It's
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
at
at
and #IMWAYR day
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January 14, 2025 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Dexter Foreman's parents have exciting international careers and are currently in Belgium, so he's been living with his grandmother Adele for most of his life. They reside in the Pines Retirement Village, and since his grandmother listed his age as 60 to cut down on questions and paperwork, no one has questioned why he's being tutored by members of the community instead of going to public school... until now. Since questions did arise when he didn't take social security, a truant officer shows up and lets him know that he WILL be getting on the bus and attending Wolfs Eye Middle School. Dexter, who enjoys his life, and hanging out with his friends (including 99 year old Leo), isn't thrilled. He's even less thrilled when he gets on the bus and has to listen to the ignorant comments of soccer star and mathlete Jackson as well as the boorish Ronny. Ronny's sister, Gianna, is nice to him, but since she's a fledgling reporter for the school newspaper, she's more interested in finding out more about this new kid with a brush, briefcase, and questionable wardrobe. Ms. Napier, a school counselor, worries that he will have trouble fitting in to the school environment, especially when he fixes a radiator in a class on the school tour! Dexter does okay, and his education at the retirement village has been top notch, getting his a place on the math team, but also angering Jackson, who is used to being the best. He also manages to use his training from Archie, a former bare-knuckle fighter, to get Ronny to injure himself while trying to beat Dexter up! Jackson is so angry that he sends a letter to Dexter, forging the school board president's name, that claims that Dexter can do a capstone project to prove that he can move ahead in school. He talks to Leo, who was part of a code breaking "Bunker Boys" team from Wolfs Eye High School, and the two start a project that incorporates lots of topics. Dexter also ingratiates himself to the staff by fixing the coffee maker and even pours concrete to fix a long broken step in the school, which is over a hundred years old and in danger of being torn down. Gianna writes an in-depth new student feature on Dexter that he doesn't really appreciate, but her editor still has her relegated to writing articles about the school laminator. He even helps out Ronny by sharing his lunch with him, but when Dexter whips out his Swiss Army knife and deftly removes the back of the snack vending machine to retrieve a bag of chips that Ronny paid for but didn't get, he is promptly suspended for having a weapon at school. He goes back to learning at the Pines, but Gianna visits and brings other students with her. Soon, many of the students are bonding with the retirees, finding Earl Grey tea a great beverage, and understanding more about Dexter's background. There's to be a board hearing about his suspension, and all of the students plan to go. Dexter also plans to present the project that the board wanted, and is set to have Leo help him. When Leo falls and hits his head, having to go to the hospital, Gianna steps in to help with the presentation, which also ties in to the board's decision whether to save the school or not, since the school is a historical site due to the Bunker Boys meeting there. Dexter is able to return to school, but also has to deal with an understandable loss.
Strengths: Having characters who march to the tune of their own marimba is always a good way to make stories fun and engaging, but it's a tricky line to walk. Korman, of course, walks it perfectly. Dexter isn't obnoxious or super quirky (which my readers don't like); he just is a bit different. He likes to fix things, doesn't quite understand the tween cultural zeitgeist, and has his own interests. The best part is that he is able to interact with jerks like Jackson and Ronny with the insight of a much older person. It's completely realistic to believe that Dexter would have been immediately suspended for having a knife, even if teachers saw him with it earlier. There's another character, Teagan (who lived in New York but visited her grandparents at the facility), who was Dexter's only friend his age, and her transformation into someone who no longer enjoyed being at the facility or hanging out with Dexter was completely realistic. Like all of Korman's writing, this is a fast-paced, humorous story that also tugs at the heartstrings in a way that actually appeals to young readers and teachers alike. I highly suspect that Korman closes his eyes over his coffee every morning and takes several minutes to remember what it was like to be in seventh grade.
Weaknesses: It seemed unlikely that Dexter would be forced to go back to school so quickly, and even a bit suspicious that his parents spent years away from him, no matter what their careers. (Even though Henry Reed set that precedent.) Not sure senior facilities give demerits that result in loss of shuffleboard privileges, or that schools would let stairs go unrepaired. Still, all of these things make the book funnier, and are absolutely in sync with the middle grade books I remember in the 1970s. A sort of Pippi Longstocking effect, perhaps. Now, I think that we need to see more of these ALMOST possible things in middle grade literature!
What I really think: Grandparents and grandparent figures are an underutilized resource in middle grade fiction, although we are starting to see some fantastic characters like Cyrus Hale in Spy School or Gram in Danny Constantino's First Date. Bringing in so many at once, and constrasting them with a variety of middle school students was inspired. This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed Meyer and Levy's Let It Glow or Sonnenblick's Notes for the Midnight Driver. I need to go back and read Korman's Schooled, which has some similar details.
Weaknesses: It seemed unlikely that Dexter would be forced to go back to school so quickly, and even a bit suspicious that his parents spent years away from him, no matter what their careers. (Even though Henry Reed set that precedent.) Not sure senior facilities give demerits that result in loss of shuffleboard privileges, or that schools would let stairs go unrepaired. Still, all of these things make the book funnier, and are absolutely in sync with the middle grade books I remember in the 1970s. A sort of Pippi Longstocking effect, perhaps. Now, I think that we need to see more of these ALMOST possible things in middle grade literature!
What I really think: Grandparents and grandparent figures are an underutilized resource in middle grade fiction, although we are starting to see some fantastic characters like Cyrus Hale in Spy School or Gram in Danny Constantino's First Date. Bringing in so many at once, and constrasting them with a variety of middle school students was inspired. This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed Meyer and Levy's Let It Glow or Sonnenblick's Notes for the Midnight Driver. I need to go back and read Korman's Schooled, which has some similar details.
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