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Dweeb: Burgers, Beasts, and Brainwashed Bullies
A smart and funny tale of perseverance, teamwork, and the true meaning of success.
Strange things are happening at Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High. The cafeteria is covered in a sea of burger wrappers. Bullies aren’t bullying anymore. And there’s an eerie growling coming from the walls.
If anyone can get to the bottom of these mysteries, it’s Denton, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah, and Bijay. They may be misfits, but they’re also the smartest kids in the eighth grade. There’s just one problem. Vice Principal Snodgrass has framed them for a crime they didn’t commit and imprisoned them in a secret room in the bowels of the school. His Ace the dreaded Idaho Tests and all will be forgiven. Their figure out who—or what—is to blame for the changes at school. It will take the nerdiest of skills. It will be scarier than talking to girls. It will be a true test, one that can be passed only by a select few. And those five boys are known as DWEEB.
Strange things are happening at Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High. The cafeteria is covered in a sea of burger wrappers. Bullies aren’t bullying anymore. And there’s an eerie growling coming from the walls.
If anyone can get to the bottom of these mysteries, it’s Denton, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah, and Bijay. They may be misfits, but they’re also the smartest kids in the eighth grade. There’s just one problem. Vice Principal Snodgrass has framed them for a crime they didn’t commit and imprisoned them in a secret room in the bowels of the school. His Ace the dreaded Idaho Tests and all will be forgiven. Their figure out who—or what—is to blame for the changes at school. It will take the nerdiest of skills. It will be scarier than talking to girls. It will be a true test, one that can be passed only by a select few. And those five boys are known as DWEEB.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 28, 2022
3.5 stars. It almost got 4, but I thought that the ending was super abrupt. The book wasn't what I expected at all (but I also didn't look at the plot summary ahead of time.) It was interesting and unexpected. I enjoyed it overall.
November 13, 2015
DWEEB is fun-filled book aimed at male Young Readers. The entire story takes place inside of Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High and deals with a vice principal who has a plan to make all students into emotionless zombies. In other words, their personalities have been wiped clean and replaced with mindless robots. Why? This way the students behave and do what Snodgrass wants.
Right from the start, the pace of the book is quick. The main characters are very diverse and interesting: Denton is the negotiator, Wendell is the computer whiz, Eddie is the athlete, Elijah is the writer, and Bijay is the performer. Vice Principal Snodgrass is the perfect bad guy because he thinks he is doing something that will not only help the school, but will eventually help all schools. Little does he know how perverted his vision is. He cannot see that, but DWEEB does.
I must say here that I have worked in a public school district now for almost ten years. There is no way, in this day and age, that an administrator would ever lock students in a basement for any length of time. If they did so, they would be fired. So, I had to put this little bit of inaccurate behavior aside and just roll with the story.
For a first published novel, DWEEB reads very well. Young Readers will especially like the variety of main characters. Every chapter changes the point of view to one of the main characters. I did like this and found it to be an interesting way to tell a story.
Overall, DWEEB is a great story that I couldn't wait to get back to every day. If you are looking for a fun-filled, fast-paced, tense and mysterious story that will keep you reading late into the night, pick up a copy of DWEEB today. Who says nerds are worthless?
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
Right from the start, the pace of the book is quick. The main characters are very diverse and interesting: Denton is the negotiator, Wendell is the computer whiz, Eddie is the athlete, Elijah is the writer, and Bijay is the performer. Vice Principal Snodgrass is the perfect bad guy because he thinks he is doing something that will not only help the school, but will eventually help all schools. Little does he know how perverted his vision is. He cannot see that, but DWEEB does.
I must say here that I have worked in a public school district now for almost ten years. There is no way, in this day and age, that an administrator would ever lock students in a basement for any length of time. If they did so, they would be fired. So, I had to put this little bit of inaccurate behavior aside and just roll with the story.
For a first published novel, DWEEB reads very well. Young Readers will especially like the variety of main characters. Every chapter changes the point of view to one of the main characters. I did like this and found it to be an interesting way to tell a story.
Overall, DWEEB is a great story that I couldn't wait to get back to every day. If you are looking for a fun-filled, fast-paced, tense and mysterious story that will keep you reading late into the night, pick up a copy of DWEEB today. Who says nerds are worthless?
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
December 14, 2012
I thought that this book was a good book and I would recommend it to people. It was about five kids that are all good students and one morning they were called to the principal’s office. Their names where Denton: the negotiator, Wendell: the computer wiz, Eddie: the athlete, Elijah: the writer, and Bijay: the performer. And when they got there they saw five chairs and when all five of them got there and vice principal Snodgrass got their where all wondering why they were all called their and apparently they were called there, because they stole money from the school.to be exact they stole two thousand five hundred sixty five dollars. Or did they? Then they went to go to a small high security room in the basement it was an old safe room. They had to stay there for one week and study Idaho State Test. But they didn’t do the crime so they want to get out but they couldn’t without being seen. So they are just stuck in a room no one else but them and their test books. One day Wendell got really mad and started punching the cinder block wall and with his last punch he felt it sink in more than the rest for some reason. So he looked behind the poster and there was a cinder block that was beaten in back farther than the rest so he pushed it out and there was a space back there and Eddie was wondering what was back their so he went back there to see if he could get out of the school. And leave. So in the end they where proven guilty and nurse Bloom was guilty and framing them in the end.
March 13, 2013
Dweeb: Burgers, Beast and the brainwashed bullies is about five boys Denton, Wendell, Eddy, Elijah, and Bijay. They are all very bright students and are preparing for the big Idaho tests. They all got called down to the vice principal's office. The boys have been framed of stealing money from the school. If the ace the tests then the are off the hook. in the end they escape the schools basement where they have been kept and found out who framed them.
The reason i picked up this book is because it looked interesting and i haven't read a book from the humor genre in a very long time.
The reason i finished it is because i thought it was going to be more exiting during the end. i was expecting a more adventurist ending. It didn't deliver that why i rated this 3 stars.
I would recommend this to a grade 6 or 7 because i think in there perspective it will be a better book then someone in my grade.
The reason i picked up this book is because it looked interesting and i haven't read a book from the humor genre in a very long time.
The reason i finished it is because i thought it was going to be more exiting during the end. i was expecting a more adventurist ending. It didn't deliver that why i rated this 3 stars.
I would recommend this to a grade 6 or 7 because i think in there perspective it will be a better book then someone in my grade.
December 8, 2012
While not as obviously outrageous as his later book The Only Ones, it's still pretty weird. Five stereotypical weirdos get called in to the Vice Principal's office and blackmailed, for purposes that make little sense at the start and less as the story progresses. By the resolution, you just have to give up and go along for the ride, because the author had no interest in coherency. It's just goofy fun.
As such, it left too many questions to be really great, and the parents just weren't believable at all.
It seemed to be set up for sequels, but one has not materialized to date. I won't mind horribly if he writes something else instead.
As such, it left too many questions to be really great, and the parents just weren't believable at all.
It seemed to be set up for sequels, but one has not materialized to date. I won't mind horribly if he writes something else instead.
August 1, 2010
What's it like to stand out for all the wrong reasons to be labeled a DWEEB? Well Dentyon, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah, and Bijay know all about not fitting in but they never thought they would stand out at criminals. When the vice principal has them framed for stealing money, locks them in a room down in the basement of the school, and says that he will make all the evidence disappear if the boys just pass the Idaho Test they are not sure what to do next. Find out what happens to our nerdy nice guys in Dweeb. Books and Snacks September 2010
April 4, 2016
Fun story about a couple of smart kids getting kidnapped by their vice principal in a nefarious plot to steal their DNA and make robots out of other children. Or something. I liked the boys interacting and their personalities were neat, but the reasoning for the adults was a little fuzzy to me. At least it would have made school more interesting. Also I think Bijay is my children's book spirit animal. At least now, in my 30s (in my 20s I was Sheila the Great.) Fun read and I'm looking forward to others by the same author.
October 5, 2011
This is quite a far-fetched story but lots of fun, which is true of a lot of books written for younger readers. I really enjoyed the characters and I liked that the chapters were written from the different viewpoints of the five main characters on a rotating basis. I know it has the potential to be a confusing and problematic way to tell a story but it actually really worked for this particular book. It is a fast, light read and I enjoyed it.
June 22, 2012
Not really believable in its plot or conspiracy. Not terribly deep in its not-too-subtle mini-message (but not too preachy, either). Not too incredibly silly, hilarious, outrageous, or fantastical.
Just enough complexity and nuance to keep the brain from turning to mush. Just unusual and unpredictable enough to be surprising. Just the right mix of characters with different qualities and interests to appeal to almost all readers.
Just fun.
Three-and-a-half stars.
Just enough complexity and nuance to keep the brain from turning to mush. Just unusual and unpredictable enough to be surprising. Just the right mix of characters with different qualities and interests to appeal to almost all readers.
Just fun.
Three-and-a-half stars.
August 5, 2012
I like how the book presents a diverse cast of lead characters, but the pop culture references easily date this book and seem forced for the sake of coolness or relevance. Starmer doesn't need to stoop to or worry about that, as his 2nd book showed. This book illustrates a lot of his strengths, but they are burgeoning strengths in DWEEB. Overall, the book is enjoyable even if not totally memorable.
March 27, 2013
5 of the top performing students in the school are framed for a crime they didn't commit and locked up in the schools basement, forced to study for the upcoming Idaho Tests. During their incarceration they discover that things are not right with the rest of the school and everyone is behaving weird... or at least behaving!
A nice, light hearted, humourus read... kind of reminded me of a kids TV show they used to have here in the UK, The Demon Headmaster.
A nice, light hearted, humourus read... kind of reminded me of a kids TV show they used to have here in the UK, The Demon Headmaster.
April 22, 2010
Five seemingly unrelated 8th graders are "kidnapped" by the new principal and put in the schools bomb shelter. Their parents are told that they were going to a weeklong Mensa field trip for being geniuses. Throw in some brain washing and a demonic dog... I'm not really sure of the plot. This book seemed like it was disjointed and halting.... Some parts were nice but overall it stunk.
October 20, 2011
The writer has talent. He certainly kept me reading, but somehow the climax and the conclusion didn't work well, despite a fun twist at the end. I also found myself having to "sort" characters, and one of my criteria for a great book is that the characters are so well defined you rarely find yourself having to "sort".
November 19, 2013
This book was extremely good. Despite the cover, Dweeb means something. Five boys in middle school are framed for stealing money. The vice-principle, looks them in a room a makes them study for a test. The writing in this book was powerful and mysterious. This book was a mystery and made me wonder what would happen next. This book is not in a series and I would recommend this book to a friend.
December 17, 2016
It didn't really grab me. I thought it was interesting until the end and then it just started to drrrraaaggg along like he couldn't find a way to end it. I was just reading about 20 pages a day of this book, unlike my usual 50-100 a day. I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't spark my interests. But if you want to try it then i'm not gonna stop you.
April 21, 2015
Middle school boys should really like this one. Especially ones who feel like they don't quite fit in. Girls should have no problem with it as well. Each of the five boys had a distinctive voice, and I liked the pictures of the boys that led off the chapters devoted to their viewpoints.
May 24, 2013
This is the perfect book for an 8th-grade boy who watches those shows on Disney and Nick and about teenagers saving the world from evil adults. They don't have superpowers; they are just smart and resourceful.
August 21, 2009
Read for professional review.
February 26, 2010
This is another book for realistic-fictioists. it has excellent detail, great humor, and athletes in underwear.
January 23, 2011
Pretty enjoyable, although the ending didn't feel at all resolved, and the details didn't seem to be quite worked out.
August 16, 2012
Silly story line. Good character development. I think boys in particular would appreciate this book. I only with the ended had come together more completely.
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May 9, 2014A fast-paced middle grade read with outlandish villains, a fair dollop of humor, and plenty of heart. I'll definitely be passing this on to the MG-aged kids in my family.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews