"The most overprogrammed kid in America" is back, pursuing his quest for truth alongside trusty Slash coeditor, Jennifer. Every news story in the works gets a little play here, along with numerous subplots, with results that cry out for pruning. However, Winerip's skewering of middle-school bugaboos is priceless, and he handles the delicate issues surrounding a gentrification brouhaha with particular grace. Fans of sleuths such as Sammy Keyes will find plenty to admire in the Adam Canfield series and its crack team of investigative journalists.

Intrepid middle-school reporter Adam Canfield and his annoyingly efficient co-editor, Jennifer, are back for another year of publishing their school newspaper, The Slash . Pulitzer Prizewinner Winerip (the New York Times ) draws from his reporting expertise to set up several intriguing stories for Adam to cover, from a particularly nasty teacher to the unscrupulous woman who essentially owns his town, with some bullies thrown in. Plenty of wry humor combined with pre-adolescent angst, a too-full schedule and tricky interviews keep both Adam and readers tripping along through the narrative. Winerip throws in some sage advice from a famous reporter to keep Adam on his toes, and perhaps to interest some young readers in journalism. The comedy gives way to some nice insights into the real abilities of a mentally handicapped boy and the pride of the poor. A variety of investigations takes up Adam's time, all the while keeping readers smiling. (Fiction. YA)

Gr 5-8-This worthy sequel to Adam Canfield of the Slash (Candlewick, 2005) continues the escapades of the most overprogrammed middle schooler in America. When Adam wakes to a snow day, it seems like a dream come true: sleep late and make some extra cash shoveling. But as the coeditor of the school newspaper, the Slash, he becomes both a victim and a story when five high school kids mug him. Adam and his coeditor, Jennifer, along with Phoebe, the bright but annoying third-grade cub reporter, tackle four major issues for the newspaper: bullying in schools; saving a 300-year-old tree; uncovering a science-fair scam; and exposing the most powerful family in town's intention of bulldozing the poor African-American section and building mini-mansions for the rich. Lots of subplots move the story along as quickly as Adam's rushing to the next enrichment activity. Winerip writes with lots of laugh-out-loud humor, perfectly satirizing state tests, overzealous parents, and kids who are in danger of being enriched to death. Yet in the midst of this humor, he tackles some tough ethical issues and conveys the message that the truth will win out. The author perfectly captures the middle school male in Adam, from his confusion over his budding romantic feelings for Jennifer to his desire for fairness in the science fair. Readers will eagerly await more adventures at Harris Elementary/Middle School.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Adam Canfield, co-editor and topnotch investigative reporter for The Slash, the official newspaper of Harris Elementary/Middle School, becomes the news when he is mugged by a carload of high school students while he is shoveling snow. In this sequel to the equally delightful Adam Canfield of The Slash (Candlewick, 2005), Adam and his fellow co-editor (and best friend), the lovely Jennifer, decide to focus on bullying in their school, as one of the lead stories for their next issue. Guided by the kind of ethical journalism that is in short supply in real life, Jennifer and Adam and their crack team of Slash staffers, which includes students from all the grades, also dig into rigged science-fair projects that are done by the parents and the underlying evil intent behind the effort to name a street after Martin Luther King Junior in a nearby African American neighborhood that is being targeted by wealthy white developers. Winerip, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting for the New York Times, writes a terrifically current tale of overextended, high-achieving middle schoolers who are driven by very high standards to get to the truth and who are undeterred by condescending adults with nefarious agendas. His sensitive portrayals of a high-maintenance, genius third grader, a staffer with autism, and Adam and Jennifer's refreshingly respectful relationship add depth to this irresistible, often very funny, and highly recommended series.-Beth E. Andersen.