Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not for me. Did not finish @ 15%.

I actually thought this was a mighty cute book and I only say cute because they are literal kids. So I love the Breakfast Club and I was so exited to get this book. This book did not disappoint. The kids voice their inter thought, struggles, pain, and fears. This just ended up being heartwarming and touching and I loved it!

This was a lot of fun! I loved the characters and the setting. I found the story development to be fun and real, making it easier to relate to the characters.

This book doesn't really stand out for me. It all feels a little recycled and made up of archetypes. Kids definitely will not understand that this is a Breakfast Club retelling (though they'll still be able to follow the story!)

Although I received this book in exchange for my honest review, all opinions remain my own.

This was a book about five kids that are required to go to a summer school like program that is based in a nursing home. They all seem to be there for different reasons and they are all VERY different kids. The viewpoint jumps around a little and it took me almost the whole book just to get used to that. Honestly the book was pretty slow going for me, probably the reason it took me two months to finish. I kept falling asleep reading it. Usually a good book will keep me up at night but this one kept putting me to sleep. There was nothing really compelling me to keep reading. In reading a few of the other reviews, maybe this is because I have never seen the breakfast club? *shrugs shoulders*

The last few chapters were the only redeeming parts. The kids come together to form an anti-bullying club of sorts. That I thought was pretty cool and think it is super relevant in today's schools. Maybe it will go over better with younger readers who have better attention spans then I do?

I wanted to really like this book, but sadly I just could not get through it. It read similar to a Disney channel movie and felt too long. I think the cast of character was similar to a mini breakfast club (which isn’t a bad thing), but I just could not get into the story. I think that someone out there may like this book, but sadly I just wasn’t one of those people.

Five students on the eve of high school will discover truths about themselves and others when they have to do community service at a local assisted living facility. Full of likeable characters and funny moments, teens may learn a little empathy from The Reckless Club.

I've seen a number of different Breakfast Club influenced books, though none that stick so closely to the original idea. The character journeys are mostly reasonable. They come to recognize their flaws, selfhishness, and the hurts they're trying to disguise or fill. The resolution is a bit too positive, a little too world changing. The central conceit is fairly unbelievable.

I enjoyed this book very much. It isn’t what I normally read but I would recommend it. It was a quick read. I would buy this book.

First, apologies for not writing this the first week of October when The Reckless Club was first released. You or your kiddos have waited too long already to read this book. Perfect for middle schoolers, The Reckless Club is a tweenage-appropriate glance at The Breakfast Club, with the extra twists and turns you’d expect from kids this age.

Beth Vrabel did a great job writing varied characters who have personal quirks that showed me a little bit of their souls. And better yet, the kids got a glimpse of each other’s souls, what made them tick, what made them hurt, and what made them better people.

In this world of divisiveness, where people say things on social media that they would never say to someone’s face, we need commentary on the benefits of seeing each other as human beings. The Reckless Club takes that stand, shining a light on the real people underneath what other people see as a drama queen, a nerd, an athlete…

This book reminded me not to judge until I’ve walked a mile in the other person’s shoes. It would make a great Christmas gift for any middle schooler you know, or their teacher.

https://randombookmuses.com/2018/11/11/review-the-reckless-club-by-beth-vrabel/

I had to use Kirkus' line in that opening, because how more perfect can one describe a book? Beth Vrabel, one of my favorite middle grade authors, reaches back into one of the movies that defined my generation and brought it back, with a few nips and tucks, to inspire a new generation. We take one group: a Nobody (Jason), a Drama Queen (Lilith), a Flirt (Wes), an Athlete (Ally, also known as "Sports Barbie"), and a rebel (Rex) all come together at a retirement home one day in the late summer. Each has done something so wrong in their last year of middle school that they've got to spend the last Saturday before high school here, helping elderly patients and their principal's sister, who oversees the home. Each teen is paired with an elder, and their personalities quickly emerge, as does a mystery: is one of the nurse's stealing from the patients?

The book has wonderful callouts to The Breakfast Club, meaning I'll get to booktalk this to some of my parents, too. We Gen Xers never get tired of '80s nostalgia! But the story is so much more than that. Beth Vrabel has the dual gifts of dialogue and character development, giving readers a voraciously readable story that delves into LGBTQ+, self-esteem and acceptance, and race matters.

I love Beth Vrabel's books. I feel good at the end of a Beth Vrabel story, and I feel like people can and still want to make a difference when I read a Beth Vrabel story. She tells realistic stories about kids we could see in our classrooms, our libraries, and at our dinner tables every day, and provides insights that we may not even realize we're overlooking. That handsome class president with the dimples may not have it as easy as you think. The drama queen that throws a hissy fit may have hit her last straw with an awful teacher. That star athlete may have something really unhealthy pushing her to excel. It reminds us, as adults, as well as middle graders and tweens, that everyone has something going on under the surface. A final note, a la the Breakfast Club, sums up the group's experiences of the day, and we can only hope that The Reckless Club has another adventure in store for us soon.

Visit Beth Vrabel's website for study guides, news about her other books, and info about school visits.

At the end of their 8th grade year several students did things that resulted in a punishment. This punishment was a bit different though. Instead of a detention they were to spend the last day of the summer vacation at an assisted living home. Way out of their element the 5 students try to just get through the day but one, Rex, is convinced that a nurse is stealing things from the residents and enlists the help of the others in catching her in the act. In the midst of that the students start to learn about each other and in the aftermath they really find out what got each of them sent there to begin with.
This reminded me a lot of The Breakfast Club but set in a retirement home. There was a bit of a mystery but also a positive message about seeing things from others' point of view and learning to understand and be empathetic. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In this story, we meet a group of misfits who have to spend their detention at an assisted living facility where they have to serve the elderly lunch, play boring games, listen to the same stories over and over again, have to put on a skit as the afternoon entertainment, and somehow have to write an essay about what they learned. None of the characters seem likely candidates for getting detention. Well, maybe one does. But what they all have in common is that they don't see any reason why they deserve what they got.

To be honest, the story felt a bit derived and cliché. It reminded me too much of The Breakfast Club although the kids are much younger. On top of that, the story development was slow. Very slow. I had a hard time getting engaged or starting to care. The author tackles really important topics like bullying and individual experiences and how they relate to experiences of other. Sadly though, that gets a bit lost. Some of the things that the kids say or express seems so grown-up that I found it not believable.

This book wasn't for me but it has a good lesson and overarching moral.

What a great middle-grade book! I am a middle school teacher and would definitely recommend this one to my students.

I wish I could give this more than five stars. I absolutely adored this! This is not to be missed. It's The Breakfast Club for middle grade. The characters worked their way into my heart, and I didn't want the book to end. This had everything I love about middle grade fiction - great characters (the sort you want to hug and cheer on), heart and humor (oh, Agnes!). This was a delight from start to finish. Highly recommend.

So, after requesting this ARC and receiving via NetGalley seven months ago, I finally got around to reading it! I'm glad I did pick up THE RECKLESS CLUB. It was just the kind of pick-me-up I needed this week after a really long reading slump.

Right off the bat I'm going to start with a confession: I'm one of those unfortunate souls that hasn't watched THE BREAKFAST CLUB and this is a fun spin on it that'll appeal to middle grade readers (10-12) and adults like me who like to remember how awkward and unnerving those middling years could be.

This review will break up what I liked and think worked, and what I found confusing or might have deterred me from reviewing this a five-star read.

What I was 'meh' about:

1. I know they're like 13, but I swear to god these kids were beyond immature. I was sighing and rolling my eyes. I'm surprised my eyeballs didn't pop out of my head, I was that exasperated. EVERYONE in this book seemed pretty crappy. Like, it was so hard to find the good in these characters. I'm talking the five main characters, and the supporting cast (i.e. their principal Mr. Hardy, and the nursing home/hospice head honcho, Mrs. Mitchell.)

Let's start with the kids... Ally and Wes were by far the worst. Quick back story, all five of these MCs are forced to volunteer at the nursing home because they've done something awful and their principal wants to see that they're properly disciplined. He figures he takes a Saturday out of their summer. Fun! Anyways, back to Wes and Ally—they're NOT good people. I hate to be so judgmental, but I sort of expected that I'd commend them for their truth and their existential confrontation at the end, only it made them really hate them. I was ambivalent before. Ally was sort of standoffish and super immature about working and helping the residents of the nursing home. And I get why she might be like that, but it didn't make me like her.

I have to quote this one part because I swear I wanted to jump in the book and shake Ally. So, she's done this HORRIBLE thing that lands her in this detention-cum-volunteer gig and she's crying about it because she feels guilt (good! you should girl!), and then she goes: "Look, I was wrong. I know it! I know it was mean. But it's not fair." EXCUSE ME! Cry me a river, Ally. You were a mean girl and you think it's not fair to be punished. All I gots to say is karma is real and it's coming for you.

2. The adults weren't any better. I mean Mitchell and Hardy were borderline bad role models, guardians, etc. They were sorta clueless and that bothered me. In fact, they were wrapped up in proving they could be better leaders; Mitchell with her nursing home, and Hardy with his school and students. Seriously, I'm shocked that a bet wasn't mentioned! I wouldn't be floored if they had gambled over it, they were that aloof of their young charges. Oh, and don't get me started on the terrible Mr. Ackins. *shakes head* Most of these kids' parents were questionable, too.

What I liked:

1. The characters, oddly. I say "oddly" because they hadn't grown on me immediately. I did like Lilith right from the get-go, and I thought Jason was ADORABLE (still do!) But Ally, Rex, and Wes were hard to back. They were slippery characters, and their truths were hard to digest (specifically Ally and Wes). Also, I have to admit I hated Ally. There. I said it. Don't like her one bit.

2. The dialogue was HILARIOUS and so on point. Beth Vrabel, props to you! You captured teen-speak perfectly. Gosh, and that running gag about old, boring, crazy-for-oatmeal Agnes and Lilith not knowing the gem of a senior she had been partnered with—priceless! I was confused that she hadn't discovered Agnes' amazing life stories by the end of it. *shrugs* Could have wrapped that up nicely.

3. The plot worked. These kids are here facing big "adult-like" life problems on the precipice of a major life transition (they're starting high school super soon). I mean I say "adult-like" loosely. Some of the problems I haven't faced, and I can't imagine how it's affecting their behavior. They are all forced together because they're so-called delinquents.

4. I also liked the diversity in this. It felt natural and not forced, particularly with Lilith and her South Asian-American background. I was totally on her wavelength.

I did stumble when there was a moment between Wes and Rex about race, and she goes "...that racism is a bit of an issue in America" and he responds, "From what you hear, you mean" and I'm like, "Okay...". It moves down some paragraphs where Rex is accused of comparing feminine hygiene products to institutional racism and discrimination, and she sorta admits to it after Lilith calls her out on it, but then Wes goes, "Yeah, you got a bad deal. Crap parents. Not enough money. But have you thought about how much worse it would be for you if you were black?"

My problem here is that Wes's issue in the book, his internal conflict isn't linked/tied to his blackness or otherness. Naturally, it feels forced reading it here when you're in the last quarter of the book.

Also, I'm a black woman. African, Canadian, and proud. And growing up, my family was on social welfare. That being said, I hadn't ever worried about my blackness. I get that black poverty exists. It's very real! I just don't see the point of why it's being mentioned here. Wes's money situation isn't a problem. So how would HE know how much worse it could be if Rex were poor AND black??? I'm not sitting here pretending to know what black poverty is like. I have no clue!

So, I guess I want to know if the author and publisher had a black sensitivity reader on this book?
I do understand from the heartwarming acknowledgements that author Beth Vrabel had two sensitivity readers help flesh Lilith.

Phew. We're at the end. I'm closing up my tedious review with some quotes I loved:

"Was it really just four hours earlier that they all had arrived? So much has happened. So much is still happening." - Basically summed up my thoughts halfway through when a lot of drama—and I mean A LOT—happened in a short amount of time.

"Then someone shouted, 'The show must go on!' "That was you," Jason says. "You were the one that shouted that." Lilith continues ignoring Jason's comment. - This would be Lilith being super dramatic and unknowingly funny. God, I love her!

I'm going to give this a 4 stars. It still worked for me, just wanted to offer an honest review.

Finally, I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Running Press Kids for this e-ARC. It meant a lot that I got approved for it!

Beth Vrabel has done it again, offering up another middle grade book about transformative friendships and experiences between teens and adults. In The Reckless Club (which if you're thinking it sounds a bit like the Breakfast Club you wouldn't be wrong) the story begins on August 23, at the end of summer vacation, a just before the start of high school. We meet Jason (the Nobody), Lillith (the Drama Queen and do not call her Lily), Wes (the Flirt), Ally (the Athlete, aka Sports Barbie) and Rex (the Rebel, or hey, Just Rex) they are going to spend time doing community service hours at a nursing home. Each youth has their own history that informed some behavior that earned them detention at the end of middle school. Spending the day helping out at the old folks home managed by their principal's sister is a way to serve their detention instead of starting their school year with one.

One of the things that Vrabel excels at is developing tween and teen characters who are unique and who have unique family challenges and vulnerabilities. Each of these children has an interesting story and the alliances formed on their community service day is a pretty timeless trope that works well in Vrabel's hands. These are kids that middle graders and young teens will relate to and who may encourage them to look deeper at peers and adults. I especially love the aspect of interacting with the elderly, something that can be so valuable for young people and which sometimes they resist.

Another positive Vrabel book about not being as alone or invisible as you think you are.

I received a Digital Review Copy from Running Press Kids via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Running Press Kids for a digital ARC of this middle-grade novel. Prior to reading this, I'd never read anything by Beth Vrabel but had heard many good things about her novel, Caleb and Kit. The Reckless Club follows, for 24 hours, five kids who've each been summoned to volunteer at a nursing home by school authorities for pranks committed separately in their last week of middle school.

First off, I think the premise of a book spanning 24 hours is genius, especially for this story. All five kids are on the surface, vastly different from each other, but of course, as we'll see at the end, very similar. In the course of the time spent at the nursing home, they assist the elderly, become entangled in a mystery, learn more about each other and build new friendships.

I really enjoyed this one and I think lovers of mystery, books about friendship and anyone in search of a book tackling grief and/or bullying will enjoy this one.

How would you like to spend your last day of summer before school starts? Would you picture yourself spending the whole day at a nursing home? This is exactly where five middle school kids find themselves due to different pranks that they did on the last day of school the year before. None of these kids want to be here. None of these kids are friends but they have been thrown together because of their actions. The day starts off pretty uneventful with meeting the nursing home residents at breakfast. However, things start to get a little crazy when one of the kids is determined to catch a nurses who she thinks is stealing from the residents. The kids have to do their chores, try to work together to catch a thief, and write a play of the residents' lives. Can they do all of this when they don't even like each other? Will they help the people at the nursing home or will the residents of the nursing home help them? All five of these kids have such diverse lives, will they ever be able to mesh or will they continue to be oil and water? Do not miss this incredibly entertaining story about a Nobody, a Drama Queen, a Flirt, and Athlete, and a Rebel.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. The Breakfast Club was huge when I was a teenager. This book reminded me so much of this movie but so different also. Instead of five high schoolers in a library it is five middle schoolers in a nursing home. This book is filled with friendship, love, heartbreak, and even a few twists and turns in the end. Do not miss this entertaining and fun book!!

The Reckless Club is The Breakfast Club for a new generation. I must admit, this book made me feel old as I saw The Breakfast Club in the movie theater. I think it would probably resonate better with the middle graders that it is aimed toward which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3.

The concept is great, get a group of kids together and make them realize that even though they are completely different, they all share a common ground. They are seen as the “Rebel”, the “Flirt”, the “Drama Queen”, the “Nobody”, and the “Athlete” by their teachers and each other. But each of them also has issues and could really just use friends, true friends. Rather than locking them in detention on a Saturday, they are sent to an assisted living facility and have to spend the day with the residents and put on some kind of show. Rex, the "rebel" also has a subplot that she is trying to catch one of the nurses in the act of stealing jewelry from patients. By the end, they share a "Breakfast Club" style confessional circle which explains a lot of why each of them behave the way they do (which was probably my favorite part of the book).

Through an interesting story, Vrabel manages to impart a number of good lessons that all come back to the important concept of listening and being kind to others. We see that listening to the elderly and even sometimes allowing them to live in their memories is important. It is also great for teens to spend time with them as it helps them remember what they were like when they were young. Vrabel also brings it to an even more important concept when she brings it to the teens' level. Each of them has a label that has in many ways become who they are. But everyone is so much more than a stereotype and when you actually stop and listen to each other you realize all the things you have in common. There is also bullying happening through each of their stories. Some bully others, some are bullied, some watch it happen and record it.

My only negatives with the story is that it jumped around from different plot lines every chapter and the characters were a little outrageous. I understand that they were stereotypes that were overplayed to make a point, but it made some of how they behaved unrealistic.