This has been a draft for a while, so I'm just going to post it now, and update it as I go along.
The Books of Gordon Korman, part 1
The Macdonald Hall series is about Bruno and Boots, best friends who attend Macdonald Hall, a boarding school in Canada. They are Korman's first published works; the first was a seventh grade english project.
This Can't Be Happening At Macdonald Hall
When Bruno and Boots pull one prank too many, their headmaster Mr. Sturgeon (nicknamed The Fish), decides to separate the boys. The boys try every trick in the book to be reunited.
The
Island trilogy is part of the larger survival series.
Book One: Shipwreck
Six problem kids are sent on a ship to learn to get along with world. Luke has been found with a gun in his locker. J.J. drove a motorcycle through a shop window. Lyssa and Will land each other in the hospital in their intense sibling rivalry. Charla is a burnout who has worked too hard at sports. Ian has spent too much time watching TV, and not enough time with people. When the ship is caught in a storm, J.J. foolishly raises the sail, and the captain is lost overboard. The mate leaves with the lifeboat as soon as it becomes apparent that the ship is going to sink. The kids float off. When Luke, Will, Charla and Ian land on an island, they think that J.J. and Lyssa are dead.
Book Two: Survival
On the island, Will suffers from amnesia and believes that the other children are out to get him. Lyssa and J.J. turn out not to be dead; they have floated onto the island as well. J.J.'s Knowledge garnered from the discovery channel turns out to be useful, and the children work to build shelter, fish and find edible plants. Two planes land on the island, and the children's hopes are raised, only to be dashed again when they witness a murder. They realize that the island is being used by smugglers to exchange goods in private. They also find a military bunker, where soldiers in WWII worked on junior the third atom bomb. Will makes a pet out of a wild boar, who kills a dog belonging to the smugglers. When the smugglers try to shoot the boar to save the dog, a wild shot injures Will. He recovers from his amnesia, and joins the other children. The smugglers leave the island.
Book Three: Escape
The children realize that Will's injury is severe. Will gets a fever, and despite the children's ministrations, he appears to be getting worse. The smugglers return. The children contemplate doing surgery on Will's leg themselves. Tehy decide to smuggle J.J. out with the smugglers. If J.J. does not return, they will attempt surgery. J.J. is found out by the smugglers. They try to hold him for ransom. When one of J.J.'s captors tries to pawn J.J.'s sunglasses, the sunglasses are recognized because it has the signature of someone famous, and J.J. is saved. The kids on the island are rescued, and Will's leg is saved. The smugglers get in trouble and everything ends happily ever after.
Maxx Comedy Max Carmody wants to win a kid's comedy contest in Chicago. Towards that end, he and his friends endure through many laughable adventures. Max's jokes are not that good, and would probably not win on their own merit, but he makes a funny mistake that makes him look comedic and not pathetic.
