Nate Rocks the Boat

by Karen Pokras Toz

Nate Rocks Series, Book Two

Book Description

The Adventure Continues…

With fourth grade finally winding down, 10-year-old Nathan Rockledge is looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer at home with his friends. That is, until his mom decides he has to go to overnight camp with his annoying older sister. When his best friend, Tommy, decides to tag along, Nathan thinks maybe his summer won’t actually be so bad. After all, he does get to be away from his mom’s awful cooking for an entire six weeks.

Among Color War competitions, a flaky counselor, and a bully named “No-Neck,” Nathan turns to his trusty sketchpad, transforming himself into Nate Rocks: 10-year-old extraordinaire. His speedboat ready for action, Nate saves the day time and again from the perils of floods, snakes, ghosts, and even the most wanted criminals. Join Nathan, Tommy, Abby, and a whole new cast of characters as Nate Rocks once again proves nothing can hold him back.

MY THOUGHTS: 3 OF 5 FLEURS DE LIS

Nate Rocks the Boat by Karen Pokras Toz

Nate and his family return from their unconventional vacation, and his sister Abby is actually being nice to him…for about a week. Then she’s back to her normal, bratty self. Things get worse when Nate’s parents tell him he’ll be going to a new, sleep-away camp this summer–and Abby is going too!

Luckily, Nate has his best friend Tommy with him. Can they survive a summer full of kickball, ghost stories, and team competitions?

I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I did the first. Nate’s imagination is back and more grandiose than ever–complete with tales of helping the FBI, defeating deadly snakes, and even saving fellow campers from sharks!
But, I felt Nate was more whiny in this book than the first. He complained about everything they had to do–kickball, color wars, kitchen duty, WHATEVER. He was spending the summer away from home and with his best friend–I wish he could have been a little happier.

I did have a few laugh-worthy moments though. Abby and Lisa are particularly nasty…even as an adult I think they deserve some comeuppance!

Nate is a cool kid, he just needs to immerse himself in the world around him more 🙂

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About the Author

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in Orange, Connecticut and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and three children. In June 2011, Karen published her first middle grade children’s novel for 7-12 year olds called Nate Rocks the World, followed in 2012 by the second book in the Nate Rocks series, Nate Rocks the Boat. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).
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