#BookReview ~ Welcome To Dweeb Club by Betsy Uhrig

Book Tour

Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

About the Book

Title: WELCOME TO DWEEB CLUB

Author: Betsy Uhrig

Pub. Date: September 28, 2021

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 272

Find it:  Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

What if a school club changed your life forever?

In the second week of seventh grade, Jason Sloan signs up for the brand-new
HAIR Club. He and his friends have no idea what it’s about, but since they’re
the first to sign up they figure they’ll be in charge in no time. The club turns
out to be super weird: using fancy new equipment donated by a mysterious
benefactor, the members are supposed to monitor school security footage. Their
first assignment: find out what is stealing the cafeteria’s croutons.

Instead of the expected dark cafeteria, the computers show the club members
something else entirely: actual footage of themselves as high school seniors,
five years in the future! What on earth could be happening? Is it some kind of
time warp, or alternate reality? Or is it just an un-funny prank? As they
scramble to solve the mystery, they can’t help but notice something else—none
of them like what they see five years from now. Is there any way to change the
future—and their fates? 

My Thoughts

Of course, there’s nothing like the reasoning of a seventh-grader.

Upon seeing that a new club is offered at Flounder Bay school, Jason Sloan immediately jumps at the chance to sign up. Though there is no one around the table to explain what the club is about, and almost no one is signing up, he has it all figured out. If he is one of the first to join then it’s almost a sure bet that he will be an officer in the new club. Maybe even president!

Sure, Jason. And what does the mysterious H.A.I.R club stand for? Would any seventh-grade boy want to make hair accessories? You could be making a very bad move? Or maybe just the right move? These are all things I’m wondering as I start reading.

This is a cute story full of lots of humor and mystery. What is the club? That’s a very good question. The members aren’t even sure. It will take some teamwork and a bit of sleuthing to figure out the purpose. The club members are each unique and add to the story. The writing flows and moves the story along at a good pace.

My Concerns

Though the team members are each fun and add to the story, there are several to have to keep track of.

The plot is a bit complicated.

This, for sure, is purely personal, but I hated that Jason’s sibling was so obnoxious.

Final Thoughts

The humor is wonderful and I loved the plot, which felt very original. I absolutely give this a thumbs up. It would be a great classroom read or one to surprise a reluctant reader with. The humor is bound to cause a few smiles, and a skunk will even cause some chuckles.

My thanks to Rockstar Book Tours and the publisher for a copy of this book to review and the ability to honestly post my thoughts.

Rating: 4 ☆☆☆☆

Excerpt

This excerpt comes near the end of the book, when the main character (Jason) and three other club members attempt to create a diversion at the headquarters of a high-tech company and end up on the run in one of the golf carts used to ferry employees around the campus.

There were several things we could have done, none of them involving stealing a golf cart. But Vincent had already managed to shift the thing into drive, and it was starting to roll. Hoppy, Lara, and I scrambled aboard, and Lara actually told Vincent to “Floor it!”

I guess he did floor it, because we all lurched backward under the tiny g-force for a second. But “high speed” and “golf cart” are words you never see together for a reason. We pulled away from the curb and then started to putter along the lane at a leisurely-golf-outing pace.

The security guards didn’t seem eager to chase the runaway cart on foot. They climbed into the other one and started puttering along after us, yelling something we couldn’t really hear but was probably along the lines of “Stop!” and “Come back here!” The big one kept his original grim expression, but the small one was getting red and shiny in the face.

Picture the most ridiculous low-speed chase you can. Then add one inexperienced driver (Vincent), one extremely critical passenger-seat occupant (Hoppy), two—let’s be honest—sort-of-thrilled backseat passengers (Lara and Jason), two yelling uniformed men, and multiple speed bumps. I don’t know how long it would have gone on—both parties moving at top velocity (= slow), always about the same distance apart—if Hoppy hadn’t told Vincent to “Hurry up!” and Vincent hadn’t reached the golf course portion of our drive at the same time.

“I’m going to off-road it,” Vincent announced, and he jerked the steering wheel and headed out onto the impossibly smooth green grass of the golf course.

“They’re going to follow us, you know,” said Hoppy. “They’re in a golf cart too, you realize.”

“I think I can lose them,” said Vincent.

And then he got to say something in real life that most nerds only dream of. He said it in the perfect tone, with the exact right amount of seriousness. I’m just glad I was there to hear it.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Vincent cried.

About Betsy Uhrig: 

Betsy Uhrig was born and raised in Greater
Boston, where she lives with her family and way more books than you are
picturing. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in English and has
worked in publishing ever since. She writes books for children instead of doing
things that aren’t as fun. Betsy is the author of Double the Danger and
Zero Zucchini and Welcome to Dweeb Club. Visit her at
BetsyUhrig.com for more information about her books and her cats.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway
Details:

3 winners will win a finished copy of WELCOME TO DWEEB CLUB, US Only.

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