Schooled
by Gordon Korman
Realistic Fiction
Scholastic, 2007
Summary:
Cap Anderson lives on a farm commune with his grandmother and has never watched TV or eaten pizza. Cap is home schooled by his grandmother. When Cap’s grandmother falls out of a tree while picking plums, she breaks her hip and needs weeks of rehabilitation forcing Cap to live in town with strangers and attend Claverage Middle School. Cap, with his long hair and home-made sandals, has lived a 1960s hippie life style all his life; he now has a hard time fitting in with his peers. He is elected class president but has no idea what that means. The students try to make fun of Cap but he manages to turn things around so he is their hero.
Themes: commune, hippies, hippy, home school, middle school, 1960s, humorous, point of view, peer pressure, cliques, stereotypes, acceptance
Rationale for use: Believable characters, realistic situations, age appropriateness, bullies, being different
Content Area Connections: English: compare and contrast changing patterns of society or lifestyles (commune and a normal community), pair with the Outsiders
Possible Problems or Concerns:
• Tai chi might be an unfamiliar word for many
• students would need to understand that many home schooled students do not live as sheltered a life as Cap Anderson
• the main character is in 8th grade but middle school students would be more interested in the book than junior high school students
~Debbe Creamer
It would be interesting to have such a student attend our school. It must have been a shock to go from a completely sheltered life to a public school, but evidently Cap is self-confident enough to deal with it since he becomes the school's hero.
ReplyDeleteArnelle
This book sounds great and unlike other books I've read before. I think that how Cap doesn't realize how the students are trying to cause him humiliation is something that many students don't realize either. I do like how in the end, it's all turned around and Cap comes out as kind of the big man on campus. ~Susan~
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a very interesting book. While at extremes, it could remind students how they may have been the outsider at a point in their life. Bill Oxenham
ReplyDeleteEven though Cap is homeschooled, he has a lot in common with today's students being that he is being raised by a grandparent. Last year I had a student who had been homeschooled her whole life. After about a month, her mother pulled her out saying her daughter didn't feel comfortable in a public school. I think reading a book like this might prepare students better for the differences in how people are raised and to see that there are more than one way to look at things.
ReplyDeleteI believe that many students would relate to being different and wish that could fit in with out having to change to fit the mold in their school. It seems like a good book to give to that kid you know doesn't fit in.
ReplyDeleteRandy Johnson
This book sounds very interesting. I read The Outsiders to my fifth grade students every year. It has some pretty mature themes, but it really grabs their attention. For a lot of students, it is the first time they see the complex issues that teens can deal with. I am going to check this book out to see if I can tie it in with The Outsiders. My students are always eager to take the themes further and this one sounds like it would be another good portrayal of stereotypes and cliques.
ReplyDelete-Bridget Mansfield
I think it is important for students to realize that there are different educational settings like public education, private, and home schooled. This would be a good book to teach acceptance of others and respecting each other's differences.
ReplyDeleteHeather Fajna
I think this is a book that many students could relate to because everyone in his/her schooling has had a new kid come in. I like the fact that the character in this book overcomes the negativity he receives from being the outsider--some good lessons could be learned through class discussion using this novel. And--I have never had a group of kids who weren't interested in the hippy lifestyle--Frances Elder
ReplyDeleteI could see my students reading this book because the themes are so relevant. I think the time period would be a benefit because our students tend to think no one has ever gone through that they go through. The sixties is also a very unique period I think they would enjoy. The best point of this book is that Cap is strong enough to withstand the trials of trying to fit. Our students need to see people survive common struggles.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading this book. Even at second grade there are students who struggle with fitting in. I had a new student to the school this year and it took him several months before he felt part of the school. This would be a great book that I could read aloud to my class.
ReplyDelete