Schooled
by Gordon KormanSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in June, 2008
I really liked this one. Each chapter was from the point of view of a person involved in the story - adults and kids. Classic story of a middle school kid trying to make the life of another middle school kid completely miserable. The difference was that the kid who is being bullied is totally oblivious to it because he is not "schooled" in the way of normal middle schools. See, he has been living on a commune for his whole life and doesn't even know what TV is!
Funny quotes th...more
Funny quotes th...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Susan by:
cafe bookrecommends it for: those who liked Stargirl?
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Read in June, 2008
Capricorn Anderson is in for the biggest change of his life. When his grandmother Rain breaks her hip, Cap is sent to live with a social worker and attend public school for the first time in his 13 years. Cap was born and raised on a commune that used to house many families. One by one those families drifted away until it was just him and Rain. Cap's been indoctrinated to believe that money is the root of all evil, he's never witnessed any violence, he's never seen a TV or a cell phone or a CD.
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Read in June, 2008
This is probably the ultimate book about not fitting in. "Schooled" is a on the Texas Lone Star Reading List (which is to..."encourage students in grades 6, 7, and 8 to explore a variety of current books"), which is one of the main reasons (besides the awesome cover) that I read this book.
Capricon Anderson is a 13-year-old boy who was raised by his grandmother, Rain, on a leftover hippie commune. He has never seen a television, never gone to a regular school, well. . .you...more
Capricon Anderson is a 13-year-old boy who was raised by his grandmother, Rain, on a leftover hippie commune. He has never seen a television, never gone to a regular school, well. . .you...more
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Read in April, 2008
Gordan Korman continues to amaze me with his insights into middle school students’ angst. Once again he has portrayed the politics, insecurities, unexpected kindness and enthusiasm of those crazy years. Because Cap lives in seclusion with his grandmother, Rain, he is the ultimate innocent person. Cap knows nothing of modern life; he has never watched television, used a computer, worn store-bought clothes, or eaten meat. All of this changes, however, when he drives his grandmother to the e...more
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Read in July, 2008
Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has been living an idyllic life alone with his grandmother at Garland Farms. Garland used to be a commune, but over the years everyone but Cap and Rain (his grandmother) have moved away. Consequently, Cap knows little to nothing about the 'real' world. He doesn't get money, he's confused by clothing trends, and people his own age (13) baffle him. So, when Rain is hospitalized with a broken hip, Cap is rocketed forward a few decades, and must attend the local public Middl...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
grade 5 and up
Again, I'm the girl who cried 5 stars. But I really liked this one, and it booktalks itself: Capricorn Anderson, homeschooled on a hippie farm commune, is plonked down in the middle of 8th grade public school after his grandmother, Rain, falls out of a plum tree and breaks her hip. Arriving with uncut hair, tie-dyed shirt, cornhusk sandals, and no experience with pizza, wedgies, TV, or other people, Capricorn's innocence and purity are put to the test as he is given the "honor" of beco...more
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Read in March, 2008
Being a student in a middle school is hard on everyone but to Capricorn Anderson, it's like a whole new world. Raised on Garland Farm by his hippie grandma, Rain, he knows little about the real world. When his grandma is hurt in an accident and Cap is forced to live with a foster family while she recuperates, he attends public school for the first time in his life.
Usually, the biggest nerd in school is tagged to be 8th grade president by his or her diabolical classmates, but this year tha...more
Usually, the biggest nerd in school is tagged to be 8th grade president by his or her diabolical classmates, but this year tha...more
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Read in August, 2008
I enjoyed this book about a "time traveler" named Cap(ricorn) who has lived his entire life on a commune created in the 1960s. Unfortunately, around the time he is born in 1994, the rest of the community has died or left (his parents in the former), and so he is raised with only his grandmother, Rain, the founding member. His life, imbued with '60s ideals, is disrupted when Rain breaks her hip and must undergo weeks of rehab. Cap is placed with a divorced social worker (who lived on...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
ages ten and up
Capricorn has had a sheltered childhood growing up on an isolated old farm commune with his hippie grandmother. When she is injured and cannot care for him for two months he is forced to enter the real world and attend middle school in town. At first all the kids treat "Cap" terribly because he is so different. He is easily confused by the strange, foreign environment of middle school! His innocent, kind and peace-loving nature help him to acclimate and eventually even win the kids ov...more
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I haven't read a Gordon Korman book in a really long time, but I remember that I enjoyed reading his stories when I was in middle school. I like the situations in which he puts his characters even though sometimes they might not be so believable. In a world where we assume everyone knows how to send a text message or e-mail, it's good to be reminded that not everyone is as "fortunate" to have such modern luxuries nor is having such modern luxuries the only way to live. I hope the bo...more
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Read in August, 2008
This is one of the more enjoyable books I've read in a while, and it's one I think Jr. High kids will love. I hope I can sell it to my secondary kids, becaues it's definitely worth reading and provides a great platform to discuss bullying, cruelty, cliques, and stereotyping. The only problem is that the narrative is centered on younger kids, so they may feel like it's too immature for them.
The only disturbing thing I found in the book was its heavy reliance on stereotypes: the cowardly nerd...more
The only disturbing thing I found in the book was its heavy reliance on stereotypes: the cowardly nerd...more
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Read in April, 2008
Capricorn Anderson has been raised by his grandmother, Rain, on a commune, though everyone else is long gone. When Rain falls and breaks her hip, he drives her to the hospital, where he is arrested for driving without a license. He's only 13. While Rain is hospitalized, Cap winds up living with a social worker, Mrs. Donnelly, who had spent her early years on the commune, and her daughter. Cap is the biggest social misfit in his eighth grade class, so as is the tradition there where the bigge...more
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Read in July, 2008
This book reminded me a lot of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli in the fact that Cap is just so different from everyone else in the school. Cap, short for Capricorn, and his grandmother, Rain, live on a farm commune where they live a very sheltered life from the rest of the world. After Rain suffers a hip injury, Cap is forced to face the politics of public school. With his never-been-cut hair and cluelessness about everything, Cap soon becomes a walking target for ridicule.
I think this book wo...more
I think this book wo...more
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Read in March, 2008
"Schooled" by Gordon Korman, author of "No More Dead Dogs" among others is about a middle schooler who's been home schooled all his life by his grandmother, a former hippie, who's the last of the community at her commune. Grandma falls out of a tree and the kid gets whisked away by social services. His entry into "the real world" is pretty amusing to read, but what made the book for me was the wonderful character growth throughout the book. The book is told from ei...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Jr high school kids
Schooled is a really fun book by Greg Korman. It is told from many different perspectives, the main one being from Capricorn, a totally clueless,home-schooled 14 year old from a left-over sixties type commune, who due to an accident, suddenly finds himself in a big suburban jr. high school. The main entertaintainment there is to elect the nerdiest kid as class pressident so that he/she can be ridiculed for the rest of the term. Needless to say, Capricorn wins the election hands down. The table...more
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I like Cap at first. Consider this naive hippie boy who has to face this big bad world. Being deceived and bullied by the whole school but still maintain his belief. And by his own originality, he attracts the people surrounding him. I guess this book is rather simplistic for me. Somehow, I don't get any hint of attachment between Cap and his friends. The stronger feelings that is felt by Cap it seems his unrequited love to the older (very bitchy) girl who lives with him. The facts that everybod...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Robin by:
Marcia!
Korman's great writing had me hooked right from the beginning. Cap is believable and dear, and Korman's take on the pain that is middle school rings true. Until . . . the whole silly checkbook thing. It's not believable. It changes Cap from an innocent to an idiot. It got under my skin and bugged me and I'm not sure I want to finish this book anymore.
I agree with readers who say this reminds them of Stargirl by Spinelli. There are places where it rings similar to Piccoult's ...more
I agree with readers who say this reminds them of Stargirl by Spinelli. There are places where it rings similar to Piccoult's ...more
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Read in November, 2007
I picked up this book from the young adult section at my local library because it had an interesting cover and because I'm interested in counterculture, homeschooling and alternative philosophies of education. I don't think one ever gets too old to enjoy young adult fiction. Sometimes I just want to enjoy some light reading and I was able to finish this in two sittings. It had some flaws, but I was able to ignore them because it's intended for a younger audience. It did a good job of dealing wit...more
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Read in November, 2007
While a little predictable, this is a charming tale of how a social outcast is able to infuse himself in a rough middle school class, and prove that despite his unusual upbringing, that he is still a better person. Capricorn Anderson has spent all of his life on a former hippie commune until he is forced to attend a local middle school. Elected 8th grade president as a joke, Cap finds out that by being true to himself, he can change the hearts and minds of his fellow school mates. The book do...more
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