I simply loved reading Gordon Korman when I was a kid. So sharing this favorite childhood author with my daughter is a real treat. We read Ungifted together and laughed, giggled, snorted and loved our time spent together among Korman's memorable and hilarious characters.

Donovan Curtis is a middle school student who acts impulsively and has a penchant for pulling pranks and getting into trouble. When one of his innocent acts causes a major disaster, Donovan is in big trouble. But a mix-up by one of the administrators lands him at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction (ASD), the school for gifted students. Donovan realizes this is the perfect hideout from Dr. Schultz, the superintendent who is to dole out his punishment. But the students and teachers at ASD quickly figure out Donovan is not gifted at all, except he seems to have the gift for helping the brainiac students in ways neither parties expected.

This book was funny, heartwarming, and filled with surprising twists and turns—classic trademarks of Korman's books. Donovan is an average kid with a good heart who is now hiding from the big superintendent who wonders where he's disappeared to. Donovan knows his days at the Academy are numbered since he can't keep up with the enriched program. The group of super smart kids he ends up befriending realize Donovan's social skills and joystick manoeuvres come in handy in their robotics class. After a few mishaps, and some humorous problem solving situations, the gifted kids and the “regular” kids rub off on each other.

My daughter loved this book. She thought it cool that Donovan who was mediocre in school starts getting better grades and the gifted kids started thinking outside the box and became more social. My daughter also liked that every chapter alternated with the point of view of different characters. This is a feel-good book that makes readers appreciate friendships, teamwork and the funny side of those momentous middle-grade years.  

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