From the author of "Frindle" comes an entertaining little story about a rich kid with parents who spend more time at work than at home. They do try their best to be with him as much as possible, and make sure he has everything he needs, but it's just not enough. When his parents invest in a huge property in rural New Hampshire, Mark is relocated to the local school for a few months, and when he finds that the work is way below his intellectual level, he makes no effort to fit in, and behaves like a spoiled brat.
However, when he begins exploring the new property, he makes all sorts of interesting discoveries, and overcoming his fear of the dark, he finds out that he quite likes camping and the outdoors. Inspired by the books of Jack London, he signs up for the annual class outing, known as "A Week in the Woods", doing his online research to make sure he has everything he needs. He also does some soul searching, and resolves to try to make friends at school and be a better person.
This is not enough for one of his teachers, who is blinded by his first impressions of Mark, and lets this cloud his responsibilities as a teacher. At the beginning of the week in the woods, Mark relaxes and starts enjoying himself, but things take a bad turn when the same teacher decides to send him back home for breaking one of the camp rules.
What follows is the most exciting and informative part of the book, where we learn about survival, human nature and forgiveness.
Recommended for ages 8-9, and kids who like camping out.
Amanda Richards
