Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
This was going to be a great summer for Dave, Curtis, and Victor - until their dads decided they needed to get summer jobs. Everyone knows that fifteen is the last chance you get to enjoy your summer before you turn sixteen, and summer jobs are pretty much required. A summer job at fifteen is just unfair!
So instead of working, the friends decide on Project Sweet Life. All they need to do is somehow raise the money they would have gotten by working all summer, and once that's done, they get all summer to enjoy the sweet life.
But making $7,000 isn't as easy as it seems. Can they manage to hide their non-existent summer jobs from their parents? What happens when they want to visit? And can they make their money without breaking the law or working too hard and still have time to enjoy the sweet life?
When I first read the summary on the back of this book, I immediately thought of my brother. He's fifteen and this sounded exactly like something he would try and plan. I had high hopes for this book - and it didn't let me down!
This book was hilarious and had me turning pages to see what the next Project Sweet Life plan would be. There's plenty of mystery and adventure packed into Dave, Curtis, and Victor's summer. The best part was that none of it ever felt like it was unrealistic - I really believed that the crazy adventures and money schemes could actually work!
Author Brent Hartinger has the perfect voice of teen boys. His characters sounded exactly like the ones I know. This would make a great pick for reluctant readers, but is a treat for anyone. The story will have you laughing and cheering for the boys to get their sweet life.
PROJECT SWEET LIFE is a must-read!
This was going to be a great summer for Dave, Curtis, and Victor - until their dads decided they needed to get summer jobs. Everyone knows that fifteen is the last chance you get to enjoy your summer before you turn sixteen, and summer jobs are pretty much required. A summer job at fifteen is just unfair!
So instead of working, the friends decide on Project Sweet Life. All they need to do is somehow raise the money they would have gotten by working all summer, and once that's done, they get all summer to enjoy the sweet life.
But making $7,000 isn't as easy as it seems. Can they manage to hide their non-existent summer jobs from their parents? What happens when they want to visit? And can they make their money without breaking the law or working too hard and still have time to enjoy the sweet life?
When I first read the summary on the back of this book, I immediately thought of my brother. He's fifteen and this sounded exactly like something he would try and plan. I had high hopes for this book - and it didn't let me down!
This book was hilarious and had me turning pages to see what the next Project Sweet Life plan would be. There's plenty of mystery and adventure packed into Dave, Curtis, and Victor's summer. The best part was that none of it ever felt like it was unrealistic - I really believed that the crazy adventures and money schemes could actually work!
Author Brent Hartinger has the perfect voice of teen boys. His characters sounded exactly like the ones I know. This would make a great pick for reluctant readers, but is a treat for anyone. The story will have you laughing and cheering for the boys to get their sweet life.
PROJECT SWEET LIFE is a must-read!
Age R: 12+
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Thoughts:
Project Sweet life is the story about fifteen year old Dave and his two best friends, Curtis and Victor. The day right before their summer vacation begins, their dads spring this crazy order on them, they have to get a job. They absolutely cannot have this! I mean they're only fifteen! They shouldn't have to work, besides they had everything planned out for the summer. Since they don't want this job thing ruining their vacation they decide to come up with the cash they would have made working all summer ($7,000 bucks to be exact) in a quick way so that they have the rest of the summer to do what they had been planning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
I really liked this book. The story was very ...sweet. hehe It's basically about these three good friends going through an adventure. I absolutely love those kinds of stories and thankfully this book was just as good. It made me laugh out loud at times, gosh the things these kids think up! Hilarious. The three fellas were unfortunate enough to end up having bad luck in a bunch of the schemes they tried to make themselves rich quick. It was pretty fun to read about. I could easily picture this becoming a movie and trust me, I'd be one of the first to see it. :)
I loved the whole friendship subject, absolutely loved it! It's really great how each of the boys had their own funky personality but they were good together anyway, it's really cute. :)
A bunch of the schemes really seems like they would work and I was seriously thinking, "Whoa they make those seven grand that fast?" It really surprises you which is nice. Did I mention it was very funny? Gosh I just cracked up so much with the old lady part, you have no idea how much I laughed. Too funny.
The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating was because I didn't like a few things about it. I didn't like that the mother was so..weak. The husband seemed to be the one to always call the shots while the mother just sat there quitely and did nothing. I hated that VERY much. tsk tsk Another thing I didn't like was that sometimes the story got slow. Thankfully it didn't so much that I didn't enjoy the book but it still happened. If anything I'm sure younger readers will love it more than its intended audience; young adults. I would have given this four stars if it weren't for that.
Some awesome passages from inside the book:
"The adults won't tell you this, but I absolutely knew it in my bones to be true: Once you take that first summer job, once you start working, you're then expected to keep working. For the rest of your life! Once you start, you can't stop, ever--not until you retire or you die."
Funny but so very true in many cases.
"So for the next three days, my friends and I hid in that diaper, watching Mrs. Shelby's house."
I recommend Project Sweet Life to those looking for a cute, semi-light read full of adventure and friendship. :D
YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE:
-The Sandlot
-Stand by Me (Movie and Stephen King's Short Story)
-The Goonies
-friendship
-adventure
-humor
-old ladies
-Tacoma
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Thoughts:
Project Sweet life is the story about fifteen year old Dave and his two best friends, Curtis and Victor. The day right before their summer vacation begins, their dads spring this crazy order on them, they have to get a job. They absolutely cannot have this! I mean they're only fifteen! They shouldn't have to work, besides they had everything planned out for the summer. Since they don't want this job thing ruining their vacation they decide to come up with the cash they would have made working all summer ($7,000 bucks to be exact) in a quick way so that they have the rest of the summer to do what they had been planning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
I really liked this book. The story was very ...sweet. hehe It's basically about these three good friends going through an adventure. I absolutely love those kinds of stories and thankfully this book was just as good. It made me laugh out loud at times, gosh the things these kids think up! Hilarious. The three fellas were unfortunate enough to end up having bad luck in a bunch of the schemes they tried to make themselves rich quick. It was pretty fun to read about. I could easily picture this becoming a movie and trust me, I'd be one of the first to see it. :)
I loved the whole friendship subject, absolutely loved it! It's really great how each of the boys had their own funky personality but they were good together anyway, it's really cute. :)
A bunch of the schemes really seems like they would work and I was seriously thinking, "Whoa they make those seven grand that fast?" It really surprises you which is nice. Did I mention it was very funny? Gosh I just cracked up so much with the old lady part, you have no idea how much I laughed. Too funny.
The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating was because I didn't like a few things about it. I didn't like that the mother was so..weak. The husband seemed to be the one to always call the shots while the mother just sat there quitely and did nothing. I hated that VERY much. tsk tsk Another thing I didn't like was that sometimes the story got slow. Thankfully it didn't so much that I didn't enjoy the book but it still happened. If anything I'm sure younger readers will love it more than its intended audience; young adults. I would have given this four stars if it weren't for that.
Some awesome passages from inside the book:
"The adults won't tell you this, but I absolutely knew it in my bones to be true: Once you take that first summer job, once you start working, you're then expected to keep working. For the rest of your life! Once you start, you can't stop, ever--not until you retire or you die."
Funny but so very true in many cases.
"So for the next three days, my friends and I hid in that diaper, watching Mrs. Shelby's house."
I recommend Project Sweet Life to those looking for a cute, semi-light read full of adventure and friendship. :D
YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE:
-The Sandlot
-Stand by Me (Movie and Stephen King's Short Story)
-The Goonies
-friendship
-adventure
-humor
-old ladies
-Tacoma
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com
