The Homework Machine
Buy from other retailers, what's this book about.
DOING HOMEWORK BECOMES A THING OF THE PAST The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher’s pet, and a slacker – Brenton, Sam Snick, Judy and Kelsey, respectively, – are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don’t want when you are keeping a secret. Before long, members of the D Squad, as they are called at school are getting strange Instant Messages from a shady guy named Milner; their teacher, Miss Rasmussen, is calling private meetings with each of them and giving them pop tests that they are failing; and someone has leaked the possibility of a homework machine to the school newspaper. Just when the D Squad thinks things can’t get any more out of control, Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Soon the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail…or worse!
What Kind of Book is .css-1msjh1x{font-style:italic;} The Homework Machine
Book lists that include this book.
The Creative Behind the Book
Dan Gutman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Genius Files series; the Baseball Card Adventure series, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies around the world; and the My Weird School series, which has sold more than 12 million copies. Thanks to his many fans who voted in their classrooms, Dan has received nineteen state book awards and ninety-two state book award nominations. He lives in New York City with his wife, Nina. You can visit him online at www.dangutman.com.
What Has Dan Gutman Said About This Book
Nothing yet! Let Dan Gutman know that you want to hear from them about their book.
More Books by Dan Gutman
Discover All the Books in the The Homework Machine Series
Other Books You Might Enjoy If You Liked This Book
Book Details
Contribute to this page.
More than halfway there—keep going!
Just the barebones.
- Help Center
- Gift a Book Club
- Beautiful Collections
- Schedule Demo
Book Platform
- Find a Book
- Reading App
- Community Editors
Authors & Illustrators
- Get Your Book Reviewed
- Submit Original Work
Follow Bookroo
- Facebook Icon Round FB icon with f initial
- Twitter Icon Twitter Logo
- Instagram Icon Instagram Icon
- Tumbler Icon Tumbler Icon
The Homework Machine
Starting with a stern statement from the Grand Canyon, Arizona Police Chief Rebecca Fish, meet four fifth graders in big trouble. There's long-haired, rebellious, cool guy Sam Dawkins; fun-loving, unacademic, pink-haired Kelsey Donnelly, African American grind Judy Douglas, and friendless genius Brenton Damagatchi. The whole thing starts because Sam is anti-homework, especially the daily fill in-the-blank worksheets his first-year teacher Miss Rasmussen hands out. Sam is skeptical when Brenton claims he has programmed his computer to search the web and do all his homework each day, but it’s true. Soon the four seatmates are spending every afternoon in Brenton’s bedroom, printing out their daily assignments on the computer they nickname Belch. It can’t do any harm, right? The chronology and confession of their ill-fated escapade is related entirely through a series of transcripts, narrated by the four contrite kids, their parents, classmates, and Miss Rasmussen.
There are many interesting threads explored in this nimble story: keeping secrets, making friends, being popular, the morality of taking the easy way out, first crushes, the meaning of war, and even the loss of a parent. The setting of the Grand Canyon and sub-themes about playing chess, starting fads, and using a catapult will get kids looking up supporting information in books and on the Internet. Questions readers can think about as they read include: Which of the four main characters is most like or unlike you and why? Which one would or would not be your friend and why?
Reviewed by : JF.
Themes : DEATH. FRIENDSHIP. GRIEF. HUMOR.
Also available from:
- Barnes & Noble
- Books-A-Million
CRITICS HAVE SAID
- “A dramatic and thought-provoking story with a strong message about honesty and friendship.” – Elaine E. Knight, School Library Journal
- “Booktalkers will find this a natural, particularly for those hard-to-tempt readers whose preferred method of computer disposal involves a catapult and the Grand Canyon.” – Carolyn Phelan, Booklist
- “Tucked in between the laughs are excellent messages about tolerance, honesty, and the importance of what the students’ teacher calls the “homework machine [that] already exists. It’s called your brain.” – Child Magazine
- “Short chapters of alternating voices tell the story, which is funny in some places, but is not without intense and sometimes sad moments.” – Susie Wilde, Children
The Homework Machine: Novel Study
This the homework machine: novel study study guide also includes:.
- Join to access all included materials
Do opposites really attract? The D Squad in The Homework Machine includes of a quad of opposites. The group, made up of a teacher's pet, a geek, a class clown, and a slacker, make use of a machine to do their homework. In response to the story, scholars complete sentences with vocabulary words, answer comprehension questions, and analyze a quote to show what they know.
Additional Tags
Instructional ideas.
- Assign learners to invent and write about a machine to make life easier
- Integrate other subjects with the study of the Colorado River and forest fires
Classroom Considerations
- Includes only a preview of a full novel study
- Requires knowledge of adjectives
- Incorporates literary elements such as personification, alliteration, and simile
- Contains study of a quote from Abraham Lincoln
- Does not provide sample work or answers
Common Core
Start your free trial.
Save time and discover engaging curriculum for your classroom. Reviewed and rated by trusted, credentialed teachers.
- Collection Types
- Activities & Projects
- Assessments
- Graphics & Images
- Handouts & References
- Interactives
- Lab Resources
- Learning Games
- Lesson Plans
- Presentations
- Primary Sources
- Printables & Templates
- Professional Documents
- Study Guides
- Instructional Videos
- Performance Tasks
- Graphic Organizers
- Writing Prompts
- Constructed Response Items
- AP Test Preps
- Lesson Planet Articles
- Online Courses
- Interactive Whiteboards
- Home Letters
- Unknown Types
- Stock Footages
- All Resource Types
See similar resources:
"the most dangerous game" study guide, study skills, vending machine bans increase in schools nationwide, a charlie brown christmas study guide, literature study guide - moby dick, literature study guide - the hobbit, sunken millions simple machines, reading assignments: crash course study skills #2, study guide for bridge to terabithia, study guide for tuck everlasting.
- ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN
THE HOMEWORK MACHINE
by Dan Gutman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2006
When fifth-graders Judy, Sam and Kelsey discover their classmate Brenton Damagatchi’s homework machine, they think they are on to a good thing and begin to visit him regularly after school. Alphabetically seated at the same table, the brilliant Asian-American computer geek, hardworking, high-achieving African-American girl, troubled army brat and ditzy girl with pink hair would seem to have nothing in common. (They would also seem to be stereotypes, but young readers won’t mind.) But they share an aversion to the time-consuming grind of after-school work. Their use of the machine doesn’t lead to learning—as a surprise spring quiz demonstrates—but it does lead to new friendships and new interests. The events of their year are told chronologically in individual depositions to the police. In spite of the numerous voices, the story is easy to follow, and the change in Sam, especially, is clear, as he discovers talents beyond coolness thanks to a new interest in chess. Middle-grade readers may find one part of this story upsettingly realistic and the clearly stated moral not what they had hoped to hear, but the generally humorous approach will make the lesson go down easily. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-689-87678-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2006
CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
Share your opinion of this book
More by Dan Gutman
BOOK REVIEW
by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Kelley McMorris
by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Allison Steinfeld
TUCK EVERLASTING
by Natalie Babbitt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1975
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.Â
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.Â
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
More by Natalie Babbitt
by Natalie Babbitt
by Valerie Worth & illustrated by Natalie Babbitt
RETURN TO SENDER
by Julia Alvarez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 13, 2009
Though it lacks nuance, still a must-read.
Tyler is the son of generations of Vermont dairy farmers.
Mari is the Mexican-born daughter of undocumented migrant laborers whose mother has vanished in a perilous border crossing. When Tyler’s father is disabled in an accident, the only way the family can afford to keep the farm is by hiring Mari’s family. As Tyler and Mari’s friendship grows, the normal tensions of middle-school boy-girl friendships are complicated by philosophical and political truths. Tyler wonders how he can be a patriot while his family breaks the law. Mari worries about her vanished mother and lives in fear that she will be separated from her American-born sisters if la migra comes. Unashamedly didactic, Alvarez’s novel effectively complicates simple equivalencies between what’s illegal and what’s wrong. Mari’s experience is harrowing, with implied atrocities and immigration raids, but equally full of good people doing the best they can. The two children find hope despite the unhappily realistic conclusions to their troubles, in a story which sees the best in humanity alongside grim realities.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-375-85838-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2008
More by Julia Alvarez
by Julia Alvarez ; illustrated by RaĂşl ColĂłn
by Julia Alvarez ; illustrated by Sabra Field
by Julia Alvarez
- Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
- News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
- Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
- Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
- Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
- More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
- About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
- Privacy Policy
- Terms & Conditions
- Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Popular in this Genre
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
Please select an existing bookshelf
Create a new bookshelf.
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
Please sign up to continue.
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Almost there!
- Industry Professional
Welcome Back!
Sign in using your Kirkus account
Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.
Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )
If You’ve Purchased Author Services
Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.
- Sign up and get a free ebook!
- Don't miss our ebook deals!
Free shipping when you spend $40. Terms apply.
The Homework Machine
Trade Paperback
LIST PRICE $7.99
Buy from Other Retailers
- Amazon logo
- Bookshop logo
Table of Contents
About the book, about the author.
Dan Gutman hated to read when he was a kid. Then he grew up. Now he writes cool books like The Kid Who Ran for President ; Honus & Me ; The Million Dollar Shot ; Race for the Sky ; and The Edison Mystery: Qwerty Stevens, Back in Time . If you want to learn more about Dan or his books, stop by his website at DanGutman.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2007)
- Length: 176 pages
- ISBN13: 9780689876790
- Grades: 3 - 7
- Ages: 8 - 12
- Fountas & Pinnell™ R These books have been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System
Browse Related Books
- Age 12 and Up
- Children's Fiction > Social Themes > Adolescence & Coming of Age
- Children's Fiction > Social Situations > Adolescence
- Children's Fiction > School & Education
- Children's Fiction > Humorous Stories
Awards and Honors
- ILA/CBC Children's Choices
- Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee (MN)
- Booklist Editors' Choice
- South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominee
- Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee
- Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee (IN)
- Indian Paintbrush Book Award Nominee (WY)
- Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
- Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (CT)
- Colorado Children's Book Award Master List
- Child Magazine's Guide to Top Books, Videos and Software of the Year
- Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award Master List
- Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)
- Virginia Readers' Choice Award List
- Prairie Pasque Award Nominee (SD)
- Land of Enchantment RoadRunner Award Nominee (NM)
- Nene Award Nominee (HI)
- Sunshine State Young Readers' Award List (FL)
- Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominee
- Golden Sower Award (NE)
- Sasquatch Book Award Nominee (WA)
Resources and Downloads
High resolution images.
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Homework Machine Trade Paperback 9780689876790 (2.4 MB)
Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today!
Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
More books from this author: Dan Gutman
You may also like: Thriller and Mystery Staff Picks
More to Explore
Limited Time eBook Deals
Check out this month's discounted reads.
Our Summer Reading Recommendations
Red-hot romances, poolside fiction, and blockbuster picks, oh my! Start reading the hottest books of the summer.
This Month's New Releases
From heart-pounding thrillers to poignant memoirs and everything in between, check out what's new this month.
Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love.
Homework Machine Chapter 1-4 Review
Get better grades with Learn
82% of students achieve A’s after using Learn
Vocabulary for the High School Student
myPerspectives: English Language Arts, Grade 7
The Homework Machine
50 pages • 1 hour read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Introduction-Chapter 2
Chapters 3-4
Chapters 5-6
Chapters 7-8
Chapters 9-10
Character Analysis
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Discussion Questions
Introduction-Chapter 2 Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Introduction summary.
The introduction to The Homework Machine is written from the perspective of Rebecca Fish, the police chief of Grand Canyon, Arizona. Rebecca is thinking back to the closed case of the “homework machine” and the four fifth-grade students involved, musing that the mile-deep canyon seems to attract strange cases like “flies to dog doo” (1). The police recorded the private testimonies of the students, teacher and parents involved in the case. The story of the case is told by these testimonies.
Chapter 1 Summary: September
Sam Dawkins (a fifth grader) introduces himself and explains his nickname, “Snik.” Snik is short for Snikwad , which is his last name backward. Snik’s father is in the air force, which is why his family moved to Arizona (he insists he was not kicked out of his last school). Snik tells the sequence of events leading up to their police interviews from his perspective , starting from the first day of school.
Related Titles
By Dan Gutman
The Kid Who Ran for President
The Million Dollar Shot
Featured Collections
View Collection
Laugh-out-Loud Books
Popular Study Guides
Science & Nature
Truth & Lies
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The Homework Machine, written by acclaimed American author Dan Gutman was first published in 2007 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and is the first of a two-book series.The second book, The Return of the Homework Machine, was published in 2011.Gutman is primarily a children's fiction writer who has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including 18 for The Homework Machine ...
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The Homework Machine" by Dan Gutman. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. ... Chapter 4 Summary: December. Snik turns down Brenton's ...
The Homework Machine By Dan Gutman Suggestions and Expectations This curriculum unit can be used in a variety of ways. Each chapter of the novel study focuses on one chapter of The Homework Machine and is comprised of five of the following different activities: 1. Before You Read 2. Vocabulary Building 3. Comprehension Questions 4.
This is a reading of Chapter 4 from Homework Machine. Written by Dan Gutman.Thank you Dan Gutman for this amazing book and for supporting teachers in our dis...
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The Homework Machine" by Dan Gutman. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes of The Homework Machine . The themes of the poem "The Homework Machine" by Shel Silverstein are: The dangers of relying on technology The poem suggests that if we rely too much on technology to do our work for us, we may lose the ability to think for ourselves and learn.; The importance of hard work The poem also suggests that there is no substitute for hard work.
The Homework Machine. Written by Dan Gutman. Book # 1 in the The Homework Machine Series. Paperback. $ 7.99. $ 7.59. Add to cart. 8 - 12. Reading age.
The Homework Machine. Starting with a stern statement from the Grand Canyon, Arizona Police Chief Rebecca Fish, meet four fifth graders in big trouble. There's long-haired, rebellious, cool guy Sam Dawkins; fun-loving, unacademic, pink-haired Kelsey Donnelly, African American grind Judy Douglas, and friendless genius Brenton Damagatchi.
Doing homework becomes a thing of the past! Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention.
Created by. CB_MissLynn Teacher. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like intrigued, compiling, reputation and more.
Books. The Homework Machine. Dan Gutman. Thorndike Press, 2006 - Juvenile Fiction - 147 pages. DOING HOMEWORK BECOMES A THING OF THE PAST. The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker -- Brenton, Sam "Snick," Judy and Kelsey, respectively, -- are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine.
The Homework Machine: Novel Study. Do opposites really attract? The D Squad in The Homework Machine includes of a quad of opposites. The group, made up of a teacher's pet, a geek, a class clown, and a slacker, make use of a machine to do their homework. In response to the story, scholars complete sentences with vocabulary words, answer ...
When fifth-graders Judy, Sam and Kelsey discover their classmate Brenton Damagatchi's homework machine, they think they are on to a good thing and begin to visit him regularly after school. Alphabetically seated at the same table, the brilliant Asian-American computer geek, hardworking, high-achieving African-American girl, troubled army brat and ditzy girl with pink hair would seem to have ...
Snik is new to the school, but his self-crafted social identity is clear—he wants to be the cool kid in class. He is cocky, loud, and judgmental. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The Homework Machine" by Dan Gutman. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with ...
About The Book. Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together ...
Homework Machine Chapter 1-4 Review. True or False: Police Chief Rebecca Fish thinks the Grand Canyon is partly to blame for people acting strangely. Click the card to flip 👆. True! Rebecca Fish is investigating the D-Squad and trying to figure out what happened with the homework machine.... she thinks the Grand Canyon is making them act weird!
Four fifth-grade students--a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker--as well as their teacher and mothers, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete homework assignments. Access-restricted-item. true. Addeddate. 2012-03-29 17:11:49.
The Homework Machine is the first book of a two-part series. The second book, The Return of The Homework Machine, brings the D Squad back together when Brenton realizes that the chip he developed to make Belch, his homework machine, was never destroyed and has fallen into the wrong hands.The Return of the Homework Machine is written in the same multi-perspective style as The Homework Machine.
Introduction Summary. The introduction to The Homework Machine is written from the perspective of Rebecca Fish, the police chief of Grand Canyon, Arizona. Rebecca is thinking back to the closed case of the "homework machine" and the four fifth-grade students involved, musing that the mile-deep canyon seems to attract strange cases like ...