Tag Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman Takes Us Back to Middle School

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Old School is a Gordon Korman masterpiece that will surprise and delight you while delivering a profound appreciation for the elderly.

Dexter Foreman is 12 years old and lives with his grandmother in an old folks community. Home schooled, Dexter has a best friend and favorite teacher who is 99.

This is a kid who wears hand-me-downs from the old guys at the retirement home. He carries the knowledge and wisdom of people several generations his senior, but talks and acts like them too.

What do you think would happen if Dexter is forced to attend public middle school? You may have guessed that bullies would target him from day one. You are correct, but his life and the lives of his fellow students as well as folks at the retirement home take turns that may keep you reading beyond your normal bedtime.

This is a heartwarming, funny story that, like other books by Gordon Korman, caused me to want more—more of this author’s gift.

If it leaves you wanting more, there is good news. Try Korman’s The Unteachables for starters.

Root for Ivan the Gorilla and Cap the Nerd

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

My only complaint about each of these books is that they are too short. The endings are great, but I longed to continue following the charming and clever characters’ lives.

In Schooled, by Gordon Korman, one of my favorite authors, Capricorn Anderson (Cap for short) is a teenager who has been raised and taught by his grandmother on a commune inhabited by just the two of them. He has never watched TV, interacted with other kids, nor eaten pizza.

But when his grandma is hospitalized after falling out of a tree and cannot care for him, he is sent to Claverage Middle School (nicknamed C Average by the students), where a series of events thrusts the naive eighth-grader under a spotlight that he cannot comprehend. His classmates and school are transformed in ways that will surprise and captivate you.

My love of Newbery Award-winning books continues with Catherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan. Ivan, a silver-back gorilla, describes his life while he is on display inside glass walls within a shopping mall.

When Ruby, a baby elephant raised in the wild, joins the mall’s animal family, Ivan engages a plan to transport them all to new lives.

Ivan (through Applegate) is a master storyteller whose words and actions are captivating. You are sure to enjoy his tale and his choice of words.

If you seek a distraction or just great books, I highly recommend Schooled and The One and Only Ivan.