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Adam Canfield #3
Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter
Raising money to resurrect the banned school paper brings Adam in contact with some quirky characters in this sharp, funny novel starring the ace middle-grade reporter.
A "dirty" school election, suspicious state test scores — Adam Canfield and his star reporters are chasing some red-hot leads. There’s only one the school board has shut down The Slash for exposing the town’s most powerful family, and now the staff has to find a way to publish it themselves. Enter the Ameche two goofy kid entrepreneurs with a knack for refurbishing junk — and a talent for selling ads — but a shaky command of journalistic ethics. What’s worse, Adam hasn’t a clue why his coeditor, Jennifer, is suddenly acting weird. . . . With kid-friendly humor and a touch of budding romance, this adventure revisits a winning cast of characters — and the excitement that comes from uncovering a really great story.
A "dirty" school election, suspicious state test scores — Adam Canfield and his star reporters are chasing some red-hot leads. There’s only one the school board has shut down The Slash for exposing the town’s most powerful family, and now the staff has to find a way to publish it themselves. Enter the Ameche two goofy kid entrepreneurs with a knack for refurbishing junk — and a talent for selling ads — but a shaky command of journalistic ethics. What’s worse, Adam hasn’t a clue why his coeditor, Jennifer, is suddenly acting weird. . . . With kid-friendly humor and a touch of budding romance, this adventure revisits a winning cast of characters — and the excitement that comes from uncovering a really great story.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
5 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Michael Winerip
11 books9 followers"When Michael Winerip leaves a phone message, no one worries too much about calling him back. But when Michael Winerip of the New York Times leaves a phone message, the call gets returned fast.
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
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May 28, 2021"Now I've done a little research. I Googled 'journalism ethics' and got 59.2 million hits. There's a lot to it."
October 3, 2014
What I read so far was that there is a kid named Adam Canfield and he is just a typical teen. He has friends, and he is a newspaper reporter and he gets a big prize for nothing. His mother end up telling him and teaching him life lessons. If you like Realistic Fiction then you should read this book it's very interesting and existing in my perspective.
July 6, 2022
I just finished binge-reading this three-book series in three days, and here are my final thoughts:
First, I have read this series before, in middle school, and now I am reading it again 7 years later. So I knew what the premise of the books was, I knew what to expect from the story, I knew what the dynamics between the characters would be like. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading.
The plot speaks for itself—it’s engaging, humorous, and keeps the reader wanting more. It’s mysterious, heartwarming, and nostalgic. Throughout the series, we see Adam grow. We watch him understand more about the world, staying honest amidst corruption, navigating relationships, and understanding the fallibility of adults; this was the primary reason I gave the book 5 stars. When an adult fails to meet Adam’s naive expectations of general heroic all-knowingness, he comments on it. He ponders for a while and leaves the experience wiser—a better person. And all this is done in a straightforward way that, in my opinion, is extremely relatable for middle school students also being introduced to the unsheltered world for the first time. The series has a subtle “coming of age” theme that provides exigence to Michael Winerip’s writing, and this undercurrent creates nuances to Adam’s character (which is already wonderfully developed; it’s obvious that he has a good heart, but this isn’t announced in an overt way. It makes itself known in the minute observations Adam makes about his surroundings and his perceptiveness—excluding the times related to Jennifer when he is incredibly “spacey”).
All in all, I thought this series was great. I would definitely recommend to anyone in middle school, still learning about how the world works. And major props to you, Mr. Winerip; this series so perfectly emulates the middle schoolers’ mind, it’s impressive.
First, I have read this series before, in middle school, and now I am reading it again 7 years later. So I knew what the premise of the books was, I knew what to expect from the story, I knew what the dynamics between the characters would be like. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading.
The plot speaks for itself—it’s engaging, humorous, and keeps the reader wanting more. It’s mysterious, heartwarming, and nostalgic. Throughout the series, we see Adam grow. We watch him understand more about the world, staying honest amidst corruption, navigating relationships, and understanding the fallibility of adults; this was the primary reason I gave the book 5 stars. When an adult fails to meet Adam’s naive expectations of general heroic all-knowingness, he comments on it. He ponders for a while and leaves the experience wiser—a better person. And all this is done in a straightforward way that, in my opinion, is extremely relatable for middle school students also being introduced to the unsheltered world for the first time. The series has a subtle “coming of age” theme that provides exigence to Michael Winerip’s writing, and this undercurrent creates nuances to Adam’s character (which is already wonderfully developed; it’s obvious that he has a good heart, but this isn’t announced in an overt way. It makes itself known in the minute observations Adam makes about his surroundings and his perceptiveness—excluding the times related to Jennifer when he is incredibly “spacey”).
All in all, I thought this series was great. I would definitely recommend to anyone in middle school, still learning about how the world works. And major props to you, Mr. Winerip; this series so perfectly emulates the middle schoolers’ mind, it’s impressive.
March 27, 2025
These never get old. From book one to three, Winerip perfectly reflects the daily woes that journalist and student face. I will never understand why this book is not more well known, especially among journalists. It should be required reading because nothing grounds me more in the pursuit of good journalism than this book. I fear we all become Erik Forests and Dr. Dukes someday-- existing on the surface-- forgetting the dream. Its reminds me of the neverland motif: never grow up because if you do, you lose your way, your heart and possibly your mind. Ethics and morals constantly weigh in Adams head and heart and still he finds a way to keep his eyes on the goal.
A perfect trilogy, this books neatly but thoughtfully ties up all loose ends. One slight change in this book that is not present in the other is Jennifer and Adam figure out if they are more than just co-editors. I would love to see them more but at las the story of the Slash is concluded. Sometimes I wonder if Adam and Jennifer would really grow up to be journalist. I hope so.
A perfect trilogy, this books neatly but thoughtfully ties up all loose ends. One slight change in this book that is not present in the other is Jennifer and Adam figure out if they are more than just co-editors. I would love to see them more but at las the story of the Slash is concluded. Sometimes I wonder if Adam and Jennifer would really grow up to be journalist. I hope so.
July 10, 2017
From a journalism standpoint, I really admired the story for its discussion of journalism ethics and the reliability of news from sources funded by advertisers.
July 15, 2017
a fantastic conclusion to the series
July 5, 2012
I’m so glad that I was able to get over my Reading Funk after reading this book. As always I’m happy to have found a book myself and the price of it didn’t hurt either. In all honesty this book is worth more than $3.99. It’s truly one of the best Children’s books that I have read in a while.
As the synopsis suggests, Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter follows the adventures of Adam Canfield, an overprogrammed middle school reporter. This book is the 3rd installment in the Adam Canfield of the Slash series, but you honestly don’t have to read the previous two books to understand the story or the characters.
In terms of plot, I feel the main plot was to find a way to publish The Slash by themselves, however what made this book so great for me were the sub-plots. I thought they were done incredibly well and it was the reason that I kept reading and re-reading some parts of the book. While there was one subplot that I was confused about. Mainly I wasn’t sure if it was solved or not, but personally I didn’t care because this book exceeded my expectations.
I have to talk about the lovely characters, because they were just so awesome! Honestly they have to be the most entertaining middle schoolers/elementary school kids I’ve ever come across. Move over Elizabeth Wakefield and the rest of the Sixers staff! Adam Canfield and the rest of The Slash crew are the new reporters in town. Jokes aside, I loved all the characters in this book. Adam was a great character. He truly was an overprogrammed middle school kid with a sharp wit and a good sense of humor. Jennifer was a cute character and I enjoyed the chemistry between her and Adam. My favourite character though was the world’s greatest third grader reporter Phoebe. I adore Phoebe’s character. She was so entertaining and funny that you couldn’t help but love her. I’m not sure if she was an accurate portrayal of a third grader, but I could care less because she was awesome. I loved her advice column and her small moments which had me laughing out loud. Phoebe reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger because I used to be an outspoken and know-it-all child until I became quiet to the point where my parents had to force me to talk to people. The Ameche family were also great secondary characters.
What was interesting about this book was it definitely brought me back to the point that childhood has changed dramatically with technological advancements. I mean when I was 7 years old I didn’t even know what the internet or email was. While sometimes I don’t agree with so much technology use among young children Michael Winerip was able to use technology to portray the ethics that should still be applied to quality journalism and to real life of course.
For some people Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter may seem like a far-fetched story about young kids, but I beg you to put away your notions on how kids should behave and use technology and just enjoy the story because it’ll have you laughing a lot and just enjoying the witty remarks that come from a kid’s mouth.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter. As I said it’s one of the best children’s books that I’ve read in a while and I can’t wait to read the first two books in the series.
My Rating: 5/5
Would I recommend it? Absolutely
As the synopsis suggests, Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter follows the adventures of Adam Canfield, an overprogrammed middle school reporter. This book is the 3rd installment in the Adam Canfield of the Slash series, but you honestly don’t have to read the previous two books to understand the story or the characters.
In terms of plot, I feel the main plot was to find a way to publish The Slash by themselves, however what made this book so great for me were the sub-plots. I thought they were done incredibly well and it was the reason that I kept reading and re-reading some parts of the book. While there was one subplot that I was confused about. Mainly I wasn’t sure if it was solved or not, but personally I didn’t care because this book exceeded my expectations.
I have to talk about the lovely characters, because they were just so awesome! Honestly they have to be the most entertaining middle schoolers/elementary school kids I’ve ever come across. Move over Elizabeth Wakefield and the rest of the Sixers staff! Adam Canfield and the rest of The Slash crew are the new reporters in town. Jokes aside, I loved all the characters in this book. Adam was a great character. He truly was an overprogrammed middle school kid with a sharp wit and a good sense of humor. Jennifer was a cute character and I enjoyed the chemistry between her and Adam. My favourite character though was the world’s greatest third grader reporter Phoebe. I adore Phoebe’s character. She was so entertaining and funny that you couldn’t help but love her. I’m not sure if she was an accurate portrayal of a third grader, but I could care less because she was awesome. I loved her advice column and her small moments which had me laughing out loud. Phoebe reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger because I used to be an outspoken and know-it-all child until I became quiet to the point where my parents had to force me to talk to people. The Ameche family were also great secondary characters.
What was interesting about this book was it definitely brought me back to the point that childhood has changed dramatically with technological advancements. I mean when I was 7 years old I didn’t even know what the internet or email was. While sometimes I don’t agree with so much technology use among young children Michael Winerip was able to use technology to portray the ethics that should still be applied to quality journalism and to real life of course.
For some people Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter may seem like a far-fetched story about young kids, but I beg you to put away your notions on how kids should behave and use technology and just enjoy the story because it’ll have you laughing a lot and just enjoying the witty remarks that come from a kid’s mouth.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter. As I said it’s one of the best children’s books that I’ve read in a while and I can’t wait to read the first two books in the series.
My Rating: 5/5
Would I recommend it? Absolutely
March 17, 2010
Third book in the Adam Canfield series (and I think, last) and it concludes the school year, which began in the first book. We really loved this series, and I hope Michael Winerip decides to write more juvenile literature. The book tells a delightful story and is full of real life details of the stresses and complexities of middle school life. This third book adds a touch of budding romance as the coeditors of the newspaper, Adam and Jennifer, work to discover the status of their relationship.
For adult readers/listeners, there are plenty of jabs here and there taken towards schools and the educational bureaucracy, especially state mandated testing, as well as media conglomerates, small town city governments, over-programmed youth and even bloggers.
Excellent book (and series) that's enjoyable on many levels.
For adult readers/listeners, there are plenty of jabs here and there taken towards schools and the educational bureaucracy, especially state mandated testing, as well as media conglomerates, small town city governments, over-programmed youth and even bloggers.
Excellent book (and series) that's enjoyable on many levels.
February 10, 2010
Early Middle School. Reporters, ethics, social responsibility and self sufficency are the main themes of this book in the series. Adam and friends must try to keep the school paper going even thought their arch enemy has managed to pull the funds and official teacher support out from under them. Middle and Elementary students must find funding, do their research, and locate someone willing to print their paper without official help from school educators. Questions addressed include: Why are student's grades this year so much better than last? Can the world's greatest 3rd Grade reporter write an advise column? Romance between co-editors. Where and how can we obtain funding? Who has the best hot chocolate drink? etc.
March 30, 2010
I think this is my favorite book of the series. Winerip needs to write another one! Adam and Jennifer are busy with trying to get the Slash back up and running while they are investigating higher state test scores and a faulty student election. All this is happening in the midst of Adam's bike being stolen, more problems with Phoebe, working with the Ameche brothers, and trying to figure out their relationship with each other.
Oh yeah - here's my favorite quote: "...librarians seem quiet, but they're kind of surprising people." (273)
Oh yeah - here's my favorite quote: "...librarians seem quiet, but they're kind of surprising people." (273)
November 21, 2009
Book 3 in this great series. Less edge-of-your-seat action, but more humor and a touch of romance. Adam and Jennifer have a falling out over their attempts to get The Slash back off the ground. This time, they take on state testing. Readers will enjoy new characters, the Ameche brothers, and their equally memorable mother. 6th grade and up.
March 1, 2011
4th grade and up
Adam is the co-editor of SLASH. There is lots of news to report. The biggest mystery of all is Jennifer the other co-editor. Why is she moody lately, and why does it make Adam so upset?
This witty book is perfect for any kid who wants a bit of a romance and some action/mystery to drive the plot.
Adam is the co-editor of SLASH. There is lots of news to report. The biggest mystery of all is Jennifer the other co-editor. Why is she moody lately, and why does it make Adam so upset?
This witty book is perfect for any kid who wants a bit of a romance and some action/mystery to drive the plot.
March 7, 2016
Gosh, I love this series. It's a compelling story; unique, funny, and informed by little touches that demonstrate what a great observer Winerip is. If anything this book seems directed at 5th and 6th graders, while I thought the previous two were aimed a bit older. Anyway, a great read and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
December 29, 2009
This series is new to me. Even picking it up in the third book, I could get the whole story. I enjoyed the humor and the very resourceful kids. A few mild curses and a kiss at the end makes this a choice for more mature middle school readers.
November 13, 2010
I am enjoying this book. It is a fast easy read. Nothing heavy. Although the reading level is fourth grade, the situation is junior high and it reminds us how amazingly capable of greatness young students are.
November 2, 2011
Last book in series (Adam Canfield of the Slash & Adam Canfield, watch your back!)Middle-school reporters raise money to put out newspaper banned from school. Good depiction of thoughts & feelings from male pov. Good lesson in ethical reporting.
January 27, 2010
I've really enjoyed this middle school series. Likeable, reasonably realistic characters, and some villainous adults add up to a fun mix. This (probably) last installment adds fledgling romance.
April 23, 2012
Recommended by Mary Pat Callihan
January 11, 2011
Good Book almost made me want to become a reporter.
March 8, 2011
I don't know why i continued to read this series.......these books r so boreing.
July 20, 2011
this is a book where you need to think about whats happening.there will be parts of the book where you need to think about whats going to happen.I reccomend this book.
July 25, 2011
I love the Adam Canfield series. It's funny, exciting and vivid.
July 6, 2012
A major plot line in the book is suspiciously high standardized test scores. Be sure and read the Afterword by the author.
August 6, 2013
Would have liked to see the Boland empire get more of a come-uppance, but generally enjoyed the read.
March 9, 2016
I cannot say how much I love this series. I really loved getting to know Shadow better in this one.
December 1, 2009
i really love this series, and the adam canfield character.
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November 10, 2017ITS GOOD
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March 21, 2019I just finished books one and two of this series which I enjoyed and gave high marks. However, one and two were very similar to each other...and as I picked up number three...it seemed to be another same as....I only got a few pages into the book and lost interest....I have so many other titles to read that i'm going to put this one down for now and find something different....like the newest Gallagher Girls Academy title
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews