“I want a refund from ancestry.com.”

From Gordon Korman’s Ungifted.

Donovan Curtis is nothing if not wildly unpredictable; much to his best friends’ delight and his parents’ horror, Donovan pretty much does whatever pops into his head. When Donovan hit his middle school’s Atlas statue on the butt with a stick, he doesn’t think much about it until the globe portion of the rusted statue breaks loose and rolls down the hill, destroying the gym. Dr. Schultz, the superintendent is present for the destruction and drags Donovan into his office, but is called away after only writing down Donovan’s name. As the days go on, Donovan waits for his punishment, but none comes, because Schultz mistakenly wrote Donovan’s name on the list of kids headed to the nearby gifted school. When Donovan is transferred to the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, he realizes what must have happened, but decides to use Schultz’s mistake to avoid punishment. Drastically out of place in the gifted school, Donovan does manage to befriend the levelheaded Chloe and the genius Noah when he volunteers his pregnant older sister for some missing credits. Donovan’s positive impact on the gifted kids is undeniable, but with Schultz getting closer to the truth, Donovan is left scrambling to stay hidden.

Korman has once again created a hilarious and captivating adventure for middle readers. The book creates an interesting story with genuine characters that manage to convey an important lesson. Ungifted is a must-read for fans of stories packed with humor, unexpected heart, and a reminder that people are often gifted in unexpected ways.