School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 4-6-Sam Warren is a sixth grader completely bogged down with homework. Spending more than four hours every night on assignments, he's spending less time with his family and friends and has a high level of anxiety. When the prep packet for the next standardized test adds even more hours to his evenings, Sam snaps. Enough is enough. A protest at school lands him a swift suspension, but Sam isn't ready to back down. With the help of a retired lawyer, Sam takes his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The premise of Frank's page-turning, funny novel will immediately resonate with the middle grade audience-and likely find quite a bit of sympathy with parents as well. The book also has the potential to be an excellent teaching tool for Social Studies teachers; Sam has to argue his position at each level of the U.S. justice system as the case makes its way through the various courts. With information about historically important Supreme Court cases sprinkled throughout, the novel, offers strong curricular connections. VERDICT Humor abounds in this appealing and empowering tale. An easy pick for readers interested in the U.S. justice system.--Patrick -Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, Providence © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sixth grader Sam Warren feels homework leaves no time for things he wants to do. With the help of his retired-lawyer neighbor, Sam and classmates put together Warren v. Board of Education. Once granted class-action status, the case is off to the Supreme Court. Though hardly credible, the story is entertaining, and readers will learn much about constitutional law and the legal rights of students. Glos. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A love of learning does not require homework to flourish in Frank's (Armstrong and Charlie, 2017) latest.Sixth-grader Sam wants to build a treehouse with his dad and spend more time with his older half sister, Sadie, but instead he faces a seemingly bottomless pit of superfluous schoolwork. One more homework assignment is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, launching Sam up on his desk in protestand subsequently into a three-day suspension. Sadie, mired in her own endless homework Hades, soon joins forces to stand up against the curricular status quo. With a crew of friends who each bring their own areas of expertise and life experience to the team, Sam, Sadie, and their curmudgeonly, retired-lawyer neighbor, Mr. Kalman, manage to take their fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the process, Sam and his squad learn about civics, computer science, economics: more than any worksheet could ever hope to instill. While the pacing of their court case, from principal's office to the highest court in the land in the span of mere months, stretches the bounds of credulity even for fiction, the story is entertaining and engaging. The characters' example of project-based learning is likely to appeal to both educators and burned-out students. Sam and Sadie seem to be white by default, and their friends are a relatively diverse group.More amusing than your average civics class. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Sixth-grader Sam has had it with homework. He has a valid point; he has so much homework he has no time to play the piano or build a treehouse with his dad. His friends can't pursue their interests in cooking, math, or sports, and his sister, Sadie, and her high-school friends constantly sacrifice sleep for their studies. Sam and Sadie recruit the widowed, retired attorney who lives across the street to file a class-action suit to abolish homework on behalf of all school-age children in Los Angeles. When their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the scope of the suit spreads to all students in America. Sam and his friends learn about the legal system, including the Supreme Court decisions that have bearing on their cause. Frank, himself a middle-school teacher, gets his characters just right, and the ongoing focus on the issues surrounding homework keeps the narrative centered, even as the premise goes over the top. Sam makes a compelling case in this funny, engaging, and thought-provoking story.--Scanlon, Donna Copyright 2018 Booklist