Schooled

Canadian author Gordon Korman’s middle-grade novel, Schooled, was published in 2007. The coming-of-age novel follows 13-year-old Capricorn Anderson after he leaves the commune on which he was homeschooled by his grandmother, Rain, to live with a foster family and attend public school while Rain recovers from an accident. With no knowledge of the outside world, Capricorn struggles to fit into his new middle school, learning lessons about how rules and norms govern society and how it is possible to change them. Korman has written over 90 middle-grade and young adult novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The 39 Clues: One False Note, The Fort, Linked, The Unteachables, and Restart. Korman's work is known for its humor and for addressing large-scale social issues in a relatable format. Schooled explores themes such as Idealism Versus Realism, Authoritarian Versus Experiential Education, and Spoken Versus Unspoken Rules.

Plot Summary

Schooled is narrated from multiple perspectives, with the title of the chapter indicating the perspective from which it is told. The story starts with 13-year-old Capricorn Anderson getting arrested for driving his grandmother, Rain, to the hospital after she breaks her hip falling out of a tree. Capricorn and Rain live alone on Garland Farm, a former commune that seems perpetually trapped in 1967. Homeschooled by Rain, Capricorn has had very few opportunities to interact with others.

During Rain’s recovery period, Capricorn moves in with Mrs. Donnelly, a social worker, and her daughter, Sophie. He also attends school for the first time. While academically ahead of the game, Capricorn is completely unaware of the social norms that govern a school. It is not long before his wild appearance and “missteps” attract the attention of Zach Powers and other bullies.

Unfortunately for the bullies, harassing someone who does not understand that he is being harassed lacks entertainment value. Unable to get a rise out of Capricorn, the bullies intensify their efforts, but with no success. But while the bullies have very little effect on Capricorn, Capricorn starts to have a very strong effect on both bullies, along with the other members of the student body.

When Zach Powers nominates Capricorn to be eighth grade president, he does it as a prank. Everyone knows that the eighth graders choose the “biggest loser” to serve as president so the students can watch as he or she is continually tormented. But Capricorn takes his responsibilities as eighth grade president seriously, and his earnestness, as well as his calm demeanor, eventually win people over.

Meanwhile, Capricorn is trying to learn how to operate in mainstream society, with occasional success. Though initially resistant to leaving the farm, Capricorn eventually gets to a place where he is no longer content with living in isolation. Since the plan is to return to his previous life once Rain gets better, Capricorn has to figure out how he is going to incorporate his new experiences with his life on Garland Farm. It is a question that causes an eventual strain in his relationship with Rain.