Schooled by Gordon Korman
Schooled
by Gordon Korman
(Audio)
This book reminded me a lot of Stargirl. In both books, a homeschooled kid goes to a regular school and stands out like a sore thumb. The kid is made fun of for being different, when the kid is actually pretty darn cool. The kid tries to adapt, but it doesn't go well and the kid ends up leaving. The books are quite similar. However, for all the reasons I HATED Stargirl, I LOVED Schooled!
Cap Anderson was raised on a farm-slash-hippie commune with only his Grandmother, Rain, for friend and mentor. When Rain is injured, he is taken in by a caseworker and sent to public school for a few months. He is an easy target for everyone to pick on; even the kid who usually gets picked on is glad to see him because it's a break for him. But the thing is, he doesn't understand the real world, so he doesn't understand he's being teased. He just thinks that's the way things are and he learns how to deal with it. When he's elected class president, he does his best at the job, not understanding that it's a joke. But the thiing is, he's so genuine and good-hearted, people start seeing him as more than an object of ridicule. They find things they like about him and, in turn, start being better people as well. Cap does everything wrong--he doesn't understand checks so he writes the ones he gets and donates tons to charities. He sees that the bus driver is having a heart attack and takes over, driving the bus to the hospital even though he's only in 8th grade and doesn't have a license. And when the school jock tells him it's his duty to learn every person's name (over 1,000 of them) he learns them. The way that Stargirl's stalky filing system of classmates was creepy, Cap learning his classmates' names is endearing. He changes so many lives just by being himself, whereas Stargirl... exact opposite. The thing is, Cap isn't trying to be unique; he's just being himself. And he isn't trying to resist the real world; he tries to understand it, wants to understand it. He's curious and kind and just genuine.
The story bounced back and forth among different characters, so we got to see Cap from Cap's eyes but also everyone else from the social worker's daughter to the hope-to-be girlfriend of the school bully. I enjoyed the different POVs, piecing them together for a complete experience, showing the realness of the situation.
The end was heartwarming and healthy. I loved this book in so very many ways. It wasn't life-changing or anything, it was just good. This was my first Gordon Korman, and a great one to have chosen.