Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Jett Baranov is a super wealthy kid largely ignored by his uber busy, self absorbed parents. Consequently, he is preoccupied with getting attention by any means possible, the more obnoxious, the better. When his latest prank goes too far, Jett finds himself spirited way on the company jet to a wellness retreat in a desolate area of Arkansas accompanied by one of his father’s employees, Matt, a young programmer reassigned to be Jett’s summer babysitter. THE OASIS OF MIND AND BODY WELLNESS might just be what Jett needs to find his center and, maybe, a few friends. But first he needs to find a missing reptile named Needles and figure out what Ivory, the meditation director, is really up to.
This is a light, middle grade mystery. Fans will recognize Korman’s trademark protagonist: snarky, under appreciated, good hearted. The plot doesn’t flow completely smoothly and character development is under developed. There’s a lot of tell versus show. The premise is not entirely believable. It almost feels like Korman drew three slips from a coffee mug plot generator and decided to see what he could do with them. Spoiled, rich kid? Check. Wellness and Meditation? Check. Alligators? Check.
Jett is not a likable character but it’s hard to fault him when he has really rotten parents who are too important and too busy to even be in his life. They’re deplorable. Why is Jett sent to, of all places, a wellness retreat in the remote wilds of Arkansas as a punishment? Very weird. I was expecting there to be some mysterious reveal as to why but that never happens. And alligators? I’ll leave it at that. I’m a big fan of Korman so it pains me to say that this one wasn’t a favorite. However, I think for less discerning middle grade readers who love Korman’s other mysteries, like Swindled, Unplugged may be perfect. Thank you NetGalley for providing this Advance Reader’s e-proof courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.
This is a light, middle grade mystery. Fans will recognize Korman’s trademark protagonist: snarky, under appreciated, good hearted. The plot doesn’t flow completely smoothly and character development is under developed. There’s a lot of tell versus show. The premise is not entirely believable. It almost feels like Korman drew three slips from a coffee mug plot generator and decided to see what he could do with them. Spoiled, rich kid? Check. Wellness and Meditation? Check. Alligators? Check.
Jett is not a likable character but it’s hard to fault him when he has really rotten parents who are too important and too busy to even be in his life. They’re deplorable. Why is Jett sent to, of all places, a wellness retreat in the remote wilds of Arkansas as a punishment? Very weird. I was expecting there to be some mysterious reveal as to why but that never happens. And alligators? I’ll leave it at that. I’m a big fan of Korman so it pains me to say that this one wasn’t a favorite. However, I think for less discerning middle grade readers who love Korman’s other mysteries, like Swindled, Unplugged may be perfect. Thank you NetGalley for providing this Advance Reader’s e-proof courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.
adventurous
funny
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've grabbed a few of the Middle School Goodreads Choice Awards books from my libraries. This is the first I've read. It's a good book for 11- or 12-year-olds. I know my son would've liked it at that age.
adventurous
medium-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 Stars- I wasn’t heavily invested for most of the book as it was interesting enough to keep my attention when I was reading it but I didn’t feel an overwhelming urge to power through. I was going to rate it three stars until the last quarter of the book where it really picked up so I bumped it up half a star. I was able to guess the twists but I’m an adult and this is intended for a middle grade audience. The last part was super fast paced and had my heart pumping a bit.
There was some plot points that didn’t really make sense to me. Ivory aka “Snapper” was running an illegal alligator farm to presumably sell them for leather and meat which I would think would be pretty profitable on its own. So then why did she need to have this ruse as a pathfinder at the Oasis where she was hypnotizing and tricking people out of thousands of dollars? Also I’m pretty sure that is not how hypnotism works and would no one in all the years she has supposedly been doing this realize they’ve given all this money? Even if they believed it was going to the Oasis (which people spend a good chunk of change on just to go there) you’re telling me no one would come back and be like actually I can’t afford that much after they go back to their regular lives at the end of the summer? Or inquire as to why they can’t remember giving that money or why? Overall I don’t see why she needed this cover job or essentially stolen money in the first place since after starting operations the farm would essentially pay for itself. Not to mention all the alligators that had lived in captivity there presumably all their lives (some being noted as 20 feet in length) totaling 300 individuals were just allowed to go downriver and live out their lives?
This is of course a children’s novel and must be allowed some stretch of reality. Overall it was a nice read.
There was some plot points that didn’t really make sense to me. Ivory aka “Snapper” was running an illegal alligator farm to presumably sell them for leather and meat which I would think would be pretty profitable on its own. So then why did she need to have this ruse as a pathfinder at the Oasis where she was hypnotizing and tricking people out of thousands of dollars? Also I’m pretty sure that is not how hypnotism works and would no one in all the years she has supposedly been doing this realize they’ve given all this money? Even if they believed it was going to the Oasis (which people spend a good chunk of change on just to go there) you’re telling me no one would come back and be like actually I can’t afford that much after they go back to their regular lives at the end of the summer? Or inquire as to why they can’t remember giving that money or why? Overall I don’t see why she needed this cover job or essentially stolen money in the first place since after starting operations the farm would essentially pay for itself. Not to mention all the alligators that had lived in captivity there presumably all their lives (some being noted as 20 feet in length) totaling 300 individuals were just allowed to go downriver and live out their lives?
This is of course a children’s novel and must be allowed some stretch of reality. Overall it was a nice read.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
A very reliable author, this story is a lot of fun. The storyline changes about mid-way through the book, but because the relationships are established, the tale works.
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness