The Detention Club

by David Yoo

Overview

Detention: The best worst thing to happen to Peter Lee?

Peter and his best friend, Drew, used to be so cool (or at least, not total outcasts) in elementary school. But now they're in middle school, where their extensive mica collection and prowess at kick ball have earned them a new label: losers.

Things go from bad to worse when Peter gets detention. But what at first seems to spell his utter doom turns into an unlikely opportunity for making friends and influencing people. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061783807
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/26/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

David Yoo is the author of the teen novels Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before and Girls for Breakfast. He is also a contributor to Guys Read: Funny Business. He spends his spare time staring unblinking (in either wonder or abject horror) at his newborn son, Griffin. David lives in Massachusetts, where he teaches in the MFA program at Pine Manor College and at the Gotham Writers' Workshop.

Editorial Reviews

Peter’s earnest, myopic first-person narration is authentic and convincing, and Yoo exposes the precarious footing and shifting allegiances of middle school with a deft hand…. A mystery about the Fenwick Middle School thief contributes to the quick pace and adds a satisfactory surprise.” — ALA Booklist

“Peter and Drew’s antics will keep readers laughing. Readers will be entertained by the boys’ hijinks and empathize with their desire to fit in.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE: “It wouldn’t seem possible to make high school jocks, popular girls and losers fresh and hilarious, but Yoo does it.” — New York Times Book Review

Praise for STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE: “Albert is a funny, fascinating, and infuriating character. Laugh-out-loud moments and painfully realistic scenes of student life will hold readers’ attention.” — School Library Journal

Praise for GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST: “Very funny and bravely rendered.” — Seattle Times

Praise for GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST: “Funny, dark, and subversive. Beware: you’ll never be able to look at a guy the same way after you read this book.” — Rachel Cohn, author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

From the Publisher

Praise for GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST: “Funny, dark, and subversive. Beware: you’ll never be able to look at a guy the same way after you read this book.

Rachel Cohn

Praise for STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE: “It wouldn’t seem possible to make high school jocks, popular girls and losers fresh and hilarious, but Yoo does it.

New York Times Book Review

Praise for GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST: “Very funny and bravely rendered.

Seattle Times

Peter’s earnest, myopic first-person narration is authentic and convincing, and Yoo exposes the precarious footing and shifting allegiances of middle school with a deft hand…. A mystery about the Fenwick Middle School thief contributes to the quick pace and adds a satisfactory surprise.

ALA Booklist

Being cool in the sixth grade turns out to be an unexpected challenge.

Peter Lee isn't surprised to be accepted into the academically gifted program. Fifth grade was a breeze, and he and best friend Drew were popular because of their expert collecting skills. Peter's perfect, older sister Sunny warns him that middle school's completely different; she couldn't be more right. On the first day, Peter and Drew learn that no one followed through on their mica-collecting challenge from last year. There's no recess. Everyone grew. By the end of the day, Peter's pretty sure they're losers. How can they regain their popularity? Following Sunny around only proves she's busy, not popular. Faked pictures from parties "in another town" impress no one. Even a cool escapist act for the talent show only nets them embarrassing nicknames. When Peter ends up in detention, inspiration strikes, though it jeopardizes his friendship with Drew. Yoo's lovable loser becomes a whole lot less so when he preys on his best friend's naiveté. His journey from totally self-centered dweeb to team player is littered with wacky speed bumps (mostly of his own unwitting design), and preteens will see themselves and their peers in the halls of Fenwick Middle.

A slow start and a few uncomfortable laughs mar this at-times funny tale of a sixth-grade outcast. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews