SOLVED. Children's/YA-Young boy/teen is sent to a dead end school. Makes friends with a plagiarist, kleptomaniac, and pyromaniac. [s]

[Louel]

A teen is sent to a dead end school for delinquents due to his bad grades (I think in the book he was too lazy to care). He has the ability to say exacting things to insult/hurt the people he talks to. While he is there, he makes friends with a kid who is a chronic plagiarist, one who is a kleptomaniac, and I think one that is a pyromaniac. There are the default bully characters and the honest 'nice guy' teacher with good intentions.

The cover was illustrated powder blue with a desk or chair on it, and I think part of the main character's face. The book is a little over 200 pages and aimed at young teens. It would have been published in the late 90s, early 2000s.

Plot spoilers below because it's one of the few things I remember about the book

(view spoiler)[The main character is actually a kind of empath, and can detect people's emotions and what would hurt them emotionally the most. He eventually starts to control this and try not to be so cruel with his words. His friends turn out to have similar powers, and he helps them control and come to terms with it. The plagiarist hears others' thoughts and ends up writing them down, the kleptomaniac actually 'hears' objects and has the compulsion to steal them, etc. (hide spoiler)]

[Bryan457]

or the sequel

[Louel]

That's it! It's Hidden Talents. I had no idea there was a sequel to it too. Thank you so much!