Return of the Homework Machine

The Homework Machine #2

by Dan Gutman

Snik, Brenton, Judy, and Kelsey haven’t stayed in the best touch since last year’s big homework-machine scandal. But they are all pulled back together again when Brenton realizes that the most powerful part of the machine that lets you cheat on homework was never really destroyed. And there is someone out there who wants to use it for a lot more than just cheating. So the group bands together again not only to stop the culprit, but also to be the first to find a hidden treasure. If you enjoyed the first adventure, The Homework Machine, hold on to your hats for this one!

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, School, Adventure, Juvenile

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2009

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Lindsey Gandhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book was much better.

[Millshark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The homework machine returns is about four friends who in the last book made a homework machine. In this book they throw the machine off the Grand Canyon and get caught by some hikers. At the end of the story they shoot a rocket with the chip in it.
This story takes place at a school, Brenton’s house, at Mr. Murphy’s house and the Grand Canyon. I suggest this book to second grade kids. I like this book because of the weird stuff the people do

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters of The Homework Machine return in this sequel. Now the D Squad--all of their last names begin with "D" are in 6th grade with an ex-military teacher. The drama of middle school continues and Police Chief Rebecca Fish is once again going about doing the interviews because this time the adventure of the kids, unfortunately, ends in a death! The chip from the Homework Machine has gone missing in the Grand Canyon (the setting for these books) but there is also the possibility of a secret Egyptian cavern within the Grand Canyon. This certainly piqued my interest--I never heard of this--but it turns out to be true. I LOVE when a work of fiction can lead you to non-fiction! Good story!
*Also, I must make it to the Grand Canyon some day!

[Mandy Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The return of the homework machine is an amazing book. My teacher read it to my class as a read aloud book and my classmates loved it. The homework machine is a book with four main character. The four kids. There is a teacher and another kid. The other kid is enemy with the four kids. He knew the four kids had an machine that helps them do their homework. but from the last book, they have to destroyed the homework machine. Instead, the kids shoot the homework machine with a rocket. But when the case was close, the kids went back to search for the homework machine. Soon they realize they were missing a piece, the most important piece. They soon found out the other kid had took the most important piece before them. They broke into the kid's house and took the piece back. Then the four kids went on an adventure with their teacher to search for treasures. But, there was this reporter guy who was also looking for treasures to entertain his readers. But, the reporter guy drank. The four kids and the teacher tried to help the reporter guy but the reporter guy accidently fall off the mountain. The teacher agreed to kept it a secret and made up a story to tell the cops. The kids bought the important piece of the homework machine from some Japanese gangster. The Japanese gangsters found where the piece is located and met the kids. But the kids and the teacher had design a super rocket that can shoot stuffs outer space. Right before the Japanese gangsters arrived, the kids brought the rocket to the teacher's backyard and attach the piece to the rocket. When the Japanese gangsters arrived, they pushed the button and the rocket shooter outer space. From that moment, the homework machine was never seen again. The end!
Guys, please read this book, it's one of the best book I've ever read in my whole entire life. It's funny and nervous. I'm pretty sure you will love this book after you read this!

[Jennifer E Prato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

An exciting mystery adventure book. I am in third grade and really liked this book a lot. I wish there was another one in the series.

[Suebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gutman books are a perennial favorite in my elementary school library, and I read and enjoyed the first book in this series, "The Homework Machine," when it was first published in 2006. It was included as a "Battle of the Books" book in our NJ schools.

In Return of the Homework Machine, Snik, Judy, Kelsey, and Brenton, along with their 6th grade teacher Mr. Murphy, decide to try to find some "lost Egyptian treasure" that may or may not be hidden in some caves along the rock walls of the Grand Canyon. Complicating matters is the fact that, while the original homework machine was thrown in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Brenton knows he didn't get all the pieces - there is one "blinking red light" chip that can be used to reconstruct a homework machine (or something more powerful). He knows that a classmate somehow must have this chip. The blinking red light chip is the key to finding the treasure as well.

The classmate and a "stalker guy" who keeps emailing Brenton end up teaming up to find the treasure using the red chip technology. Brenton and his group on their "treasure hunt" bump into them at the hidden cave with lost Egyptian treasure. Unfortunately, the stalker guy loses his life.

Gutman uses language I'm not a fan of - sucks, lame, stupid - but kids talk this way.

[Tammy Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Return of the Homework Machine is certainly more engaging, more action-packed, more interesting than the original, with a bit more mystery and adventure, and even a dead body here and there. This book could stand alone, but having the background information from the first book in the series gives clarity to the Japanese superchip, Ronnie, and Milner situations. It's written in the same format as the original, as a series of interview responses, as if the characters are all being interrogated by police, and that format works for the storyline.

The one major flaw in this book is the ending. Perhaps more than any other book I've read, it just abruptly stops, leaving a most unsatisfying ending. I kept rereading and turning pages to see what I had missed. There had to be more. But no, the ending just leaves you hanging, and not in a thought-provoking cliffhanger sort of way, either.

[Enrique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel continues The Homework Machine. It is written in the same style, a sequence of statements from each of the characters that altogether move the story forward. The storytelling is original, and I liked very much the argument of the novel including the exciting ending!

I wish though that the homework machine had been based on a regular computer. It is possible today for a computer-savvy school student to develop a homework machine as described in the first book without the need for the computer chip to be anything special. That could have motivated children more -- the message for the children would have been: "I need to learn programming, I should also be able to do something the same as Branton myself", instead of "well, I don't have a special computer chip, this is out of my grasp".

In any case, I can recommend the book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. The book is the sequel of The Homework Machine. In the book Brendan tells Snik, Judy and Kelsie that the homework machine ran on a superchip. The book changes a lot. I liked that the book was in a police interview. Milner was pretty stupid. He sold the super chip to Brendan so he could watch Brendan do stuff with the chip. It would have been easier for him to take some coding classes and code the chip him self. He could of made something with the chip that benefitted him more. He could not of also just sold the chip for a lot money.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite, it's great predecessor, Return of the Homework Machine is not worth the read. While, it was very consistent, the plot of the novel retconned it's predecessor and the characters felt different, even though a mere three months had passed in between the books.

Moreover, the plot was too extreme. As opposed to the original, the characters in this sequel, despite being just kids, performed a lot of stunts that shouldn't have worked out.

Please do not read this book. It will ruin your image of the predecessor.

[David Rough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of this book - various voices getting an account of a series of events in police interviews. The novel was humorous and yet had a nice thread of adventure and danger.

I just thought the plot was a little corny and very unrealistic. As is often the case, the sequel was not as gripping as the original. Still, it is a good potential book for young readers.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course it’s not going to be as good as the first one, and it felt a little forced, and the ending was a bit too quick... but overall I’m just happy there’s a sequel to one of my favorite childhood books. This was so fun to read.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning was a homework machine. Then it was chucked into the Grand Canyon. And apparently some part of this machine was still intact afterwards. This book is an amazing sequel to the “homework machine.”

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. A total recommend! I love to see Judy, Brenton, Sam and Kelsey back at it again. I missed this story a lot since I always hated homework, so I could relate to most of the story. Both the 1st and 2nd.

[Pumpkin Spice Retrograde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still hate the writing style, and I had to suspend disbelief, but I enjoyed it. The blinking light from last book is actually an AI chip, and a power source. A kid steals it, and uses it to search for treasure.

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I never read this one as a kid, it still gave me the nostalgia I was hoping for. I still really like these kids and I thought it was cool how they brought their fondness of rockets to help with the ending. I’m glad I read this finally and would recommend kids to read it.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessary sequel to a perfectly good standalone novel. This one tried to make the story bigger and more suspenseful, even though the contained tone of the first one was very good for the premise. This is just a mediocre sequel that adds nothing while trying to add everything.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I liked the homework machine. I also liked this book because I like technology.

[Daisy Hu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, except some parts kind of gruesome. I hate homework, so I REALLY wished that I had that homework machine.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new school year, a new adventure. I like how it still dealt with technology, but also talked about the Grand Canyon.

[Max&Music · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not as good as the first but it's okay. It still has a fun plot line and it's executed okay. All though the ending was kinda stupid.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good i had to take it home.This book had a great story line and a great mental picture.

[Megan Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry

[Daia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sort of spoiler but...



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The Homework Machine did not return (well most of it anyway)

[Dennis Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts I liked and parts I didn't like, was not so plausible in my opinion.

[kaliyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was amazing, since it had much more drama than the first book

[Jacob]

This book is cool

[Inés MP · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really good but I think I liked the first one better. In this one everything takes like a dark turn but it’s really good

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think over all of this book was pretty good, so I rated it four stars out of five.

[Ariel Siswo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the original! This one was very engaging and snuck in more facts/historical information about events/places without it being too obvious. Fun quick read.