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Overview
It's the ultimate challenge: breaking into the Ivy League.
The hack:
To get one deadbeat, fully unqualified slacker into the most prestigious school in the country.
The crew:
Eric Roth — the good guy, the voice of reason.
Max Kim — the player who made the bet in the first place.
Schwartz — the kid genius already on the inside...of Harvard, that is.
Lexi — the beauty-queen valedictorian who insists on getting in the game.
The plan:
Use only the most undetectable schemes and techno-brilliant skills. Don't break the Hacker's Code. Don't get distracted. Don't get caught. Take down someone who deserves it.
The stakes:
A lot higher than they think.
They've got the players, the plot, and soon — the prize.
It's go time.
Synopsis
It's the ultimate challenge: breaking into the Ivy League.
The hack:
To get one deadbeat, fully unqualified slacker into the most prestigious school in the country.
The crew:
Eric Roth -- the good guy, the voice of reason.
Max Kim -- the player who made the bet in the first place.
Schwartz -- the kid genius already on the inside...of Harvard, that is.
Lexi -- the beauty-queen valedictorian who insists on getting in the game.
The plan:
Use only the most undetectable schemes and techno-brilliant skills. Don't break the Hacker's Code. Don't get distracted. Don't get caught. Take down someone who deserves it.
The stakes:
A lot higher than they think.
They've got the players, the plot, and soon -- the prize.
It's go time.
Children's Literature
Harvard is the Holy Grail for many top-notch students. When Max Kim accepts a bet to get the biggest slacker he and his fellow genius pranksters can find into Harvard, the race is on. With the help of Schwarts, a kid genius already at Harvard, and his friend Eric, the biggest hack in history, the plan gets underway. They find all the loopholes in the system, do a little hacking, and soon Clay, their slacker of choice, is well on his way to attending Harvard. The Bums, the clique with whom the bet was made, throw all sorts of obstacles in their way, from technological interference to an infiltrating spy. All the while, these three boys and Lex, a little-miss-perfect valedictorian candidate, try to figure out if getting into Harvard is the end or the beginning of life. This fun, fast-paced story manages to both poke fun at the intense struggle students face while also asking if it is really worth the stress. The varying points of view work rather well, although the choice to have only one character (Lex, the only female) in first person is rather puzzling. Overall, this is a very worthwhile read, especially for students taking things a little too seriously. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck
Editorials
KLIATT -
Boy geniuses Eric, Max, and Schwarz are hackers, not pranksters. Where pranks result in humorous moments, a hack has long-lasting effects. As Max sees it, hacking requires "worthy targets, long-term planning, technically sophisticated and precise execution, and a noble purpose." And Max has a plan to subvert the admission process at the university his family loves above all else: Harvard. Unable to pass up the chance to expose and remedy injustice, Eric buys in. Schwarz, the youngest of the three and a 16-year-old freshman at the venerable institution, does what he always does--he follows along. A bet with a team of second-rate hackers raises the stakes as well as the need to succeed. From the slacker applicant to spies and foils, each side has its minions. Although YAs in the midst of college applications, tests, and interviews may feel a sense of deja vu, Wasserman's tale of high achievers with high ambitions is anything but predictable. Complications, humor, and plot twists will keep the reader wondering who is who and how it will end. Age Range: Ages 15 to 18. REVIEWER: Debra Mitts-Smith (Vol. 42, No. 1)VOYA
Suspend disbelief and enjoy this novel about two groups of exceptionally brilliant teenage hackers (not pranksters) who have a bet: Max, Eric, and Schwartz vow to get a most unlikely candidate, Corey, accepted into Harvard-the ultimate retribution against an unfair college-admissions process. The story is recounted by Alexandra (Lex), who is recruited by two brothers nicknamed the Bongo Bums (the other parties to the bet), to thwart Max, et al. Max's plan is executed with mini-cams to spy on admissions officers, transmitters, receivers, high-powered binoculars to view the SAT real time and transmit the answers to Corey, prepping him for the college interview, and embellishing his application. Lex, herself a Harvard applicant, must get close to Eric and sidetrack him by making him feel guilty that his actions would negatively affect her chances for admission. There are snags along the way-building break-ins, subterfuge, love interests, and child/family college expectations and aspirations. Wasserman admirably conveys the nanvetT and social awkwardness of brilliant sixteen-year-olds (Schwartz, a Harvard freshman, has a childish crush on his beautiful, sophisticated, self-centered dorm mate), the do-or-die nature of college acceptance, the idealism of youth, and the sad grown-up view that college was the best time of their lives. Readers will like and care about the characters. There is enough action, computers, electronics, and shenanigans to entice girls and boys, geeks and non-geeks to this thought-provoking, enjoyable read. Many teens will relate to the college pressure that, regrettably, begins in middle school. Reviewer: Ed GoldbergChildren's Literature -
Harvard is the Holy Grail for many top-notch students. When Max Kim accepts a bet to get the biggest slacker he and his fellow genius pranksters can find into Harvard, the race is on. With the help of Schwarts, a kid genius already at Harvard, and his friend Eric, the biggest hack in history, the plan gets underway. They find all the loopholes in the system, do a little hacking, and soon Clay, their slacker of choice, is well on his way to attending Harvard. The Bums, the clique with whom the bet was made, throw all sorts of obstacles in their way, from technological interference to an infiltrating spy. All the while, these three boys and Lex, a little-miss-perfect valedictorian candidate, try to figure out if getting into Harvard is the end or the beginning of life. This fun, fast-paced story manages to both poke fun at the intense struggle students face while also asking if it is really worth the stress. The varying points of view work rather well, although the choice to have only one character (Lex, the only female) in first person is rather puzzling. Overall, this is a very worthwhile read, especially for students taking things a little too seriously. Reviewer: Amie Rose RotruckSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
High school seniors Max and Eric and their Harvard-freshman friend Schwarz challenge one another to find a candidate Harvard would never consider and hack through the admissions process to get him in-all without accessing the university's computer system. The trio decides to transform their classmate Clay Porter from a non-achieving, pot-smoking bully to a brilliant, brooding artist, and to change his academic records. Max bets a gang of rival hackers a few hundred dollars on the scheme but gets his friends in over their heads when he involves them in blackmailing an admissions counselor, raising the ante to $25,000. While the action is largely dialogue-driven, there is enough substance here to keep readers engaged, especially when the high-tech gadgetry rigged to ace Clay through the admissions interview fails, and it is apparent that someone is sabotaging their efforts. In a dramatic climax, the hackers try to put the brakes on the plot when it looks as though they're about to be caught. Seemingly on the sidelines is gal pal Alexandra, who has college-admissions obsessions of her own. Narrator "Lex" tells the story in hindsight, slowly divulging her feelings toward Eric and speaking out about the pretentiousness of Ivy League schools, but holding back on her own key role in the story's outcome. Integrated details about Harvard's campus and admissions process are realistically underscored by chapter-heading quotes from college admissions guides.
—Vicki ReutterCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.