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Adam Canfield #2
Adam Canfield, Watch Your Back! (Adam Canfield of the Slash) by Michael Winerip
"Lots of laugh-out-loud humor, perfectly satirizing state tests, overzealous parents, and kids who are in danger of being enriched to death." -- SCHOOL AND LIBRARY JOURNAL
For overprogrammed middle-grader Adam Canfield, waking up to a snow day is a dream come true -- a chance to sleep late, put off planning the next issue of THE SLASH, and make some quick cash with his shovel. But the dream turns into a nightmare when some high-school kids mug Adam for his shoveling money. Then not only does the media blast the embarrassing story, but Adam's own co-editors plan a contest outing bullies at their school. In a second look behind the scenes at a middleschool newspaper, Michael Winerip deftly blends kid-friendly humor with some provocative issues, including the subtle effects of class and racism and the thrill that comes from speaking truth to power.
For overprogrammed middle-grader Adam Canfield, waking up to a snow day is a dream come true -- a chance to sleep late, put off planning the next issue of THE SLASH, and make some quick cash with his shovel. But the dream turns into a nightmare when some high-school kids mug Adam for his shoveling money. Then not only does the media blast the embarrassing story, but Adam's own co-editors plan a contest outing bullies at their school. In a second look behind the scenes at a middleschool newspaper, Michael Winerip deftly blends kid-friendly humor with some provocative issues, including the subtle effects of class and racism and the thrill that comes from speaking truth to power.
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First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Michael Winerip
11 books9 followers"When Michael Winerip leaves a phone message, no one worries too much about calling him back. But when Michael Winerip of the New York Times leaves a phone message, the call gets returned fast.
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 20, 2011
This is the second book in the Adam Canfield series, but the first I've read. It was a Young Hoosier nominee for 2010 so I was intrigued enough to pick it up and give it a try.
My only regret is that I waited so late to start this series. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.
The novel centers around a middle school student named Adam Canfield who is co-editor of his school newspaper, The Slash. At the very beginning of the book, Adam is a victim of a mugging by fellow classmates. In addition to this incident, Adam his fellow co-editor tackle corporate take-overs, school bullying, special education prejudice, school science fair fraud, school board bureaucracy, manic depression and saving a tree! While that seems quite a bit to pack into a novel, it really just keeps the pace going. And, how realistic! I love that fact that Adam's life is so crazy. Too often, in novels, it seems as if the main character has just one problem that is all consuming. Adam made me feel glad that his life was just as crazy, and busy, as mine!
In addition to the very timely topics of school violence, Adam struggles with the often harsh task of news writing. Having written for a newspaper myself, I so identified with the difficult job of telling the truth, even when the truth is painful to those around you. It is a great discussion on journalistic integrity.
I also loved how the author attacked certain difficult topics in the book. While as adults, we categorize issues into more gray areas, the author makes it very clear that some topics are just right OR wrong, no matter how difficult the distinction.
And a side note, my favorite quote from the book, "You know what my mom says about middle-school boys? 'UPS never delivers the complete package. It can take years before the entire shipment turns up.'" Hilarious book as well!
My only regret is that I waited so late to start this series. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.
The novel centers around a middle school student named Adam Canfield who is co-editor of his school newspaper, The Slash. At the very beginning of the book, Adam is a victim of a mugging by fellow classmates. In addition to this incident, Adam his fellow co-editor tackle corporate take-overs, school bullying, special education prejudice, school science fair fraud, school board bureaucracy, manic depression and saving a tree! While that seems quite a bit to pack into a novel, it really just keeps the pace going. And, how realistic! I love that fact that Adam's life is so crazy. Too often, in novels, it seems as if the main character has just one problem that is all consuming. Adam made me feel glad that his life was just as crazy, and busy, as mine!
In addition to the very timely topics of school violence, Adam struggles with the often harsh task of news writing. Having written for a newspaper myself, I so identified with the difficult job of telling the truth, even when the truth is painful to those around you. It is a great discussion on journalistic integrity.
I also loved how the author attacked certain difficult topics in the book. While as adults, we categorize issues into more gray areas, the author makes it very clear that some topics are just right OR wrong, no matter how difficult the distinction.
And a side note, my favorite quote from the book, "You know what my mom says about middle-school boys? 'UPS never delivers the complete package. It can take years before the entire shipment turns up.'" Hilarious book as well!
July 16, 2012
I wasn't a big fan of the first Adam Canfield book, but liked this much better. The more I read, the more and more I liked it. At first, I figured here was Michael Winerip, NYTimes reporter, yet another primarily-adult author figuring to cash in on the kiddie market. At times I felt it was somewhat stereotypical and condescending, yet then I realized that there aren't very many books at all that can take on several moral dilemmas, be thought-provoking, and still funny.
Winerip does a good job of setting up the situation (there are about 4-5 crises at once) while giving kids some great things to think about. How many books would tackle the idea of trying to clear out less-fortunate families to build expensive homes? This book handles issues of race and class fairly well, and does a better job about bullying than most books. Some aspects are dated (Palm Pilots, Astrovan-or was Winerip trying to be quaint?) Some of the titles and names are funny (Assistant/Associate Dr. Bleepin), the gladiator math games, the fact that the foundation donated the study guides for the state test... In real life, I would hope that adults would be consulted when dealing with bullies like Mrs. Boland.
Winerip does a good job of setting up the situation (there are about 4-5 crises at once) while giving kids some great things to think about. How many books would tackle the idea of trying to clear out less-fortunate families to build expensive homes? This book handles issues of race and class fairly well, and does a better job about bullying than most books. Some aspects are dated (Palm Pilots, Astrovan-or was Winerip trying to be quaint?) Some of the titles and names are funny (Assistant/Associate Dr. Bleepin), the gladiator math games, the fact that the foundation donated the study guides for the state test... In real life, I would hope that adults would be consulted when dealing with bullies like Mrs. Boland.
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May 27, 2021interesting move to write a book about 13 year olds fighting a racist county zoning board but y'know...worked for me
October 7, 2021
3.75 stars
The second book in the Adam Canfield trilogy was not up to par with the first. Numerous editing errors made for a very halting read.
The plot was slightly better than book 1, with several major stories being reported in the "SLASH," of which Adam is a co-editor. The biggest story builds up to a huge clash between the paper and the woman who heads not only the Zoning Committee, but also owns all the television, cable and newspaper companies for the area. It ends with a satisfying "revenge" meeting between the self-righteous woman and the co-editors, but ultimately the school paper is shut down by the ruthless town matriarch.
On the upside, a very interesting and humorous character was introduced...Shadow. A special needs teen who is brilliant with numbers and facts. I absolutely loved this character!
One character annoyed me throughout the book - Phoebe, "Miss Front Page.' She is an excellent third grade reporter on the staff, but her overbearing personality and forever moving mouth I found most irritating, to the point of skipping some of the plotlines she was written into.
Overall, an average read. I will complete the trilogy hopefully by year's end.
The second book in the Adam Canfield trilogy was not up to par with the first. Numerous editing errors made for a very halting read.
The plot was slightly better than book 1, with several major stories being reported in the "SLASH," of which Adam is a co-editor. The biggest story builds up to a huge clash between the paper and the woman who heads not only the Zoning Committee, but also owns all the television, cable and newspaper companies for the area. It ends with a satisfying "revenge" meeting between the self-righteous woman and the co-editors, but ultimately the school paper is shut down by the ruthless town matriarch.
On the upside, a very interesting and humorous character was introduced...Shadow. A special needs teen who is brilliant with numbers and facts. I absolutely loved this character!
One character annoyed me throughout the book - Phoebe, "Miss Front Page.' She is an excellent third grade reporter on the staff, but her overbearing personality and forever moving mouth I found most irritating, to the point of skipping some of the plotlines she was written into.
Overall, an average read. I will complete the trilogy hopefully by year's end.
July 26, 2019
Adam Canfield, Watch Your Back! (Adam Canfield Series #2) / written by Michael Winerip (2007) --
SUMMARY: Sequel to ADAM CANFIELD OF THE SLASH that picks up where the first story ended. Middle schooler Adam Canfield welcomes a snow day as an opportunity to earn some money. After being mugged by some high school bullies for his profits, Adam becomes the focus of unwanted media attention.
COMMENTS: The quality of the story is just as great as the first and adds a great new character -- that of Shadow. I listened to this title on audio and I was always smiling when Shadow started his round-about conversations especially the one concerning Phoebe and the bully survey. I love stories that have an individual or a small group that make a big difference which in this case is the school newspaper and the truth that it prints. I also liked how Jennifer and Adam problem-solved the situation about the results of the bully survey and came up with a way to tell the facts without hurting innocent bystanders.
Update 2019 - rereading this title I still enjoyed the storyline and characters but realized how very similar it was to the original in many many ways. It did have two new things that I enjoyed - 1) Adam's interaction with Forrest the war correspondent who took the easy way out and wrote a book not worthy of himself, and 2) the added character of Shadow an incredible young man with developmental challenges.
The thing I really like about this book series is that the kids are in middle school but display a huge amount of integrity and determination about telling the absolute truth in the face of deceiving adults and challenging circumstances.
There is also a look into what depression looks like when Adam finds his wayward friend Danny that will not interact with anyone because of manic depression. Add that to the subject of bullying, and juvenile violence, racism, and parents helping with homework and you have a lot of topics for further discussion and research.
And don't forget the creative writing masterpiece included, that of Adam's favorite cookie...Mrs. Radin's Famous Homemade Super-Chunk Buckets O' Chocolate Moisty Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies
SUMMARY: Sequel to ADAM CANFIELD OF THE SLASH that picks up where the first story ended. Middle schooler Adam Canfield welcomes a snow day as an opportunity to earn some money. After being mugged by some high school bullies for his profits, Adam becomes the focus of unwanted media attention.
COMMENTS: The quality of the story is just as great as the first and adds a great new character -- that of Shadow. I listened to this title on audio and I was always smiling when Shadow started his round-about conversations especially the one concerning Phoebe and the bully survey. I love stories that have an individual or a small group that make a big difference which in this case is the school newspaper and the truth that it prints. I also liked how Jennifer and Adam problem-solved the situation about the results of the bully survey and came up with a way to tell the facts without hurting innocent bystanders.
Update 2019 - rereading this title I still enjoyed the storyline and characters but realized how very similar it was to the original in many many ways. It did have two new things that I enjoyed - 1) Adam's interaction with Forrest the war correspondent who took the easy way out and wrote a book not worthy of himself, and 2) the added character of Shadow an incredible young man with developmental challenges.
The thing I really like about this book series is that the kids are in middle school but display a huge amount of integrity and determination about telling the absolute truth in the face of deceiving adults and challenging circumstances.
There is also a look into what depression looks like when Adam finds his wayward friend Danny that will not interact with anyone because of manic depression. Add that to the subject of bullying, and juvenile violence, racism, and parents helping with homework and you have a lot of topics for further discussion and research.
And don't forget the creative writing masterpiece included, that of Adam's favorite cookie...Mrs. Radin's Famous Homemade Super-Chunk Buckets O' Chocolate Moisty Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies
May 6, 2014
Adam Canfield 2nd book deals with a lot more than the first book did. It deals with bullying, an autism student, and racial issues. All in a middle grade book that is about a school newspaper The Slash that discovers interesting facts behind some "un-important" stories.
The story is better than the first book. Especially in its dealings with bullying. And how many studets are not the victims but the ones doing the bullying.
I liked the book though it does get carried away with itself at times. Who really thinks a NY Times article would use a middle grade school newspaper as a source. Sometimes the writer goes a tad far and makes the story seem to unrealistic for the audience it is intended for.
The story is better than the first book. Especially in its dealings with bullying. And how many studets are not the victims but the ones doing the bullying.
I liked the book though it does get carried away with itself at times. Who really thinks a NY Times article would use a middle grade school newspaper as a source. Sometimes the writer goes a tad far and makes the story seem to unrealistic for the audience it is intended for.
February 10, 2013
3.5/5. I think my favourite book in this series will be Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter. This book was good and there were some really good moments, but it didn't quite 'wow' me the way the last book did. Still a great read though! I would definitely recommend it as well.
July 28, 2009
Adam Canfield is back to get the scoop! Unfortunately, this time he is the scoop, after he is robbed of his snow shoveling money which spurs the staff of the Slash to create a bully survey that will be published in the Spring paper. More run-ins with Mrs. Boland an her hair-brained schemes to sanitize the community abound. Same stuff as the first book, a great follow-up.
September 7, 2011
Adam inspired me to start a STUDENT newspaper. We have one at school, but the teachers write it. I think the school should let the kids write!! Adam digs 'till he uncovers the truth!
August 5, 2013
I like the moral dimension of this series, and the wordplay - in this one I particularly enjoyed the idea of an 'outrage outage' - something that anyone who has spent any time on Twitter will understand completely. The stories are fun while also managing to be gently educational about the realities of journalism.
September 2, 2008
A bit less cohesive than the first one, but still really involving, and Adam is a really likeable, believeable guy. Also, the ending bodes well for the possibility of a third book...anybody know if there's plans for a trilogy (or more)?
April 4, 2009
This and the first Adam Canfield novel are rather good. We listened to the first one several years ago and loved it. This one is equally filled with kids facing modern day issues and triumphing over the evil adults.
November 2, 2009
This is a sequel to "Adam Canfield of the Slash". Ths Slash is a student newspaper and Adam is one of the editors. This time, the newspaper tackles the issue of bullying in school. Very fast paced and funny. (Great "Boy" book)
April 26, 2013
This book was amazing! at first I was thought it was going to be boring but it turned out okay. I really liked the part when Adam had a paln to ruin / make mher un comfortable when, he had came to with a cold he went to her office and smugged all his snot on to the glass table. It was very funny.
Currently reading
April 26, 2008I think this is a great book so far
July 20, 2008
Nice story about two reporters who take on big stories. The characters are realistic and well drawn. Reviewed for the Dolly Gray Award
March 10, 2009
So far Adam being troubled by bulleis who took his snow shoveling money, then his friends at the school paper find out and want to write about it in their catalog.
April 3, 2009
More muckraking in Harris Elementary; Co-editor Adam takes on bullies, environmental enemies, powerful townspeople, and his science teacher.
March 29, 2010
Another great book about the power of the written word. It really shows how even kids can make a difference in the lives of others and seek the truth. Can they save the Slash?
February 27, 2010
didn't mind not reading the first one. very engaging. i loved how race wasn't really an issue until it was. i'm not sure why i love high school reporter stories so much.
June 22, 2010
Not the best Young Hoosier I've read in my life time ... Kind of boring and lengthy, although it was about school journalism, something that was once near and dear to my heart.
July 6, 2010
Great book, fun characters, and smalltwists that keep you entertained. Loved it, and I want to read more Adam Canfield books!
September 17, 2010
What a great series for budding journalists!
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September 27, 2010Ages 9+ (some sneaky adult humor - a teacher named "Bleepin" who is referred to as "That Bleepin idiot") A worthy followup!
April 23, 2012
Recommended by Mary Pat Callihan
July 14, 2011
Young Adult
September 11, 2011
Another lesson for school journalists. Well written, but I got enough from the first Adam Canfield book without reading the sequel. I don't think I'll bother with the third in the trilogy.
August 18, 2012
I read this as an audiobook on vacation with my family. We all enjoyed it - it kept us on the edge of our seats and made the miles fly by!
October 2, 2015
what i think of the book im reading.its a good book because it has alot of good details and' you can picture whats happen in the story so im really enjoying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews