Thursday, February 12, 2009

Schooled by Gordon Korman - ESSENTIAL

Korman, Gordon, Schooled 208 pages. Hyperion (Disney), 2008. $7.

Language G, Mature Content~PG Violence~PG

MS - ESSENTIAL 

What group/clique do you belong to at school? Are you one of the popular kids or are you one of the kids that the popular kids pick on? The world of school is made up of these groups/cliques. When Cap’s grandmother is placed in a rehabilitation center after breaking her hip, he is placed in a foster home. This would be hard for any 13 year-old, but it is especially difficult for Cap. Cap has grown-up on an isolated farm commune and homeschooled by his grandmother. No internet, no cell phone, no Wii or X-BOX. Now that he is being forced to live with a foster family, he must attend a public middle school! To say he doesn’t fit in is the understatement of the year. However, by the end of the story the reader will be amazed at what being different can do.

This new story from Korman is told from the perspective of many individuals including Cap. The different perspectives are extremely effective in voicing the different groups/cliques and how they all are affected by one another. Schooled is another winner from Gordon Korman.

Allison Madsen~Youth Services Librarian-SJO Public Librarian

1 comment:

Miss K said...

I just read this and really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be adding it to my middle school classroom library.
I'm excited to check out the other books you recommend!