Schooled by Gordon Korman

From the Publisher

Capricorn Anderson had never watched a television show before. He'd never tasted a pizza. He had never even heard of a wedgie. And he had never, in his wildest dreams, thought of living anywhere but Garland Farm commune with his hippie caretaker, Rain.

Capricorn (Cap for short) had lived every day of his life on Garland Farm growing fruits and vegetables. He was homeschooled by Rain, the only person he knew in the world. Life was simple for Cap. But when Rain falls out of a tree while picking plums and is hospital-ridden, he has to attend the local middle school and live with his new guidance counselor and her irritable daughter. While Cap knew a lot about Zen Buddhism, no amount formal education could ready him for the trials and tribulations of public middle school.

Cap doesn't exactly fit in at Claverage Middle School (dubbed C Average by the kids). He has long, ungroomed hair, wears hemp clothes, and practices Tai Chi out on the lawn. His weirdness basically makes him biggest nerd in school. This is great news for Zach Powers, big man on campus.  He can't wait to instate the age-old tradition in C-Average School:  The biggest nerd is nominated for class president—and wins.  So when Cap becomes president, he is more puzzled than ever.  But as Cap begins to take on his duties, the joke starts to turn on Zach. 

Will Cap turn out to be the greatest President in the history of C-Average School?  Or the biggest punchline? 

Children's Literature

How many 13-year-old kids living in America can say that they have NEVER watched television? Probably very few. Cap Anderson can say it, however, with all the honesty in the world! Living on an almost abandoned alternative farm commune, his entire life has provided Cap with a childhood distinctly different from others; he was homeschooled, had no telephone, and was therefore oblivious to the generally accepted ways of the world. When his only companion on the commune (his grandmother, Rain) is hospitalized, Cap is sent to live with a former inhabitant of the commune and her snarky teenage daughter, who is less than receptive to Cap’s unusual ways. Sadly, many of the students at his public school decide to capitalize upon his ignorance by attempting to make a fool of him at every opportunity. Interestingly enough, they turn out to be the fools! Written in an alternating chapter format, this book is engaging even though it plays heavily on such classic characters as the class nerd, the reluctant hero, and well off, popular class bullies. The author has written over fifty young adult novels and lives in Long Island. All in all, this is a recommended read. Reviewer: Cindy L. Carolan

VOYA

Capricorn Anderson is different from other thirteen-year-olds. He has never watched television, never heard of a Starbucks, and never attended a public school, but he knows how to drive a car. Cap and his hippie grandmother Rain's lifestyle is reminiscent of a 1960s farm commune. Rain is Cap's only family, friend, and teacher until a tragic accident lands Rain in the hospital, forcing Cap to live with strangers. Before Cap can blink, he is enrolled at Claverage Middle School with students who make him a target for their ridicule. Cap's strange appearance and nanve ways encourage students to nominate him for class president, which at this school is not an honor or sign of popularity but instead an age-old joke. The in crowd sets out to ensure that Cap fails at every endeavor, especially the Halloween dance, but the joke is on them. Students stop laughing at him and begin revering Cap because of his pure heart and immeasurable patience. Before long, the roles are reversed, but Cap is no longer there to witness the change in his peers. Korman creates an intricate novel in which goodness and strength of character prevail over the shortsightedness of others. Readers are reminded that the underdog can win without conforming to the constraints of society. Through chapters that alternate characters' points of view, readers gain insight into the turmoil that each person is experiencing as Cap influences their lives. Teens will relate to these characters whether it is the jock, the nerd, or the outcast.

Kirkus Reviews

Thirteen-year-old Capricorn "Cap" Anderson has only left the Garland Farm Commune (founded 1967) with his grandmother ("Rain") a few times for supplies. He doesn't know what TV is like, and he's never held money in his hand. When Rain falls from a plum tree and has to spend two months in the hospital, Cap gets his first real taste of the confusing, "real" world of 2007. Fortunately, his caseworker Mrs. Donnelly spent a few of her childhood years at Garland, and she knows what he's in for. Unfortunately, there's this tradition at Claverage (C-average) Middle School in which the eighth-grade class elects the strangest kid and biggest nerd to be Class President. They don't come any stranger than Cap, and Zach Powers and his clique do their level best to make Cap's life hell. Claverage gets a taste of peace, love and understanding it won't soon forget. Korman's novel narrated by the good, the bad and the only slightly involved is his usual smart, funny, slightly skewed realism. Tweens will definitely identify and could view their grandparents in a whole new light. (Fiction. 9-14)

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