I was instantly intrigued that Suzanne Purvis chose to write her middle-grade book in verse about a tech-obsessed tween who accidentally sets his room on fire and finds himself sentenced to live in nowhere Arizona with his eccentric great-uncle, who doesn't even have a TV.

For Hertz, this is a fate worse than death, and he finds himself on a mission to get anything, a phone, a tablet, a laptop, anything that will get him back online. He believes that his salvation comes in the form of a scavenger hunt being run by the local Chamber of Commerce, with the winner winning a cash prize; little does he realize that his mission will lead him to make friends and realize that there is more to life than a screen.

As a parent raising similar-aged and screen-obsessed kids, I found this heart-warming and beyond relatable. 

Hertz Gets Fused, written by Suzanne Purvis, will be published by Owl's Nest Publishers and will release on May 15, 2023.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher; all opinions are my own.