Summary
Kiana is spending two months with her father and “stepmonster” while her mother films a movie. On the way to register for her new school her baby brother gets sick and her stepmother rushes off to the doctors before she can register Kiana for classes. Due to a mix-up at that office she ends up in a class for the “unteachables”, kids who the school has given up on.
Normally, a teacher would notice quickly if a student doesn’t belong in his class. But, Zachary Kermit is the most burnt-out teacher in the school. He wasn’t always that way, but a thirty-year-old cheating scandal still haunts him. The superintendent is itching to get rid of him. Mr. Kermit is assigned to the unteachables in hopes that he will resign before cashing in his early retirement. But, something strange happens. The students the entire school dreads, turns out to be the class the best class he’s ever had and revives his love of teaching. But is it enough to save his job? The kids will have to band together to save the teacher they’ve grown to love.
My Thoughts
Korman has a gift for writing books that appeal to the reluctant reader. This is very similar to Ungifted , except now the misplaced student is in a class with troubled students. Like most of Korman’s books it’s told from multiple perspectives, so we get to know all of the kids and adults. This stretches a lot of rules about how schools work, but the outrageous plot and humor draw you in to the story. I hope that, like Ungifted, he writes a sequel.