Schooled by Gordon Korman

Title: Schooled
Author: Gordon Korman
Pages: 208
Pub Date: August 2008
Genre: YA, Fiction
Themes: Bullying, School Politics, The Sixties
Rating: 5/5

Summary

Cap has a pretty mellow existence. He lives on an old commune, Garland Farms, with his grandmother, Rain. Rain is everything to Cap - his family, his teacher, his best and only friend. But soon, all of that changes when Rain has an accident and must spend some time in a rehabilitative home. Cap must learn to survive in the "real" world, and even scarier, a middle school.

Claverage Middle School is just like any other great American school. You've got the popular kids and the geeks. Enters Cap and now you've got the freak. Cap grew up with the peace-love-happiness tenets of the sixties, a time period that Rain had a strong affinity for. In fact, Cap's first experience with television, junk food, and physical fights occurs only after he's left Garland Farms.

Soon Cap is the target of all the abuse that middle school students can dish out - he even gets elected President, the legacy for the biggest loser at the school. How does Cap handle to these situations? By being himself, even if that means doing tai chi on the school lawn or meditating in front of his locker.

My Thoughts

Seriously. If you are a YA fan at all, turn the computer off (or log into your favorite online bookstore) and purchase this book.

It was fantabulous. Cap is one of the most endearing characters I have ever experienced. From the first couple of pages, I was hooked into his world - rooting for him when he was the underdog and didn't even know it. I laughed out loud over his oblivious mistakes, and his major ones, well, I was shouting inside my head, "No Cap, I know you mean well, but you just can't behave like that in the real world!!".

On a YA website someone awarded it the best book for illustrating middle school politics; I have to agree. It wasn't over the top or preachy, but yet you still got it, y'know?

And it was hilarious. Almost snort-worthy hilarity ensued. Here's this strange little scrawny kid who has long hippie hair and innocuously starts a tie-dyed tee shirt movement at the middle school. Are you kidding me? What's not to love about Cap?!?

Really. Rush out now. Get this book! And then let me know what you think!