A review by pagingmrsvarnum
Mixed Up by Gordon Korman

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!