Schooled by Gordon Korman-let DD read or not?

[Dmmetler]

http://www.amazon.com/Schooled-Gordon-Korman/dp/1423105168/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

My DD7 picked this one up at our library's used book sale today, and was excited about it because it was about a homeschooled kid. I read it during her piano lesson today, and I'm torn on whether to let her read it right now, or whether to make it disappear temporarily and wait until later on-I think Gordon Korman is mostly shelved in YA in the library, and I don't let her browse there yet.

 

The main character is a student who has been homeschooled in about the most radical sense possible-his grandmother is the last vestige of a 1960s compound, and the boy has been raised completely out of touch with current events and with other children his age-he very literally has never had a friend but his grandmother. He is well educated academically, but literally doesn't have the social skills to know about shaking hands, or understand how a checking account works. When his grandmother breaks her hip and has to go to rehab for a couple of months, he's placed with a social worker and sent to the local public middle school, where he's instantly pegged as "the biggest loser" in the school by the popular kids. It's, in many ways, the typical loser makes good book, where the strange kid is ostracized at first, but ends up teaching the entire school a lesson they needed to learn.

 

There are two concerns I have-the first is that, basically, DD is already self-conscious about being homeschooled and having people think she's weird. I'm not sure that she NEEDS to read a book about a homeschooled kid who IS weird (but who is so far askew from even the most radical unschoolers we know-who's kids still have seen TV programs, often have their own cell phones by the time they're in their teens, and certainly know that you can't spend money without having it!) And the ending seems to indicate that there's nothing between being out on the commune with no contact with other life and being a full-time PS student.

 

So...what does the hive say?

[Twigs]

… I'm torn on whether to let her read it right now, or whether to make it disappear temporarily and wait until later on-I think Gordon Korman is mostly shelved in YA in the library, and I don't let her browse there yet. …

 

I'd say go with your instincts - there is plenty of time to read it later.

 

Best wishes.

[justasque]

We loved it, but 7 is a bit early. The schooled kids are really mean to each other, and that could be both eye-opening and scary for a 7 year old. I think you'd get more out of it if you had some sense of school culture before reading it. 10, maybe.

[Farrar]

I've read it... Seven is a bit young for that book. I don't believe in taking most books away from a kid if they really want to read it but I might go get a copy of something slightly gentler with a homeschooler like Ida B. or Surviving the Applewhites and see if she would read that instead.

[NanceXToo]

I've read it... Seven is a bit young for that book. I don't believe in taking most books away from a kid if they really want to read it but I might go get a copy of something slightly gentler with a homeschooler like Ida B. or Surviving the Applewhites and see if she would read that instead.

 

Surviving the Applewhites has somewhat mature themes for a 7 y/o in my opinion (and also depicts the homeschoolers as "weird" anyway). Ida B may be more suitable but is sad in spots as the girl's mom is dying of cancer and she has to go back to school.

 

If you're interested, I have an entire (very long) list of books featuring homeschooled characters on my blog, with summaries, notations as to whether they are religious in nature, and what age range they are meant to be for, if you want to see if you can find her some books featuring homeschooled kids you think would be suitable for her. Here's the link to "Part 1" and then there are links you can follow to Parts 2 and 3 as the list got quite long!

 

http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/167361.html