Make ahead basic mixes; menus; meals for one or two; use of Tupperware kitchen equipment.

Four 5th grade students, their teacher and mother, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete homework.

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!

What kid hasn't wondered what life would be like with a homework machine? Well, fifth grade computer genius Brenton hasn’t had to worry about homework all year. When he mentions it to some of the kids in his class, they beg to see it, and he gives in. Judy, Snick, and Kelsey can’t believe how amazing the homework machine is; it even does their homework in their own handwriting. It's just too easy not to use it. So, four unlikely friends begin to hang out in order to get their homework done in record time. When they get together, the work is done so fast that they begin to get to know each other a little better. Interestingly, they realize that they each have more to them than meets the eye. What will happen if word about the homework machine gets out? Who is the strange man named Milton that keeps contacting them one by one? What caused all the kids in the fifth grade to wear red socks to school? Will the kids in the group become real friends? Read this book to find out how having more time on your hands might just change your life.

The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman is a book that kids will love and read quickly. Everyone wants their homework done faster, but is it really worth it in the end? It was a treat getting to know the different cast of characters in this book. Each chapter was a month of the school year and consisted of different interviews. I knew something had happened because of the people who were being interviewed and what they were saying, but I didn't know what the big event was until the end. Each character is a kid you know in real life. Some you might like, and some you might not like as much. But they're all real, and you can relate to them all in some way. I think this would be a great book for kids in third grade and up, because they will be dreaming of their own homework machine and will definitely be able to relate to the characters in the story. This is a terrific book for anyone who's ever dreamed of a world in which they have a little more time for what they want to do, and there are surprises around every corner. I can't wait to read The Return of the Homework Machine, because I know how this book ends, so I have no idea how the next book is going to start!
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Summary: 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.

Personal- this takes me back to middle school when we would help each other for a price, like candy, money, as seat at the lunch table.

Extension: 1. Group students up and have them create an “invention” that helps make life easier in the classroom
2. Have student create a type of business