The Homework Machine

By Dan Gutman

Book #1 in the The Homework Machine series

A secret homework machine spirals out of control, threatening its creators' futures.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 9,392 ratings

176 pages· 26,230 words· Est. 3.5 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Four fifth graders, bound by a secret homework machine named Belch, find themselves in over their heads. As the machine gains power, the D Squad—comprising a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker—faces unwanted attention and escalating chaos. Strange messages, suspicious teachers, and a looming threat of exposure push them to the brink. Can they outsmart their own creation before it lands them in serious trouble? The stakes are high, and the consequences could be dire. Will they manage to regain control, or will Belch outsmart them all?

From the publisher

DOING HOMEWORK BECOMES A THING OF THE PAST The unlikely foursome made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher’s pet, and a slacker – Brenton, Sam Snick, Judy and Kelsey, respectively, – are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don’t want when you are keeping a secret. Before long, members of the D Squad, as they are called at school are getting strange Instant Messages from a shady guy named Milner; their teacher, Miss Rasmussen, is calling private meetings with each of them and giving them pop tests that they are failing; and someone has leaked the possibility of a homework machine to the school newspaper. Just when the D Squad thinks things can’t get any more out of control, Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Soon the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail…or worse!

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