Carlos Is Gonna Get It

by Kevin Emerson

Your friends on one side. This weird kid on the other. A great plan in the making. A new friendship growing.
What would *you* do?

How strange is Carlos? REALLY strange. He scratches himself all the time, and he talks about aliens in this weird shaky voice, and he breaks up the class and gets everyone else in trouble when it's *his* fault he's such a freak.
So Trina, Donte, Thea, Sara, and Frankie decide to use the upcoming 7th-grade class trip to "get" Carlos and scare him into acting normal. But when Trina has to work with Carlos on a class project, she discovers both his sweetness and the full extent of his troubles. Will she pull out of the plan or go through with it? And what will happen if--when--Carlos gets it?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Cultural, African American

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Author of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.

Reviews

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite some flaws, this is a very strong narrative. I was hooked, wanting to know how everything's gonna pan out at the end, wanting to know exactly what's wrong with Carlos, and wanting to know how Trina is dealing with all the ups and downs and the very ambiguous relationships with all her friends who are not necessarily NICE people, and neither is she herself.

That's the strength of the book: how there are many gray areas and in the end, nothing really gets resolved. I find this a gutsy move on the author's part. Trina "learned" something but does not change dramatically or become another person altogether. It's ultra realistic this way. And she is ultra realistic herself: having doubts and wanting to act certain ways but often lets herself into situations that she will regret later on, just because she wants to fit in with her friends.

However, I found the pay off a little less than hoped for due to these real-life resolutions... not very satisfying. I also found the several moments when Trina's narrative voice changes from Mature-Teen to the "Like-speaking"-Teen very jarring. About 5 occasions Trina "tells" how she feels with the word "like" embedded in each sentence. At first, I thought maybe when she is in a specific kind of mental state, she "regresses" into using this language, but no, there are similar situations that do not produce this kind of speech pattern. It almost feels like the author might have used this colloquial speech pattern through out the story at first and during the editorial process it got "cleaned up" but did not get completely wiped out -- a few spots were missed and left. It popped out at me and really took me out of the otherwise very affecting narration.

Another aspect that bugs me as a reader, not a critic, is how I really don't like that no one seems to be actually NICE or ENJOYING life. It definitely makes me uncomfortable that I do not like ANY of the characters. It's an "emotional squirm" - I felt like I couldn't continue reading because I just don't like their company. (Similar to my reactions to Elaine and George in Seinfeld -- I acknowledge the writers' brilliance in creating these despicable characters and yet I don't feel the NEED to know what they do, how they think, and what happens to them.)

[Miri (Taylor's Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend recommend me this book. Not bad but not good. Felt really bad for Carlos. The bullies definitely need some help

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous tone and authentic voice envelope this well-done novel as it plumbs the serious issue of peer pressure and handling differences among classmates. In Trina’s honest first-person narrative, we learn about Carlos and his problems such as talking in a shaky voice, falling off his chair, scratching his tiny body all over, and obsessively stealing odd things from the classroom. He has revealed to her that the cause of his issues is regular visits from aliens. Trina and her buddies, mean Thea, high-achiever Sara, goofy Donte, and sports guy Frankie hang out after school in abandoned bathtubs and discuss each day’s events. Typically their focus is Carlos who usually interrupts the flow of their school days but gets away with it for being “special”. Thea decides Carlos is so annoying that he could potentially ruin their 7th grade overnight field trip. Therefore Thea orchestrates one of her famous evil plans for a trick on Carlos and convinces the rest of the Tubs gang to put it in motion on the upcoming school overnight. But before the event, Trina is paired up with Carlos for a science project. This allows her to gather information on him for the plan, yet also allows her to see the real person behind the strange behaviors. Soon Trina is struggling with the urge to derail the plan but stay cool with her friends, an urge she squashes after Carlos’ difficulties ruin their science project. With the whole class aware and encouraging them, the gang does pull off the trick but face inevitable and realistic consequences. Set in inner-city Boston, the diverse characters are written extremely true to life and side plots add depth to each. These kids speak and think like real middle schoolers and because readers will recognize themselves in the pages, they will hopefully reconsider their own attitudes and actions towards their classmates.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very depressing. A few middle schoolers get fed up with a problem child in their class and decide to take matters into their own hands during a class trip. Unfortunately, the story lacked a lot of things at times. The heroine was too flaky for me and I get that middle school peer pressure is real and she felt the need to succumb, but I felt she would have caved instead of going through with it with her "best" friend. Also, never having a clear idea of what exactly was wrong with Carlos, or just reading the weird bonding scenes. Also, the end was just like REALLY?! I felt like I couldn't get the two hours back I wasted reading...

[Matthew Winner · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO for our library.

Wow! What a great story of kids picking on the classmate that's weird, different, and misunderstood. Unfortunately, on account of the language and some maturity issues, it's clear that this story is more appropriate for middle school students and not for an elementary school library.

Still, definitely worth reading. Very good stuff!

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very sad about cruel kids who bully a boy who has seizures. It held my attention but was a real tear-jerker for sure. It amazes me that humans can be so horrible to one another.

[clementine · Rating 2 out of 5]

poor carlos

[Azizi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one to my elementary school aged daughters, and they loved it. It started out slow but the pace picked up considerably once Carlos is introduced. He is a kid in 7th grade with mental health issues that cause him to have bouts of heavy scratching, loss of motor skills, inability to focus, and an obsession with aliens. His disability causes his classmates to resent him and they plan an epic trick to get him back for his constant disruptions.

This book is great for teaching kids about empathy and definitely encouraged conversations with my girls about the appropriate responses to kids who have struggles. I also liked that it sparked a love for my reading in my youngest daughter. This is a big deal; she is a very reluctant reader. It will be hard to top this one...

Warning: There is some foul language that may be offensive (or super exciting) for younger kids.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emerson takes place in the city in the school with kid trying to bully another kid. The main characters Trina and Carlos is that trina and her friend are making a plan to get rid of Carlos to not go the after party and ruin it like he always does. Trina feels bad for Carlos cause trina doesn't want to do the plan cause he is sweet but she doesn't know how to get out of the situation without letting carlos know that they are doing the plan. one thing that i like about the book is the carlos didn't find out about it but he got surprise about the plan they were doing. Another part that i liked is when they all went to different school and Carlos wasn't getting bullied any more,also when trina was actually Carlos friend.

[ellie !!! · Rating 2 out of 5]

overall, a very dull and frustrating book. it was really trying to say something profound about peer pressure and bullying, but it felt half-assed in its message and theming. it doesn’t do anything actively harmful, mind you— i trust that children WILL understand that trina and her friends were in the wrong, despite her being the main character— but the message left no lasting impact due to the characters and world being flat and underdeveloped. plus, the characters read as much younger than 12/13. frustrating and condescending

[Kamran F.]

I thought the book started off amazing all the way until the trick started, after that i feel like the book got rushed and the author just tried to close the book as fast as they could. It was still really good but the very end was boring and was the classic ending of a book like how the main characters sees everyone growing up and being different. I don't like how Thea just betrayed her old freinds for new ones but that is what middle schoolers do.

[Ryan H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was honestly both confusing and very entertaining. It had all kinds of parts that helped build character in the characters, and the characters always had a main goal to do i the book, which was to trick Carlos. However, my favorite part of the book was how it always left you wondering what exactly was going to happen not only in the trick, but if something would go wrong during it, or if it doesn't even happen at all. So overall, It's a pretty decent book.

[Hilary Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read--it was interesting to watch Trina finding her own way and wrestling with whether to stick with her friends, or do what's right. The ending did feel a little slapped together, but that didn't put me off the book too much. Carlos is definitely a sympathetic character.

[Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

like Carlos I have had a prank pulled on me.

[₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊Chloe₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊ ₊ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[RAINBOW · Rating 2 out of 5]

Multiple uses of the R slur. Not for me.

[Susana Mikayelyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Carlos Is Gonna Get It"
By: Kevin Emerson
Mikayelyan, Susana

Have you ever read a book about a person that they have a problem? Well the

book is called "Carlos is Gonna Get It". This book is a Fiction book. This book I am

reading is a hard cover book. I can't wait to tell you more about the book.

What happened in the book "Carlos is gonna get it", there is this boy named

Carlos and he has four friends and those friends care and want to solve his problem.

The main character in this story is Carlos and his problem is that he believes in

aliens.These kids are in sixth grade. The plot in the story is that there friend Carlos is a

weird kid because he believes in aliens, the characters are Carlos and his four friends,

the setting is at school and at tubs a hang out place. These four friends are trying to

figure out how they could make Carlos a normal and not believe in aliens. I bet you want

to know what happens in the end, well I'am not gonna tell you until you read it and you'll

find out, but it was interesting.

My opinion about this book is a rate of a good book, because the book talks

about how a person believes in aliens and it probably takes two years for that person to

stop believing in aliens. Well my recommendation is to a person that has problems and

should read this book and figure out something and if that person reads this book they

will figure out that his/her's friends care. The recommendation is fare because people

with problems think that no one cares but for real they do. So my recommendation is to

a person that might have problems or any kind of person could read this because it's a

really nice book and a interesting book.


I therefor conclude that you should read this book. If you read it you will be

interested and be amazed that it takes two years to forget a problem or just stop

thinking about the problem. People like us and your-self have problems don't know the

cure. I hope you liked my review and make sure you read "Carlos is gonna get it".

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carlos is the weird kid who no one really likes. He started having what he calls "Day Afters" when 7th grade started. Trina, the main character and her friends Donte, Frankie, Sara, Thea and the rest of her classes all agree he has problems. In science class, Trina is paired up with the worst partner she ever had - Carlos. And she knows that he will mess everything up. If they don't do well on their science project, they won't get to go to the overnight, a 7th grade field trip to the mountains/woods in New Hampshire. Carlos has a Day After, which is a day after he gets visited by "aliens". Trina and her friends plan to trick Carlos and scare him by dressing up as aliens. What happens when Sara and Trina lose him and the trick goes horribly wrong?

This book was okay. It wasn't the best. One of my assignments was to read the book and at first, it sounded interested but when I actually read it, the plot was good but it seems like it was very boring and slow at some parts. It wasn't funny and the "trick" wasn't very well planned since Frankie and Thea did nothing. I thought they were all going to do it together and I thought that by the end of the book, Carlos would be completely normal and maybe Trina and him would become friends but unfortunately that didn't happen. I'd rate this a 3 because the plot sounded interesting enough to read but it wasn't exactly what I had expected. I'd recommend this to children, tweens, and teens because I'm young myself and have read this. In my opinion, this book isn't the best, but it's not bad either.

[SamanthaHernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Carlos Is Gonna Get It" By: Kevin Emerson; The setting is mordern day in the city. "Carlos is Gonna Get It" is about a boy named Carlos who belives in alains, and who has what his fellow class mates call "The Day Afters" and most kids in his class dont like him because of his "Day Afters" because they get in trouble easier because they make fun of him. Calos thinks Trina his friend, but Trina's group of friends is planning to get revenge on Carlos because they mostly get in trouble, so they set up this whole plane to get revange on him and scare him, and Trina does feel bad forCarlos but, her friend Thea if you dont go throw with a plane of her's that you were apart of she will black mail them; Trina dose become Carlos's only friend in the end because they still don't like him beacuse of his "Day Afters", but Trina still becomes friends with him because she relize who he really his and how he really acts. Will Trina go along with the plane? My personal 2 favorate parts of the book was when Trina does become friends with carlos, & also when they go to their secret hangout. If I could change anything about the book it would be that at the end everyone becomes friends with Carlos and relizes that it's not his fault that he has "Day Afters" and relizes who he really his and becomes friends with him; I would alos change Thea making a plane to get revange on Carlos just because they get in trouble because they make fun of him and they could relize sooner that he isn't a bad person he is just a normal 7th grade student.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very slow-moving at the beginning and I wondered if I would ever get through it. It was also not what I expected. I had thought it was about older students and expected a more intense mood. So I was somewhat put off, but I kept going - I had to as this is a book I am reading for my review group. It paid off in the end and I really enjoyed this story of 7th grade students who are irritated by Carlos - a weirdo who scratches constantly and claims to have been abducted by aliens. These abductions are precursors to chronic bad days at school where his odd behavior earns him nicknames such as Tweedo and Problems. As a teacher-librarian, I recognize Carlos all too well. He is that student that exists in every school, just as Trina, Thea, Sara, Donte and Frankie are familiar characters who roam the halls of middle school trying to fit in. Thea's trick is the norm with insecure bullies and Trina and Sara's reluctant acceptance is understandable in adolescent girls afraid of being left out. The fact that the students are African-American never becomes the focus of the book the way that some books with black characters do. Instead, this is a genuine look at an awkward age. Middle school is a painful time, yet as the book shows, it is ultimately a transitional time that leads us all to where we fit in and what we beleive in.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

Have you ever had that voice in the back of your head telling you not to do something...that it wasn't a good idea and only trouble could come of following through with the act?

Well, Trina has that voice -- or guilt demon.

Carlos is a small and annoying boy in class who always acts out to get attention but never gets in trouble. One day, Trina's friends decide that they're going to pull the ultimate prank on Carlos on an upcoming overnight trip. Trina goes along for the ride, but she quickly discovers that the guilt demon and her budding friendship with Carlos could get in the way of the prank.

This entertaining yet serious book follows a young girl as she battles internally between right and wrong. Trina must decide whether to go through with the prank -- to succumb to her friends and peer pressure -- or to back down and help Carlos, a boy who is desperately in need of a friend.

Emerson writes an interesting story that gets readers to feel for this alienated boy (Carlos) and the troubled protagonist and narrator (Trina). He shows the reality of cause and effect -- of the consequences of one's actions. He also shows through this moving story that missed chances are a person's greatest regret.

[Karen Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story for 6th and 7th grades -- a story of bullying, differences, and paying attention to your gut instincts. Trina goes to an inner city middle school, where the 7th grade gets to go on an overnight trip to the mountains of New Hampshire at the end of the year. Students who misbehave in school can't go -- so there's a lot of pressure to make things in class go right, or as "right" as they can. When she is paired up with Carlos for the big science project, Trina is terrified that Carlos will wreck their presentation, because he's different. Carlos has several disabilities which cause him to say bizarre things and act strangely, including pulling his shirt up and scratching himself, and howling about aliens. Trina's friend Thea is the one who always plans the pranks and stunts, and she has a doozy planned for the trip -- and Carlos is the target. Trina has a gut feeling that they shouldn't do it, but she can't really find the right words to explain it. This is not your usual "stand up to the bully" feel-good ending -- it's well-written and very realistic, and will make you think. 6th grade and up.

[Nola Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this MG novel. I bought it at a writers' conference where the author was speaking. I was flipping through it while sitting in the conference room listening to a speaker and immediately the world around me disappeared and I was sucked into the world of the story. Which was, of course, unfortunate because I'd paid a lot of money to attend the conference and only a little money for the book...so I had to put the book away but for the rest of the day I just COULDN'T WAIT to get home and read more.

As a writer, I'm always looking at ways other writers build characters and tell a story. This author is a master at capturing the teen voice and helping us care about these characters. I was wishing for a happier ending, but that really would've made the book less powerful. The way it ends is in more of a place of regret, which is how real life situations like this often end, where you are sad for what you did and also sad for what you failed to do. It avoids being didactic because of that mildly heartrending finish. Nice work! I recommend it to others all the time, kids and adults alike.

[CH _Kenya Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlos Is Gonna Get is a story about a student that is labeled special Ed. and his entire class is aware of his situation. Fed up with is frequent outburst and class interruptions a small group of students decide that if Carlos is allowed to attend the end of the year class trip he will make it a bad experience for them all, so they decide to play a prank on him that will enable him from attending the trip. The narrator of the story is secretly sympathetic to Carlos's situation and wants to find a way to help him behave normally to prevent the prank from being played him. However, Carlos conditions is very severe and no matter how hard he tries he can't contain his outburst. The narrator is left with being torn between pleasing her friends and doing something she know is wrong or standing up for Carlos. This is a great novel to use with students to teach lessons dealing with tolerance and friendship. It was a touching story and shared some real experiences and feelings with special needs students in the classroom setting. I think its a must read for middle school students.

[Elizabeth Pepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

book “Carlos Is Gonna Get It” by Kevin Emerson is set in modern day inner city. Trina (the main character) is in a group of friends that like to plan tricks on people, especially Thea, the main leader of the group. This book caught my eye because it had some strong elements to it. for example, Carlos, the sick and disabled kid. The main conflict in the beginning of the book is that Carlos got Donte and Frankie in trouble by the teacher. This conflict soon got into a bigger concept and is brought to light when Thea decides to plan a trick on Carlos. The two most important things I liked about the book was when Trina starts to go to Carlos’s house and starts to get to know him more; and the other thing is that Trina sooner or later began to become a close friend to Carlos and starts to realize how he feels. The thing I would most likely change about the book is for Thea to not be the leader of the group or to be a positive leader not a negative one. In conclusion I think overall the book played out well with the events that happened.

[Kimberli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decapitated doll heads and aliens are the focus in "Carlos Is Gonna Get It" by Kevin Emerson. Trina and her friend Sara are really tired of Carlos and his strange antics. It seems like 6th grade couldn’t get any worse except that it can when Carlos has one of his “Day After” episodes. Trina can usually tell when it’s going to happen right away. Carlos comes into class late and then he starts to fall all over the floor and on top of his classmates. The problem is not that Carlos is so clumsy; no it’s that Carlos says he is visited by aliens at night. This makes the class think he’s so weird that no one wants him near them.
Tired of all of the alien talk and crazy outburst, Trina and her friends begin to hatch a plan that they think will teach Carlos a lesson. The plan is to teach Carlos a lesson that he will never forget.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I seem to be in the minority on this one. I thought it was just okay. I thought the plot was well-constructed, and I really don’t have any complaints there, but I thought the characters’ dialogue and Trina’s voice in her narration just didn’t ring true, contrary to what a lot of other reviewers have said. Most of it is hard to pinpoint – just turns of phrase that seemed a little off, but one example that really jumped out of me if when Trina calls Sara a pill – who says that anymore? I was in 7th grade 11 years before this book was published, and I definitely don’t remember ever hearing anyone my age say that; it strikes me as being something more appropriate to the Brady Bunch time period.

Read the rest of this review on Leafmarks.

[Laurie]

The story and characters will be instantly recognizable to upper-elementary and middle-school students: Trina and her friends are annoyed by Carlos, who gets a lot of extra attention, treats, and never gets in trouble because he has a "special plan." The ringleader in Trina's circle plans a trick to "get" Carlos during their class camping trip. As Trina gets to know Carlos better through working on a partner project, she starts to feel guilty about her part in the plot, but is unwilling/unable to actually end it.

Lots of realistic details; my only real criticism is that it's rather slow-moving (and could have been shorter) and thus may not appeal to some kids, especially reluctant readers who would otherwise have found the story engaging.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carlos is a special needs boy who has regular meltdowns in his 7th grade classes. Instead of his classmates being compassionate about his issues, they take it upon themselves to ostracize him and plan a very elaborate trick on an upcoming overnight class trip.

The writing in this book is not brilliant, but it is indicative of a junior high first person narrator so I forgive the simplicity of the writing on that account. This book was clearly written to teach kids a lesson about treating people who are different with kindness and respect. Any teacher who has a special needs child or multiple special needs children in their classes, this would be a great read aloud or assigned class reading.