Product Description

Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don't want when you are keeping a secret.

Before long, things start to get out of control, and Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Now the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail...or worse!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11552 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Fifth-grader Brenton is a computer genius, but the other three members of his work group think he's a nerd. So, when he tells them that he has invented a machine that does homework, they taunt him until he agrees to demonstrate. The machine actually works, and Kelsey, Sam, and Judy convince him to let them use it. At first, they are delighted with their freedom, but things quickly get out of hand. Their teacher is suspicious of the suddenly errorless work, and other friends resent the time that they spend together. The dynamics within the group are stressful as well. Judy, a talented student, feels guilty about cheating, but is pressured to excel. Kelsey is concerned that her friends will shun her for associating with nerds, but her improved grades earn privileges at home. Wisecracking Sam makes fun of Brenton but needs his help in playing chess by mail with his dad, who is serving in Iraq. The children gradually begin to bond, especially after Sam's father is killed in combat. Eventually, their secret causes conflict with the law. The story is told entirely through short excerpts from police interviews. This device shows the developing relationships through the kids' own observations. There are touches of humor in the way the four classmates talk about themselves and one another. Ominous hints about the legal trouble maintain tension throughout the story, but its exact nature isn't revealed until near the end. A dramatic and thought-provoking story with a strong message about honesty and friendship.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 4-6. In a novel about a boy clever enough to make his computer do his homework for him, Gutman delivers a fresh take on an idea as old as Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine (1958). The nontraditional narrative unfolds through the words of a large cast of characters, from a teacher to the police chief to the students in a fifth-grade class. Each chapter is a series of first-person entries, from a single line to a page in length, focusing primarily on four very different students who are assigned to the same group in school. Although they are not friends at the beginning of the book, they form an alliance of convenience that grows into something more after the temptation of a homework machine draws them together. A vivid subplot involves Sam, whose father is sent to war in the Middle East. This fast-paced, entertaining book has something for everyone: convincing characters deftly portrayed through their own words; points of discussion on ethics and student computer use; and every child's dream machine. Booktalkers will find this a natural, particularly for those hard-to-tempt readers whose preferred method of computer disposal involves a catapult and the Grand Canyon. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
When he was a kid, Dan Gutman always did his homework. That's how he grew up to write cool books such as The Kid Who Ran for President, Honus & Me, The Million Dollar Shot, Race for the Sky, and The Edison Mystery: Qwerty Stevens, Back in Time. If you want to learn more about Dan or his books, stop by his Web site: www.dangutman.com.

But first do your homework.

Customer Reviews

Lots of promise but poorly done
After reading such good reviews about this book I was excited and really hoped to be able to use it in my own 5th grade classroom. However, I was underwhelmed to say the least.

As a teacher of 5th graders, I know what 5th graders talk like. Even if you stretched to 7th or 8th grade, the vocabulary and the sentences structure is beyond their speaking much less reading level. I really struggled to capture the characters in my mind because they seemed so unrealistic.

In addition, the plot was shaky. There are so many unanswered questions or pat answers given to real mysteries. Why were the police involved with a completely school-related issue? Why did the red light on the computer stay on? How does a "marketing agent" track down a 5th grader on a computer without having any previous contact through a chat room or elsewhere? How did this "marketing agent" know who was involved?

I think the final straw for me was the situation with Sam's family (I will not ruin it for those of you who still would like to read it). It was done in very poor taste. The situation with Sam's dad was given high drama and then disappeared within one or two pages. It was a cheap devise and gives readers the impression that Sam's father did not mean much at all to him or anyone else for that matter.

I love the idea of seeing the action from different people's perspectives, but if I'm going to do a reader's theatre in my classroom with students, it will be a well done book that has fun, realistic characters, fine writing and a good story.

Hal's review
This book is about four kids who create a homework machine to do they're homework for them, but is this a gift or a curse? Their classmates begin to get suspicious and attempt to get them to admit it, but will one of them crack?

I enjoyed how everyone gets to express they're own point of view throughout the book, and how the author introduces different characters throughout the book. It's a shame that it didn't last longer, but then again I didn't stop reading it so that would be why.

The homework machine is one of my favourite books of this genre the layout is fun to read, Dan Gutman has exceeded himself in this book. I like how people that are completely different gradually over time become friends. This was one of the greatest books I've read in a long time. You have to read this book, beacause it is a brilliant read that will interest your kids and most likely yourself.

GREAT BOOK FOR AN 11 YR. OLD BOY NOT SO INTERESTED IN READING!
MY 11 YR. OLD SON COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! HE IS NOT AN AVID READER BUT THIS BOOK REALLY CAPTURED HIS INTEREST. WE SINCE HAVE PURCHASED OTHER "DAN GUTMAN" BOOKS.