[Jade]

SLUGFEST.

 

Hey, if you haven't read the book yet, don't continue reading this unless you want the whole thing spoiled.

Gord, first off. I’m amazed. I did not think I would be having a favorite book any time soon–it used to be Percy Jackson. But now… I think it’s SLUGFEST. You know how WHATSHISFACE is my favorite book of yours? SLUGFEST is giving it a run for its money. Seriously. I think I’m going to have to reread (which I usually don’t do) WHATSHISFACE so that I can properly gauge which is better.

Anyways, onto the actual book. This probably isn’t going to be as detailed as LINKED since we’re literally doing a “Book Club” on it, but it was COOL. Like seriously cool.

Characters. I was right, Yash is awesome. He’s one of the first jocks that I’ve seen that are actually nice and likable. Most of them are major jerks or at least minor jerks. Yash isn’t. He doesn’t start off as the best but he becomes better and accepts the slugs more than I thought he would. 

All of the characters are in depth, except maybe Fiona. And I’m not saying that she lacks dimension, just that the reader probably doesn’t see it. (I’m aware that many authors know characters better than the reader ever will.) But the gang; Yash, Cleo, Fiona, Kaden, Stuart, Sarah, (Ara)bella, Jesse. And of course Coach. (Tammy)

My favorite character is probably Bella. Crazy, right? Cleo is cool too. Bella is just super powerful and knows what she wants. I imagine her with long black hair. Bella hasn’t been handed the best card by her dad but her family is her family and she used that to motivate her rather than sulk. I also just really like her. I liked how much we got to see into her life and her relationship with Nate (AWW!)

Yash is probably my second fav. He’s just cool, you know? I don’t have tons of things to say about the characters except that they were great picks for this book and you’re very good at writing characters people care about. They also have voices. Jesse and Yash sound different. Cleo and Bella are very distinct. Sarah? I don’t really understand why she got a chapter but it was cool anyways. Great job on that front. A lot of authors struggle to write a world with many characters. You’re not authors.

Next. Themes. 

The underdogs coming out on top. Honesty. Fairness. Being wrong. Earning what you get. I liked all of them! I’ll admit, I was disappointed when it didn’t turn into a super big mystery with Coach, but hey, you got me excited for the Slugs. Me personally, I am an underdog, or at least I was one with vball. It tells you not to quit (something I kind of regret doing.) But from LINKED, I also know that good can come from maybe not-so-good decisions. Like the whole summer school situation. Everything.

The end really warmed my heart, when Kaden fumbled and they lost, but Yash refused to let him be down about it. How the Comets postponed their victory party. How Nate told the truth–and Yash nor Bella were gonna snitch! Also, how Jesse’s social experiment worked. That was hilarious.

I like how Bella was focused on fairness but could be a total hypocrite. It shows we’re humans too. I like how Nate was honest despite going against his dad. I like how the slugs won–and not because any other team got hurt! How they used their talents and they WON, except the other guy got disqualified, yada-yada but they WON! Man, that made me happy. I was rooting for them! Last 30 pages had me super hype.

I don’t know if there were supposed to be any super deep themes like in LINKED other than Bella’s dad. 

But yeah. Great book. Super fun, super happy (at most parts) and teaches a great lesson. Would totally recommend to others.

 

Be blessed,

 

Jade

 

That's my best review so far! Thank you for all the detail!

And how about all sorts of people coming out of the woodwok to join the SLUGFEST Book Club Review! It will either be fun or so confusing that we'll all be totally lost. I'm just an observer, but I'm really looking forward to it!

Run, m'dear! It clears the head.                                                                  -----Gord-----

[Jade]

Two weeks ago?! Where is the time going...

[Be Hoffman school]

I LOVE SLUGFEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jade]

ME TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Charlie]

Oh my God! I just finished it, as I got it as a present and it was one of my favorites! I love how the ending was sweet yet not a cliche that Slugfest won, and I think SLUGFEST might be my favorite book yet. Even more then Son of the Mob.

Charlie

Hi, Charlie,

I'm very glad you enjoyed SLUGFEST so much. As you can imagine, itwas fun to write, too. Thanks for posting.

                                                                                                        -----Gordon Korman-----

[Jammie]

This was also one of my favorite books too!! I absolutely loved that the jock in the book, Yash and Nate, weren't overly cliche, like the big ol' dumb jock. I like that they had personality and I was rooting for Yash from the very beginning. I also like the story between Cleo and Yash, that Cleo was not going to do any sport because of her injury and she was the only one not helping Yash out, but she had a real reason. They all had real reasons NOT to do something in the book and, and ahhhhhhh, I could say more but I'd be rambling. It's amazing that you've written most of the books I liked as a kid, I just didn't realize it was you all along haha, even now, like ten years later, I still really enjoy your books. Can't wait for more!

Hi, Jammie,

Did this come through twice and have I answered it already?Sorry to drive you crazy.

In case I didn't reply, thanks for the posting and the nod of approval for nobody being a "big dumb jock." Glad you enjoyed the book, and even happier that you're looking for more.

Thanks. (Possibly thanks again!)                                                                      -----Gordon Korman-----