Things Could Get Hairy

Well, just in case you don’t live in the Inland Northwest, it is really really cold up here! Yesterday morning, I went outside to heat up my car, and my hair froze…literally! It was still a little wet from my shower and even though I was only out there for a maximum of 60 seconds, the edges of my hair froze! Needless to say, it is COLD!

Anyways, that means it’s a good time to curl up in front of the fire with a good book, and I have one for you. Schooled by Gordon Korman is the topic of my Book Blurt this week, and I had a really good time reading it. I’ve been trying to vary the authors and books that I’ve read, while keeping tabs on the popular or prolific authors out there. Korman’s name kept popping up in YA and Juvenile fiction, so I figured I’d pick up one of his books.

The book opens with Cap Anderson being sent to a new school while his grandma recovers from a hip injury. Sounds normal enough until you know who Cap is. Turns out his name is Capricorn Anderson, and he has been living alone with his grandma, Rain, on a communal farm. Yes, you guessed it, Cap is a hippie! Rain has been his sole teacher and friend, and while she recovers, Cap stays with a foster family and has to attend Claverage (C Average to the students) Middle School. As if just a normal middle school experience wouldn’t be bad enough for a homeschooled hippie, the school’s cool kid, Zach Powers, is planning to make his experience that much more terrible by pushing him into the spotlight of Eighth grade president. This is an “honor” reserved for the biggest losers in school, and Cap has no idea what he is in for…

Even though things could get really hairy (pun intended), this book is funny and heart-warming. Similar to Stargirl, the oddness of the Cap character actually endears him to the student body, and winds up changing the entire school for the better. Both books seem to ask the question, what would happen if we all would worry about someone else instead of ourselves? But unlike Stargirl, this book has a happy ending. (Stargirl doesn’t end terribly sad like someone dying, but you are left with a feeling of why do people have to be that way, while this story ends on a happy note. I enjoyed reading both books, and it depends on which kind of good book you are looking for). On an entirely different note, this novel is written from the first person point of view, but you get the story from several different characters. This keeps the book interesting, moving, and very enjoyable the entire way through.

P.S. This was actually written quite a bit after the rest of the blog post, but have a great Thanksgiving!