i thought it a pretty unique plotline, different from my other recent ya reads at least. it was funny. i chuckled at the word-misusages in the protagonist's narration. clever part subtitles (part one: frying pan, part two: fire). ( )

Teen fiction; high school/mystery. Cute detective novel written from the vantage point of your typical (or not so typical) 14-year-old boy.

Readalikes to recommend: the disreputable history of frankie landau banks ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot as well. The language would make me recommend high school. The character, Sherman Mack, is such a nerd.... but a nice guy. ( )

I didn’t have anything wrong with this book, I just don’t have much to say about it. The plot was sort of interesting, but I thought the ending was a bit too dramatic, and didn’t really fit the rest of the book, and honestly for most of it I was a little bit bored.

I also wasn’t particularly impressed by the characters. I couldn’t really connect with the main character, Sherman. He was a bit of an idiot, and I was also annoyed by the fact that at the end he sort of cheated on a school project. Like really? He had to put on a dinner party, and he wasn’t allowed to get help from an adult. How hard is that really? But no, he got an adult to help (Sherman was a terrible cook), which made me sort of mad.
The rest of the characters I couldn’t really tell apart.

Also I was told that this was a really funny book, but although I did laugh once or twice, I didn’t really find it very funny. So it didn’t meet my expectations. I think I most likely would have liked it a bit more if I hadn’t went into it thinking it would be really funny.

Despite the fact that I don’t have great stuff to say about it, I actually am glad I read it, and I think that if it’s the type of book you like, its worth reading. Personally contemporary isn’t my favourite genre. I like magic in my books, or at least an unique world, that I don’t already live in. There are contemporaries that I like, but not as many as other genres. So although I didn’t like it, I think it is a good book. ( )

Sweet story about sticking up for the underdog, school bullying and friendship. I didn't get very close to any of the characters however. Three stars. ( )