Reviews

Gordon Korman strikes again. This book was great. I loved every single character (especially the stupid little rabbit named Jaws. even he had a personality and i’m here for it.) In my opinion, it’s a little too soon to be making a book about a Covid death, but I’m glad it wasn’t such a main focus. Like obviously it was, but it wasn’t mentioned as much as I thought it would be around the middle and end of the book. The main plot was really cool and I liked how it was just told from the perspectives of Reef and Theo. Korman could have had a chapter for Declan or even Portia, but I think that would’ve ruined the flow. Overall, I would highly recommend this. :)

mariahvangogh's review

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sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a great book. It wasn’t one of my “favorites” by Gordon Korman but it was still very good. Anything by Gordon Korman is good.

pagingmrsvarnum's review

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adventurous mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Gordon Korman is a prolific author; he recently published his 100th novel! He churns out so many books that I keep expecting one to be a stinker, but it hasn’t happened yet. Korman’s books deal with heavy topics - bullying, racism, and abuse to name a few - in a way that both appeals and relates to young readers. This book explores how grief and memory are intertwined - and what could happen if you start to lose your memories.

Theo and Reef are two boys in the same town, but that’s about where the similarities end. They attend different schools, have different interests, and live in very different homes. But, they are each experiencing memories that don’t belong to them. Through exploring the different locations in these memories, the boys find each other and realize that they are swapping memories - including Reef’s memories of his recently-deceased mother. Not only that, but the boys are forgetting key information like their addresses, school schedules, and names of people around them.

I was genuinely invested in this novel and was so curious as to how it would end! I know young readers will be gripped as well and will enjoy Korman’s always-relatable writing style. I will definitely be adding this to my library collection, recommending it to readers, and possibly using it as our science fiction example as we study genres! Grades 4+

Thank you to Scholastic and NetGalley for providing an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

ethan_bluestone's review

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ARC provided by publisher.

Mixed Up is once again another awesome addition to the Gordon Korman library. Whether you have read his books for a long time or he's new to you, I definitely recommend this book.

Mixed Up's plot is similar to Korman's early 2022 book Operation Do-Over (a personal favorite of mine), borrowing some sci-fi like themes but with the usual Gordon Korman touch.

The protagonists Reef and Theo began swapping memories even though both don't know each other and live on opposite sides of the city. The memory swaps are hard on Reef because he's losing precious memories of his mother who recently passed away. Theo is losing simple information from his life that he needs for everyday things.

The two must find each other and try to get to the bottom of this strange mystery and get their rightful memories back.

Great book. Great characters. My only complaint was Reef's mom's cause of death was COVID, which I thought was a little unrealistic.

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