“There’s a big difference between an underdog and an underslug.”
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Yash is the best athlete in the 8th grade. He’s so good, in fact, the school let him go up to the high school to work out with them. Unfortunately that meant he didn’t get his PE credit for the year and is stuck in summer school PEE with the Slugfest crew. There he meets other students like Kaden, a brilliant kid who lacks any athleticism whatsoever, arguing twins, a kid who can’t stop pulling pranks, an investigative journalist and Cleo, an awesome athlete who has given up sports. When they’re assigned to play tag and duck duck goose, Yash doesn’t think he can take it. A chance to prove himself to the JV coach has him pulling out all the stops with his ragtag team of flag football players.
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Fans of The Bad News Bears, Rudy and any other underdog tale will thoroughly enjoy @gordonkorman latest MG book. It reminded me a lot of The Unteachables because it brings lots of different kinds of kids together, a great teacher and a goal for the group. This will be the perfect addition to any elementary or middle school collection. This novel releases January 9!

CW: parental abandonment, divorce, discussion of animal abuse, bullying

Sometimes I wonder if middle grade authors know how 8th:9th graders really talk because this was so tame and definitely written like an adult would talk instead of kids, but I get that it’s for a younger audience.

I just love the other Gordon Korman books I've read, so I couldn't wait to dive into this one when I was granted access to the advance reader's copy (thanks NetGalley!). However, when I started reading and realized the main character "Yash" was a football star athlete, I sighed, as I'm not big on sports stories.
But let me tell you, as I kept reading, and meeting the amazing cast of characters that fill Yash's world, I couldn't help but be absorbed in the story! I loved the multiple points of view, each character was interesting and worth spending time with.
The last few events of the book had me flipping pages as fast as I could, I just HAD to know how the end game was going to turn out, and what exactly was the deal with the kids' PE teacher, Mrs. Finnerty! Such a great use of small details actually making the plot twist in the story.
This book was so great, I just wanted to hug my Kindle after reading it. I can't wait to hand-sell it to my customers here at the bookshop!

Another solid read from Gordon Korman. I learned more about flag football in the ending than I ever did while playing back in school. This one felt like Mr. Terrupt meets Breakfast Club in the best way. Even though it took me a good while to keep track of all the different characters and their split POVs, I grew to like all of them. A fun read that has lots of heart, friendship, and sportsmanship for fans of realistic fiction/school stories or sports fans.

Slugfest is about Yash, an 8th-grade athlete extraordinaire who has been moved up to JV-level sports in lieu of attending his middle-school PE class. As a result, he is informed at the end of the year that he is missing his gym credit and won't be able to attend high school next year unless he attends summer school to earn his credit. Yash begrudgingly attends gym with the other "slugs" who all failed gym for various reasons. Over the course of the summer, this rag-tag group bands together to train and in the end might gain more than just a class credit.

This story is one of perseverance and community. The characters show tremendous growth personally throughout the book and demonstrate great models of what sportsmanship and character should look like to middle-level readers. This story is wholesome, enjoyable, and a great addition to any classroom library.

This book was fabulous, as all of the books by this author are! It was actually really inspiring to see the main character bond with people he thought were beneath him, and then see them go and achieve things no one would have thought they were capable of!

Gordan Korman's sharp and heart warming "Slugfest" is a middle grade novel set in summer school; The title refers to a phys.ed class which all of the book's main characters are forced to attend. Cleo is an ex-athlete who has to attend because a skiing accident and recovery led to missed classes. Bella cut gym as a protest, Kaden to avoid bullying. The class is mostly full of students who on the surface seem to be unathletic. Yash however is a multi-sport athlete who finds himself in summer school gym because of a credit error made by his principal. His embarrassment is heightened by the fact that their instructor is a retired home economics instructor whose idea of training is more duck duck goose, then weight training. As Yash gets to know his gym classmates and their zany teacher, he realizes that first impressions can be misleading. As the summer goes on his classmates become his teammates in an unlikely bid to win a flag football tournament to help him regain a spot on the varsity football team. Slugfest is a great underdog story that will appeal to fans looking to read a funny underdog story that also delivers an emotional win.

Gordon Korman does it again! Slugfest follows a group of middle schoolers completing summer school P.E. The characters are engaging and grow throughout the book. This is a great middle grade read that can resonate with a variety of kids. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy. I highly recommend this book!

I’m a sucker for an underdog story, especially one written by Gordon Korman. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Yash, but he won me over. I wasn’t sure I was willing to read a “football” book either, but Korman won me over. Any book that makes me laugh hysterically and then need a tissue is worth sharing. This is one book I’ll be sharing with students and teachers.

I can usually count on Gordon Korman for a face-paced, humorous novel and this is no exception. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast. Each character had a good bit of development, so they didn't feel one dimensional. While some details in the plot didn't make a whole lot of sense and the overarching story was a bit predictable, I had a lot of fun reading this. Also, I love a good underdog story. Fans of the author will likely enjoy this new addition to Korman's catalog.

Gordan Korman's sharp and heart warming "Slugfest" is a middle grade novel set in summer school; The title refers to a phys.ed class which all of the book's main characters are forced to attend. Cleo is an ex-athlete who has to attend because a skiing accident and recovery led to missed classes. Bella cut gym as a protest, Kaden to avoid bullying. The class is mostly full of students who on the surface seem to be unathletic. Yash however is a multi-sport athlete who finds himself in summer school gym because of a credit error made by his principal. His embarrassment is heightened by the fact that their instructor is a retired home economics instructor whose idea of training is more duck duck goose, then weight training. As Yash gets to know his gym classmates and their zany teacher, he realizes that first impressions can be misleading. As the summer goes on his classmates become his teammates in an unlikely bid to win a flag football tournament to help him regain a spot on the varsity football team. Slugfest is a great underdog story that will appeal to fans looking to read a funny underdog story that also delivers an emotional win.

School is out and summer school has begun. A group of students are required to take PEE-physical education equivalency. The class is taught by Mrs. Finnerty, a retired second grade & FCS teacher who loves to bake. The first day the class plays duck duck goose, musical chairs, tag, and red light green light. The group is most unlikely group ever put together in a class. The group ends up working together to help Yash prepare to try out for the high school football team, as the quarter back.

Gordon Korman has done it again. I loved this book!! The most unlikely group end up being true friends and work together to help one. This is going to be one of the must read books of 2024!!!

Gordon Korman does it again, showing how the most unlikely group of kids can bond and become friends. Summer school is hard enough, but when you’re the star athlete of the football team, it’s a crushing blow. Yash takes it all in stride and makes lemonade out of lemons in this multiple perspective novel of teamwork, friendship, and building community.

In Slugfest a group of middle school boys and girls have to repeat PE to earn the credit they didn't earn before they can move on to high school.

This is a story of trials and tribulations amongst students of varying backgrounds and told from each of their points of view.

The story was somewhat predictable but the ending was what I would hope and dream every 8th grade student would act like. Once again, another Korman book I will be adding to my library for the students to read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC.

What worked:
The story is told from several points of view by eighth graders taking a summer school gym class. They share a need to pass it or they won’t move to high school in the fall. Yash and Cleo are the two primary characters but with differing views of athletics. They are the two best athletes in class but a serious injury has given Cleo an opportunity to reevaluate the importance of sports. The minor characters provide entertaining subplots with a twin brother and sister pair being the most amusing. They’re constantly feuding about something and their relentless pranks toward each other have no bounds.

The main conflict is allowed to develop organically as the characters wonder if they’ll receive credit for the P.E.E. class. This conflict becomes the underlying focus of the book. The teacher has the students play tag or Duck Duck Goose which are certainly not typical activities for kids preparing to enter high school. An investigative journalism class is the catalyst for escalated problems as it sometimes creates unwarranted suspicions. Conspiracies and injustice may be deduced from observations when they don’t actually exist. Good intentions can backfire when people don’t thoroughly examine the overall situation or possibilities.

There are several dynamic characters who grow and transform into better versions of themselves. Yash is a star quarterback who wants to impress the high school coaches. He’s forced to seek help from the other Slugs which ends up benefitting all of them. Cleo views Yash as an entitled jock who always gets his way but she reluctantly learns that her perceptions may be mistaken. Another student has a black-and-white view of fairness but complicated events reveal that the world is full of grey. A super-uncoordinated, straight-A boy is determined to develop at least a minimal amount of athleticism.

What didn’t work as well.:
The plot is fairly predictable without knowing specific details. The disgruntled students will ultimately work as a team and learn valuable life lessons along the way. The unusual blend of characters is what makes this story special.
The Final Verdict:
We can always count on Korman to use interesting characters to tell humorously serious stories that aren’t that aren’t far-fetched. This book should appeal to upper middle-grade students and I recommend you give it a shot.

Gordon Korman is a favorite of my elementary school students. This latest is certain to be a hit also.
Yash, a popular middle school sports sensation, is made to attend Physical Education Summer School on a technicality. And so the tale begins. Among the other students in the class are those he would never have associated with.
Korman has so deftly and humorously presented the cast of characters. They all seem to have their minuses and pluses but those pluses permeate the story. What emerges is a cast of characters that you can't help but love.
We're all rooting for them to crop up victorious.
That's Korman's talent. He is an expert at creating a story that is full of fun, adventure and kindness. Great read!

This title has Korman's usual brand of chaos. The characters are flawed, yet manage to accept each other where they are. The subplot involving misinformation on social media is timely and would allow for good class discussion of misinformation without wading into the muck of politics.

Gordon Korman is a master storyteller. I love all his books and cannot pick a favorite. He teaches lessons without it feeling like you are being taught a lesson. The lesson sticks with you too. I cannot wait to add this book to my collection and get it into the hands of students.

A fun read where we see a group of kids having to take PEE, physical education equivalency, or summer school gym. Arnie calls it Slugfest. Their coach, Mrs. Finnerty, has them start with kiddie games and kids wonder who is she? Arabella wants to expose the coach because she can’t be a real coach can she? Arnie wants to play JV football but has to pass PEE so he can. Rumor has it Nate is better than he is. No way. When a football tournament is held, secrets come out. What happens now?