Book Review - Schooled

Schooled
Gordon Korman
Hyperion (July 31, 2007)

SPOILER ALERT: The following review contains plot points that you may not want to know about before reading the book.

In short: This is a good pick from the summer reading list assuming you have an appropriate discussion about handling bullies afterwards.

Thirteen year old Cap has been homeschooled at a 1960's style commune by his grandmother, Rain, all his life. When Rain is hospitalized Cap is forced to attend a local public school. Very smart but painfully naive to middle school politics, he is soon "schooled" in the modern social structure of tweenagers.

"I don't like it there, " I complained. "It's too crowded. People dress funny; they talk too fast, and all they're interested in is things! Cell phones and iPods and Game Boys and Starbucks. What's a starbuck?"

From chapter to chapter the story is told in first person by the various characters including Cap, the class bully, the school principal and the stereotypical "popular" girl, concerned about the right boy. Does this dynamic have to be emphasized for middle schoolers?

"The time was coming. I could almost smell it.

One day Zach Powers was going to be my boyfriend. Sure, he was sniffing around Lena - everybody knew that. But sooner or later he'd see that she lacked the depth and sincerity of yours truly, and that, besides, she had the hots for Daryl, or maybe Grant Tubman, if only he'd get rid of that ridiculous tongue stud that looked like a pimple. Enough said - especially about Lena, who was my best friend."

This is a satisfying novel filled with the naive humor of Cap and scattered, insightful thoughts about common middle school issues from various characters.

"School had nothing to do with learning and knowing and getting the right answers. School was about sports and girls and fun and being popular, because you're good at sports, hang out with the right girls, and have a lot of fun."

"Popularity had nothing to do with the truth...what really mattered was image."

"Rain said television was a vast wasteland that lowered our standards until we couldn't tell the difference between bad and good."

Besides a few blasphemies, "G_ _, what is he doing?, which are totally inappropriate and never needed in any book, especially one written for youth, my only concern is how Cap handles the bullies. He is unmercifully picked on, assaulted and bullied by, literally, the entire school. We certainly develop a sympathy for the victims of bullies, but we aren't given any appropriate suggestions in dealing with same.