Books › Schooled
Schooled
224 pages
A hilarious and heartwarming collision between radical hippie idealism and the cynical jungle of middle school.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like watching a slow-motion collision that somehow ends in a massive, joyful group hug. Driven by a brisk, multi-perspective narrative, the story drops a beacon of pure, unfiltered earnestness into the cynical, hyper-social jungle of an American middle school. The prose is snappy and accessible, using shifting viewpoints to build delicious comedic irony as the protagonist's radical kindness baffles, frustrates, and eventually disarms his peers. It is a lighthearted but deeply resonant experience, balancing laugh-out-loud awkwardness with a genuinely uplifting emotional arc. Perfect for readers who love rooting for the ultimate underdog, it offers a warm, funny reminder that sometimes the best way to survive the crowd is to completely ignore its rules.
- Mood
- lighthearted
- chaotic
- uplifting
- Tone
- humorous
- earnest
- satirical
- heartwarming
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- fish out of water · radical kindness · middle school social dynamics · accidental leadership · staying true to oneself
- The writing
- Accessible, snappy, and character-driven, utilizing multiple first-person perspectives to highlight comedic irony.
- The arc
- Moves from awkward alienation and comedic misunderstanding to a triumphant, heartwarming sense of community and belonging.
- Who it's for
- Middle grade readers who love funny, character-driven school stories with a strong moral center and a lovable underdog.
Content notes
- bullying
- middle school cruelty
- injury of a guardian
About the book
Thirteen year old Anderson has never watched t.v., or never had pizza or even heard of a wedgie. The only thing he has ever done is been home schooled by his hippie grand mother, Rain. When she broke her hip after she fell out of a tree picking plums, he is forced to stay in a foster home. Will this be his only chance to try to stop from going to a real school? Or will his bananas go rotton?
Description from Open Library.
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