 Loading...  | Old school Author: Korman, Gordon | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
Dexter Foreman is twelve going on eighty. He has lived at The Pines retirement village with his grandmother since he was six years old, and as a result he gets along better with senior citizens than kids his own age. One day the county's truancy officer shows up and announces that Dex has to go to a "real" school, to the local middle school. Dexter would do anything to return to his old life at The Pines. But when his wish finally seems to be coming true, his old and new worlds collide.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.00 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 553262 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (11/15/24)
School Library Journal (12/30/24)
Booklist (11/01/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 10/07/2024 In classic Korman (Slugfest) fashion, an otherwise ordinary school is thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an unexpectedly chaotic element in this endearing story. With his parents constantly moving for work, white-cued 12-year-old Dexter Foreman lives with his grandmother in the Pines retirement community. Then the county catches on to his unofficial homeschooling by his elderly neighbors and decrees that he attend public school. His classmates aren’t sure what to make of him: he dresses like a senior citizen, has the skills to fix everything from coffee makers to broken steps, and can effortlessly dodge punches from bullies. Just when he’s starting to fit in, Dexter is suspended for breaking a school rule he never knew existed. Now it’s up to his new friends to prove just how much he’s had an impact on their lives with his old-fashioned influences. The gentle absurdity of Dexter’s classmates’ newly minted obsession with shuffleboard, hot tea, and bingo, and their finding common ground with reinvigorated senior citizens resonates with good-natured humor. The underlying theme of valuing the past while looking to the future adds further charm to Dexter’s struggle to find his own place in the world. Ages 8-12. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown Ltd. (Jan.) - Copyright 2024
School Library Journal - 12/30/2024 Gr 3–7—Korman's latest realistic fiction set in a middle school poses a fish-out-of-water scenario. Twelve-year-old Dexter has lived in his grandma's retirement community for the past six years, enjoying homeschooling and friendships with the elderly. But when he's forced to go to public school for the first time, Dexter must learn to be a kid; how to dress, talk slang, and deal with bullies. Dexter doesn't like being at school and his classmates don't seem to care for him either, until an incident rallies the students behind him. Told by various narrators—including a wannabe student reporter, a guidance counselor, and the big man on campus—this title explores the good and bad of public education as different characters try to find their place. While Dexter's musings are thought-provoking, some of the other characters are oversimplified. Savvy readers may question why the guidance counselor sounds less mature than the students, and how Dexter's forced education is due to officials realizing that his grandma listed Dexter as a 60-year-old so she wouldn't have to fill out the paperwork for homeschooling. VERDICT Korman is always a safe bet, and this is no exception. Purchase where his titles do well.—Elissa Cooper - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
