Slugfest

Canadian author Gordon Korman is the prolific writer of over 50 books for young readers that focus on the struggles that kids face in both believable and outrageous situations. Korman’s body of work largely consists of contemporary novels, but he also dabbles in historical settings, as in the Unsinkable series, which takes place during the first (and only) voyage of the Titanic. Korman frequently uses multiple perspectives to offer broad context about how the issues his characters face affect each person differently, a strategy that he employs in titles including Slugfest, Unplugged (a mystery that follows four kids at a wellness camp), and The Fort (in which four troubled preteens discover an old fallout shelter where they feel safe from the turmoil in their lives). Also in common with Korman’s broader body of work, Slugfest explores struggles related to school (similar to The Unteachables and Slacker), as well as issues of social justice (similar to Linked). Korman’s more outrageous titles include the heist adventures of the Swindle series (which includes Swindle and Zoobreak) and his Hypnotists series (the first book of which is The Hypnotists), which delves into science fiction and fantasy as kids deal with everyday issues and supernatural abilities.

Korman’s books generally focus on kids learning to make decisions and find their agency, either because they are removed from their parents or because they choose not to involve adults. Slugfest features a situation where parental interference changes nothing (the new law at the state level involving eighth-grade gym). As a result, the kids spend much of their time at summer school and away from parental influence. Korman utilizes this setting to show the kids forming friendships and teams that they would not have otherwise. Specifically through Arabella’s quest for fairness, Korman shows the kids making poor choices that seem good at the time and then learning lessons from their actions. Through rocky relationships like that between Cleo and Yash, the novel represents how unlikely friendships form and opinions change as a result of new situations. Through the Slugfest class, Korman also highlights how overly rigid rules fail to account for individual circumstances, as the mandatory summer class ensnares everyone from top athletes, to smart kids, to kids labeled as troublemakers. This allows Korman to further explore the teamwork that his novels are known for, firmly fitting Slugfest within his catalogue of books.