Reformed

Gr 4–7—Where do adolescent bullies go to turn their lives around? And what would it be like if they all went to school together? Those questions form the basis of Weinberger's debut, which follows wrongfully accused sixth grader Ian Hart as he and his friends Ash, Mark, and Devon attend a summer reform school for bullies called JANUS. Ian's inner monologue is frequently troubled by an entity he refers to as The Freak, a stand-in for his adolescent social awkwardness and, more important, his budding individuality. Weinberger gives Ian a self-deprecating voice that will appeal to "Wimpy Kid" fans who are interested in exploring the ethical questions facing middle schoolers. Vivid supporting characters, including a pair of feuding dancers and a renegade computer hacker, provide color and comic relief. But Ian's closer friends, especially Devon, the book's main antagonist and the party responsible for the group's summerlong detention, would have benefited from further development. Weinberger tries to work too many of Ian's fantasies into the story (in addition to The Freak, there's an imaginary ghost of Thomas Edison and a sort-of time-traveling toilet), which can be confusing.