MARVELOUS MIDDLE
GRADE MONDAY
Ungifted by
Gordon Korman
I found this book through my local Digital Library and I’m so glad I
did. “Ungifted,” by Gordon
Korman, is the perfect kind of story for today. Mr. Korman cleverly contrasts
two schools, Hardcastle, the one for average middle school students and the
Academy for Scholastic Distinction (ASD), the other for gifted students. In the
course of his novel Mr. Korman makes the best case for inclusion and
integration in education that I’ve yet seen.
The story begins with Donovan Curtis, an impulsive, almost a how-can-I-get-into-trouble kind of student, telling about his life. He has some
thuggish friends who delight in causing problems—your average middle school
screw ups or delinquents, as the administration would call them. You can imagine the
kinds of problems they cause and trouble they get into.
But Donovan’s latest caper takes the cake. For some reason, with a stick, he whacks a bronze statue of Atlas holding up the world, which sits on a hill above the school. The bolt breaks and the huge globe rolls down the hill, smashes the doors, and scrapes the gym floor during a dance. No one was hurt, but there is significant damage to the gym. Donovan must face the district superintendent and the consequences of his action. Crazily, due to a colossal mix up, his name is sent to the gifted school by mistake and off he goes to hide out.
But Donovan’s latest caper takes the cake. For some reason, with a stick, he whacks a bronze statue of Atlas holding up the world, which sits on a hill above the school. The bolt breaks and the huge globe rolls down the hill, smashes the doors, and scrapes the gym floor during a dance. No one was hurt, but there is significant damage to the gym. Donovan must face the district superintendent and the consequences of his action. Crazily, due to a colossal mix up, his name is sent to the gifted school by mistake and off he goes to hide out.
Next we see Donovan’s attempts to fit in with the gifted crowd
and do well enough to stay at ASD. It has superior facilities to
his old school, and there he can avoid the dreaded consequences of
wrecking the gym. All too soon teachers and students realize Donovan isn’t
gifted and doesn’t belong there. But, for some ASD students, Donovan brings normalcy, humanity, and an
awakening of the possibilities outside of their gifted
program.
Donovan is still a screw up and does so spectacularly in the end. But the gifted students are forever changed by their meeting Donovan. They now have a chance to be more than gifted—they can be human teenagers, with a real camaraderie based on shared experiences and supporting each other. And Donovan has learned how to study and care about his education, how to be part of a team, and to appreciate his family. These are all good lessons to learn. This book is highly recommended for ages 10-13.
Donovan is still a screw up and does so spectacularly in the end. But the gifted students are forever changed by their meeting Donovan. They now have a chance to be more than gifted—they can be human teenagers, with a real camaraderie based on shared experiences and supporting each other. And Donovan has learned how to study and care about his education, how to be part of a team, and to appreciate his family. These are all good lessons to learn. This book is highly recommended for ages 10-13.
Reviewed by:
Penelope Anne
Cole
Multi-Award Winning Author of
Multi-Award Winning Author of
Magical Matthew and Magical Mea
and Mágico Mateo (Spanish)
and Mágico Mateo (Spanish)
New: Magical Mea Goes
to School and
Magical Max and Magical
Mickey
For Halloween: Ten
Little Tricksters
Web: http://www.penelopeannecole.com/
Web: http://www.penelopeannecole.com/
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Tags:
Middle School, Gordon Korman, Donovan Curtis, Hardcastle
Middle School, middle grade, academic excellence, human growth and development,
Atlas, Chloe, Abigail, Noah, The Daniels, Dr. Schultz, Katie, family,
consequences, messing up, screw ups, teenagers.
Sounds like a terrific book, Penny, with lots of fun moments, no doubt. Sounds like Gordon Korman has his hand on the pulse of middle graders.
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