Ungifted is a 2012 children's novel by Gordon Korman. The story is told with chapters of alternating perspectives. The plot revolves around Donovan Curtis, a troublemaker that gets wrapped up in a major prank gone wrong. Due to an accident caused by the superintendent, Donovan gets sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction ; a school for gifted and talented students. The rest of the novel is spent on Donovan avoiding being caught while helping the students of ASD through his own special gifts.
Plot
Donovan Curtis thinks he's ungifted. He's the ultimate prankster and trouble-maker. But one day, he goes too far in causing a commotion. He strikes a statue of Atlas with a stick, causing the globe Atlas was holding to roll into the gymnasium, where a basketball game is taking place. No one is injured, but the gym is completely demolished and destroyed. The district superintendent, Dr. Schultz, is watching the game. He catches Donovan red-handed. However, when he jots down Donovan's name, he accidentally writes it on the list of candidates for the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, a school for extremely gifted students. Donovan knows he will be busted and feels that he will cause more stress to his already stressed out household. His older sister, Katie, is currently staying with them and is seven months pregnant. Katie's husband, Brad, is deployed in Afghanistan with the Marines. Adding to the pressure, Katie's mother-in-law drops off Brad's dog, who seems to be ill and only takes a liking to Donovan. But after learning he is getting sent to ASD, it is filled with joy by the mistake. On his first day, Donovan meets his classmates and while some seem to be annoyed by him, some take a liking to him, especially Chloe, a girl interested in normal things. While Donovan continues to hide out in the Academy, his teachers begin to question if he is gifted. Donovan also joins Robotics, a class taught by his homeroom teacher Mr. Osborne. Donovan helps give their robot a name: Tin Man Metallica Squarepants, gets his classmate Noah hooked to YouTube and shows his classmates the talent he has of controlling the robot with a joystick. Eventually, Donovan learns his classmates will have to go to summer school for failing to take Human Growth and Development. To help them, he convinces his sister to teach his classmates, which eventually gets approved as an actual credit. Characters
Ungifted has received reviews from School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates, ALA Booklist, the National Post, Publishers Weekly, New York Times Book Review, the Horn Book Guide, Children's Literature, Junior Library Guild, and Kirkus Reviews. School Library Journal described the story as "unpretentious and universally appealing". Booklist labelled the conclusion as "satisfying". New York Times wrote that the novel is "brisk, heartfelt and timely". Children's Literature described the story as "unique" and the novel as "easily read", "nice" and "safe". Children's Lit also recommended it for "middle school students who don't feel they belong" and as an "ideal selection for classroom study" with "well-developed" characters and "many layers of 'drama'". Voice Of Young Advocates praised the novel by describing Ungifted as "humorous", "quirky", and "feel-good". The novel was also praised as "a gem for readers looking for a story", and the plot as "touching, without being overly sentimental". VOYA recommended Ungifted for "middle school readers who are looking for a funny and quick read".
