Supergifted

Supergifted is a children’s novel that serves as a sequel to Korman’s previous book, Ungifted. Ungifted was published in 2012 and was awarded the Red Cedar Award in 2014. The story revolves around Donovan Curtis, an average student at Hardcastle Middle School, who is mistakenly sent to a school for gifted children. Through his experiences at the academy, he learns valuable lessons about balancing intellectual achievement, social engagement, and personal growth. The narrative follows Donovan’s journey as he learns to navigate the challenges of fitting into this new environment and developing his own identity.

The story begins with Donovan, known for his impulsive behavior, accidentally damaging a statue on his school campus. The incident leads to a series of events that result in him being transferred to the academy for gifted students. Although he knows he doesn’t belong there, Donovan decides to make the most of his opportunity and tries to blend in. He quickly notices that intellectual curiosity is highly encouraged in the academy. Despite lacking any knowledge of robotics, Donovan joins the robotics team and suggests naming their robot “Tin Man,” which helps unite the class. While some classmates recognize that Donovan is not gifted, they appreciate the social engagement he brings: Donovan befriends his classmates and becomes the ideal candidate for driving the robot in an upcoming competition.

Donovan’s new life at the academy strains his relationship with his old friends, who mock him and his classmates. Donovan’s attempt to bond with his old friends by showing them the robot backfires, resulting in Tin Man’s damage. To save their chances in the competition, Donovan helps his classmates steal a motor from the custodians’ floor polisher. This practical problem-solving approach sets him apart from his theoretically inclined peers. However, Donovan’s academic standing is threatened when he discovers that a classmate has hacked the retesting system to help him pass. Donovan ends up returning to Hardcastle, where he finds the academic environment unchallenging and struggles socially.

The Daniels, Donovan’s old friends, conspire with Katie, his sister, to bring him to the robotics competition to cheer him up. During the competition, Tin Man is sabotaged, and Donovan, fueled by outrage, takes control of the robot to confront the team’s opponents. In the process, both teams are disqualified. This event becomes a turning point for Noah, a “supergenius” at the Academy who craves the ability to make mistakes. He gets himself expelled from the Academy and joins Hardcastle to embrace the challenges of social engagement. Through the intervention of Mr. Osborne, the robotics teacher, Donovan and Noah are allowed to return to the academy for robotics classes. At the end of the story, Donovan still struggles with his impulsiveness. He anticipates that they may get him into trouble again in the future, laying the groundwork for a sequel.

That sequel picks up on many of the thematic threads of Ungifted, including Embracing Differences and Friendship and Loyalty. Donovan, for example, continues to prove that he has unique and valuable skills to offer the Academy, even if he is not conventionally “gifted.” However, Supergifted also inverts the premise of its prequel: This time, it is Noah who is out of place and struggling to balance old and new friends, and the story is as much his as it is Donovan’s.