devices for a whole summer at Camp Oasis was the first hook that snagged me and then you add in a very spoiled techy boy who is unwillingly dropped of at the camp and you know there is going to be some twists and turns and probably some rule breaking!
Jett Baronov is determined to get himself kicked out of the camp and back to civilization and his cell phone and the last thing he wants is a friend, but when his attempts at using his money and power are thwarted he just might need one. Korman weaves a fun tale of adventure, friendship and compassion as he tell the story through the various kids Jett meets at the camp. Each campers tells his/her side of their encounters with Jett. Some are friends and some are foes- and everyone is looking for adventure. And that brings us to the pet 'lizard' they all join forces to protect. No spoilers here! Just a fun read for middle grade students.

Unplugged by Gordon Korman will be available January 5, 2021 from HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the advanced copy to review this novel.

Jett is super rich, super spoiled, and super bored. Due to the super boredom, he creates his own thrills, often with disastrous results. So much so that the California newspapers call him Silicon Valley’s Number Spoiled Brat. Sometimes, they throw in the word rich for variety when relating his latest trouble.

So, to force him into reality, his dad finds a wellness camp which is completely devoid of all electronics, meat, and other unhealthy influences. He is sentenced to Oasis Wellness for six whole weeks! Jett finds it awful! He pouts, he refuses, he hates the vegan food, he detests the attempts at boiling him alive in the hot springs. Somehow, he falls into a group of unlikely kids who have a secret, an illegal pet (no pets allowed at Oasis either).

One mishap after another, quick pacing, and wild adventure make this story come alive (like most of Korman’s writing). I seriously felt like I was watching it on a big screen—there was so much action! It’s an excellent story!

Gordon Korman has written yet another instant middle grades classic that I would love to put on my shelf and share with young readers. Korman taps into the idea of unplugging, which is timely given our video game world and the loads of virtual learning going on right now.

The characters come to life with dialogue and humor, and Korman plays with the situational comedy aspect of this book like the master he is. Sure to capture many young readers!