Audiobook Review: Middle Grade Adventure

Busted by Dan Gemeinhart

Read by Mark Sanderlin

Published: October 2025

Summary from Goodreads:

When 12-year-old Oscar Aberdeen decided he would do anything to save the only home he’s ever known, he didn’t realize that anything would include theft, trespassing, gambling, a broken nose, grand theft auto, a federal prison, and a police chase. He had no idea it would be so dangerous…or so fun.

Oscar Aberdeen is a bit of an oddball. He’s an ace at playing bridge, loves Frank Sinatra, and attends a whole lot of funerals. He’s also the youngest resident of Sunny Days retirement home by more than a half-century—and he wouldn’t have it any other way. So when his grandpa’s suddenly served an eviction notice that threatens their place at Sunny Days, he needs to find some cash. Fast.

Enter Jimmy Deluca, a shady elderly man with a reputation for being bad news, who makes Oscar an offer he can’t refuse. He’s got the drop on riches hidden away on the “outside” and he’ll share the loot with Oscar on one condition: he busts him out of Sunny Days.

In this humdinger of an adventure, the ultimate odd couple, along with an uninvited stowaway, go from high-stakes escape to rollicking escapade as they search for the secret stash—and forge an unlikely friendship along the way. Will Oscar succeed in saving the only home he’s ever known? Or will he have to fuggedaboutit and return a failure?

Confession:

This was such a fun middle grade adventure. It is definitely for the older middle grade kids though, as the characters do some questionable things in the story. Nothing horrible, and I did like that Oscar does a lot of inner monologuing about what is right and wrong. But I also think this would be a great story for parents and teachers to read with kids, as it could be the starting point of some great conversations.

Mark Sanderlin does an excellent job as the narrator. His voice is a mixture of sounding like a young teen, but also old. It is kind of hard to explain. But anyways, he also does some great voices for the other characters, especially Jimmy Deluca. I loved his accent for Jimmy and he very much sounded like a gruff old man.

Oscar was such a hoot, I loved him. Having grown up in a retirement home, he has some interesting tastes and hobbies. He also has a lot of grandparents looking out for him. This multigenerational theme runs throughout the book and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Oscar is very much a kid, but he also talks and sometimes acts like a 60 year old. It was pretty hilarious. His relationship with his grandfather was sweet, but it would have been nice to see a bit more interaction between the two of them. The friendship that develops between Oscar and Jimmy was very sweet. I also loved the dynamic between Oscar and Natasha, the young lady who comes along on the ride.

Natasha was also a really fun character. She is sort of the opposite of Oscar, free wheeling and always up for some fun. She also brought out the best in Oscar, even when she was goading him into doing stuff. She was also very sweet to Jimmy, but in a very realistic kid sort of way. Her advice to both Jimmy and Oscar was brilliant.

Jimmy was hilarious and at first seems to be a bit of a cartoon character. He sounds and acts like an aging mobster. But he really has a heart of gold, which shines through every now and then. He does do things a bit on the shady side, which both Oscar and Natasha call him out on, but he is Jimmy the Wrench, and people seem to like him.

The story as a whole is sort of far fetched, but it is quite the adventure. As I mentioned earlier there are many questionable things that Jimmy has them help him with. I was most uncomfortable with them stealing a car, but Oscar does atone for that at the end of the story. As I said there is a lot in this story that would make for some great conversations in classrooms and homes.

If you enjoy middle grade books with a lot of heart and characters that will stick with you then this is a book you will probably like. In fact I highly recommend any books by this author. They are all fun to read and always make you think.