Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Do you like realistic fiction? Do you like humor? Do you like robots, slushies, or having fun? Then you should read "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman.  What makes "Ungifted" so great? Well, Donovan Curtis has always been labeled as a "troublemaker" or a "problem". Nobody would ever use the word "Gifted" to describe him. That's why it's such a shock when (after a major fiasco involving a 400-pound metal globe, a gym floor, and an angry school principal) Donovan Curtis receives an admission letter to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction. When he's there, he joins the school's competitive robotics team. The rest of the kids (with their genius IQ's) don't know what to think of Donovan at first. But while he helps them discover YouTube and normal junior high life, they come to realize that maybe, just maybe, Donovan is gifted in his own way after all.

I loved this book for a slew of reasons (the least of which being the fact that I have done a Robotics Competition myself). The first is that, like all books by Gordon Korman, it has a healthy dose of humor with an amazing and relatable plot line. Next, it has little to no swearing, and nothing that might raise any eyebrows. If anything, I would give it a PG rating for some mild action. Lastly, the book has an ending that will leave you satisfied and happy (with possibly a few tears on the side!) I would recommend this book to people who like Realistic Fiction, Humor, and books with amazing characters. This being said, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anybody who's going for a more romance-heavy story or something with a lot of graphic violence (like I said, it's PG).

There are many great themes in the book. The first I want to reference is "You can't avoid your problems." Throughout the book, Donovan is constantly avoiding his school district superintendent, because he doesn't want to get caught for doing the "Great Globe Disaster". Eventually, he has to confront the superintendent and admit to the accident. The next theme is "Sometimes help comes from the most unusual places." In "Ungifted", Donovan turns out to provide powerful help that couldn't come from anywhere else (even though compared to his classmates, he's deaf, dumb, and blind). The last one is "Don't be Afraid of Change". When Donovan goes to the ASD, many of the students don't know what to think of him. Some of them are mean, and constantly attempt to get him kicked out. Others, like Chloe, accept him with open arms for who he is. His sister learns that, as uncomfortable as some things might be, everything will eventually work out and leave you changed for the better.

"What made the robot go berserk like that? Hey, I had that answer. It was the same wild impulse that could make a guy whack a statue in the butt, setting off a chain of events that reshaped the world - or at least my little corner of it. It was the part of me that ancestry.com couldn't explain. I was working to control it, but sooner or later it would show up again and get me into twice as much trouble.
You don't have to be gifted to know that." This quote perfectly describes the book in and of itself. It talks about how the littlest things can change our lives, which is one of the predominant themes in the book. It shows Donovan's change of heart, and connects the beginning of the book to the end.

In conclusion, Gordon Korman's Ungifted surprised me with its heart and humor as well as amazing themes.