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Ungifted #2
Supergifted
This funny and heartwarming sequel to Ungifted, which has become a word-of-mouth hit, cleverly sends up our ideas about intelligence, heroism, and popularity. Donovan Curtis has never been what anyone would call “gifted.” But his genius friend Noah Youkilis is actually supergifted , with one of the highest IQs around. After years at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, all Noah dreams of is the opportunity to fail if he wants to. And he’s landed in the perfect place to do it—Donovan’s school. Almost immediately, Noah finds himself on the wrong side of cheerleading captain Megan Mercury and alpha jock Hash “Hashtag” Taggart. Sticking up for Noah lands Donovan in the middle of a huge feud with Hashtag. He’s told to stay away from the sports star—or else. That should be the end of it, but when a freak incident suddenly makes Donovan a hero, he can’t tell anyone about it since Hashtag is involved. So Noah steps in and becomes “Superkid.” Now he’s gone from nerd to titan at school. And it may have gone more than a little bit to his head.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2018
1020 people are currently reading
2646 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Korman
249 books4,409 followersGordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
October 15, 2022
4.5/5
"আনগিফটেড " একটু ম্রিয়মাণ ছিলো করম্যানের অন্যান্য উপন্যাসের তুলনায়। সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই যে এতো জমজমাট হবে তা ভাবতে পারিনি। করম্যানের সিগনেচার স্টাইলে লেখা এ বইটি আক্ষরিক অর্থেই "unputdownable." গল্পের অপ্রত্যাশিত সব মোচড়, রসবোধ, শুভবোধ, খ্যাতির মোহ, মিডিয়া ফ্রেঞ্জি, মনস্তাত্ত্বিক বিশ্লেষণ আর পাগলাটে সব কাণ্ডকারখানা - সব মিলিয়ে অত্যন্ত উপাদেয়। সম্পূর্ণ ভিন্ন কারণে নোয়াহ আর ডোনোভান দুজনকেই মনে থাকবে আমার।এদেরকে ভালো না বেসে পারা যায় না।
"আনগিফটেড " একটু ম্রিয়মাণ ছিলো করম্যানের অন্যান্য উপন্যাসের তুলনায়। সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই যে এতো জমজমাট হবে তা ভাবতে পারিনি। করম্যানের সিগনেচার স্টাইলে লেখা এ বইটি আক্ষরিক অর্থেই "unputdownable." গল্পের অপ্রত্যাশিত সব মোচড়, রসবোধ, শুভবোধ, খ্যাতির মোহ, মিডিয়া ফ্রেঞ্জি, মনস্তাত্ত্বিক বিশ্লেষণ আর পাগলাটে সব কাণ্ডকারখানা - সব মিলিয়ে অত্যন্ত উপাদেয়। সম্পূর্ণ ভিন্ন কারণে নোয়াহ আর ডোনোভান দুজনকেই মনে থাকবে আমার।এদেরকে ভালো না বেসে পারা যায় না।
August 17, 2022
নিখাঁদ বিনোদন। হাসতে হাসতে লুঙ্গি খুলে যাওয়া টাইপ অবস্থা। পঁচিশ বছর আগে আমাদের ক্লাস এইট-নাইনের সুখস্মৃতির স্কুললাইফটাও কি এমনই পাগলাটে সব পোলাপানে ভরা তারছিঁড়া আনপ্রেডিক্টেবল মজার ছিল না? হলোই বা আম্রিকান কালচার, কৈশোরের হাসি-আনন্দ-টেনশন-ফূর্তি-ঝামেলার সেই চিরন্তন বন্ধুত্বময় আবেগ অনুভূতি গুলি তো একই রকম এখানেও। সহজ সরল ভাষার তীক্ষ্ণ হাস্যরসের সুচিন্তিত গল্পকথনে রঙবেরঙের চরিত্রদের নিয়ে উদ্ভট আজব সব ঘটনাক্রম... মন ছুঁয়ে যাওয়া, মন ভাল করে দেয়া।
৫ এ ৫।
৫ এ ৫।
March 31, 2021
Donovan is a pretty strong character--someone it's easy to root for. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters left something to be desired in this story; especially Noah. I really needed him to apologize to Donovan for being a self-centered jerk through most of the story, not just to apologize for being so good at being the Superkid. It grew tiresome how oblivious Noah was to even the simplest social cues. I do think there is some legitimate discussion of celebrity contained in this book, but I just grew really tired of Donovan being put upon and Noah's behavior being excused away.
May 10, 2018
A fun, quick read. I would've liked to have seen more of the genius kids other than Noah, and it really bothered me how little anyone listed to or appreciated Donovan - even in the end.
June 11, 2021
The plot was good. But overall my least favorite Gordon Korman book due to the fact that everything that happened was explained on the back cover. There was no questions that pushed the book forward. So repetitive!!!! The whole book could have been jammed onto 10 pages. The only slightest mystery (Heavy Metal) was so obvious and I figured out the mystery when it first started
February 8, 2018
Normally I like Korman's books but I thought this one was boring.
November 15, 2024
Review to come.
4 stars
4 stars
February 7, 2021
Noo. Sorry, but no. I red the first one and was like, “this is awesome! I want to read the next!” I got it, read it, and.... :( I loved the character Noah in the first, but this book just made me really dislike him. I mean, it’s a funny book with a good plot, but Noah just kinda ruined it for me. I mean, Donavan does something awesome, something that he SHOULD become famous for, and then Noah comes in and gets ALL THE CREDIT!!!! Sorry, but this book just really made my blood boil.
December 16, 2017
Korman Has Fun With Nerd Conventions
This book is narrated by "normal" kid Donovan, (the hero of book one - "Ungifted"), but it is owned by Noah Youkilis, the supergifted 200 IQ genius-plus, who yearns to be a failure at something. The setup is that Noah leaves the Academy for the Gifted, (where he dominates every class and easily surmounts every challenge), and joins Donovan in a normal school, where he is a hopeless failure.
That's not as odd as it sounds. I've read that the Scholastic Aptitude Test people noticed that on a significant number of SAT questions the wrong answers were consistently chosen by the lowest scoring kids and by the highest scoring kids. It seems the highest scoring kids over analyzed some questions and came up with answers that had not been anticipated by the test writers. That's sort of what happens to Noah.
Told in alternating chapters by Donovan and by Noah we follow Noah's school days as Noah experiences the thrill of failure and Donovan tries to protect his socially inept friend. Turning all of the school conventions on their heads Korman has a grand time skewering what it means to learn and succeed at school.
Of course, as funny and energetic as all that is it won't carry an entire book. MILD PREMISE SPOILER. Donovan performs a heroic act that for complicated plot reasons he can't take credit for. Noah takes credit, to take the heat off Donovan, but then Noah gets a little bit too into being a hero and starts believing his own fake heroism. That setup carries the last half of the book, and between Donovan's envy and frustration and Noah's self-delusion we gain some sharp insights into friendship, celebrity, loyalty, honesty, and doing the right things for the right reasons. This is not done in the form of soapbox messaging, but is woven quite nicely into the flow of the story. Who expected such interesting angles as part of a funny school daze sort of book?
The book slows down a bit when we touch on Donovan's being belittled by his Marine brother-in-law, but even there Korman ties to mix things up and make some novel humorous points. They just didn't work as well for me. Then again, an entire book of just Noah probably would have been too much of a good thing. We have other excellent supporting characters who brighten things up and add variety and some funny angles, and that helps to keep the book screaming along.
So, a funny, insightful and appealing book that plays around very successfully with school daze standards. A nice find. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This book is narrated by "normal" kid Donovan, (the hero of book one - "Ungifted"), but it is owned by Noah Youkilis, the supergifted 200 IQ genius-plus, who yearns to be a failure at something. The setup is that Noah leaves the Academy for the Gifted, (where he dominates every class and easily surmounts every challenge), and joins Donovan in a normal school, where he is a hopeless failure.
That's not as odd as it sounds. I've read that the Scholastic Aptitude Test people noticed that on a significant number of SAT questions the wrong answers were consistently chosen by the lowest scoring kids and by the highest scoring kids. It seems the highest scoring kids over analyzed some questions and came up with answers that had not been anticipated by the test writers. That's sort of what happens to Noah.
Told in alternating chapters by Donovan and by Noah we follow Noah's school days as Noah experiences the thrill of failure and Donovan tries to protect his socially inept friend. Turning all of the school conventions on their heads Korman has a grand time skewering what it means to learn and succeed at school.
Of course, as funny and energetic as all that is it won't carry an entire book. MILD PREMISE SPOILER. Donovan performs a heroic act that for complicated plot reasons he can't take credit for. Noah takes credit, to take the heat off Donovan, but then Noah gets a little bit too into being a hero and starts believing his own fake heroism. That setup carries the last half of the book, and between Donovan's envy and frustration and Noah's self-delusion we gain some sharp insights into friendship, celebrity, loyalty, honesty, and doing the right things for the right reasons. This is not done in the form of soapbox messaging, but is woven quite nicely into the flow of the story. Who expected such interesting angles as part of a funny school daze sort of book?
The book slows down a bit when we touch on Donovan's being belittled by his Marine brother-in-law, but even there Korman ties to mix things up and make some novel humorous points. They just didn't work as well for me. Then again, an entire book of just Noah probably would have been too much of a good thing. We have other excellent supporting characters who brighten things up and add variety and some funny angles, and that helps to keep the book screaming along.
So, a funny, insightful and appealing book that plays around very successfully with school daze standards. A nice find. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
April 22, 2018
This review and many more like it are available on
Read Till Dawn
.
Anyone who has followed this blog for long knows that I am a huge fan of Gordon Korman's. I have read most of his backlog, and I make a point of reading every one of his new books as they come out. Ungifted, the prequel to Supergifted, is one of my absolute favorites of his books. I'm not just saying that, either: I have literally given it to my friends as birthday presents more than once, because it's a funny and engaging read that I knew they would enjoy.
That being said, I obviously came into Supergifted with a lot of enthusiasm and very high expectations.
And it largely did deliver. I have to say that it doesn't quite reach the same level of awesomeness as Ungifted–it's a little less wackily original, and it sidelines a couple of my favorite characters–but it's still a fun read in its own right. Perhaps most importantly, it feels like a genuine continuation of the first book. I always hate when the tone changes from book to book, or when characters act completely different in later books. But Donovan's and Noah's stupid decisions ring completely true and realistic within the context of Ungifted, so I took them in stride and laughed at their ridiculousness rather than being bothered by them.
As I said, I didn't enjoy the book quite as much. I found myself getting rather annoyed by the characters at certain times, and their dynamics were kind of strange. The storyline with how underappreciated Donovan is at home, and his strained relationship with his brother-in-law, was probably my least favorite. I also didn't appreciate that Rachel was sidelined and basically replaced with Megan.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Supergifted and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. If you have the opportunity, and you read and enjoyed Ungifted, then I recommend that you check out Supergifted.
Anyone who has followed this blog for long knows that I am a huge fan of Gordon Korman's. I have read most of his backlog, and I make a point of reading every one of his new books as they come out. Ungifted, the prequel to Supergifted, is one of my absolute favorites of his books. I'm not just saying that, either: I have literally given it to my friends as birthday presents more than once, because it's a funny and engaging read that I knew they would enjoy.
That being said, I obviously came into Supergifted with a lot of enthusiasm and very high expectations.
And it largely did deliver. I have to say that it doesn't quite reach the same level of awesomeness as Ungifted–it's a little less wackily original, and it sidelines a couple of my favorite characters–but it's still a fun read in its own right. Perhaps most importantly, it feels like a genuine continuation of the first book. I always hate when the tone changes from book to book, or when characters act completely different in later books. But Donovan's and Noah's stupid decisions ring completely true and realistic within the context of Ungifted, so I took them in stride and laughed at their ridiculousness rather than being bothered by them.
As I said, I didn't enjoy the book quite as much. I found myself getting rather annoyed by the characters at certain times, and their dynamics were kind of strange. The storyline with how underappreciated Donovan is at home, and his strained relationship with his brother-in-law, was probably my least favorite. I also didn't appreciate that Rachel was sidelined and basically replaced with Megan.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Supergifted and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. If you have the opportunity, and you read and enjoyed Ungifted, then I recommend that you check out Supergifted.
May 11, 2025
Second read 5/10/25:
I had a great time revisiting this adorable children's book for the second time via the audiobook I checked out from Hoopla. I agree completely with my previous rave review below.
Review from 2/5/24:
Uproariously funny sequel to Ungifted
Donovan Curtis, the MMC of Ungifted, returns in this fabulous sequel, and his co-star is Noah Youkilis, a 4'10", skinny eighth-grader with an IQ of 207. When Donovan is kicked out of the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, because he is not actually gifted and was there by mistake, Noah employs his stellar hacker skills to get himself accused of cheating and kicked out of the academy as well. When Donovan spots Noah in the halls of the local, rundown, public middle school, he is shocked and extremely dismayed on Noah's behalf, because he is prime material for constant attacks by bullies. But Noah himself is absolutely delighted. He has never been wrong about anything at school before in his life, and he is bored to death with being perpetually right. From the very first day at his new school, none of the teachers or the guidance counselor are convinced by his school records that this kid is exceptional, because his social skills are extremely backward and his high flown speech sounds like gibberish to them. As a result, he is making poor grades, and the counselor wants to sign him up for remedial tutoring. Noah is ecstatic that he is experiencing failure for the first time in his life. It makes him feel like a normal human being, and it gives him a chance to actually improve himself. It was impossible to improve on his previous scholastic perfection. He is avidly seeking out further areas to fail in when he stumbles upon the signup list for the cheerleader squad. When he gets accepted, in spite of barely being able to stop himself from falling over his own feet, this is the inciting incident that rolls out all of the wacky events that comprise this adorable comedy of errors.
Other than Donovan, whom I absolutely love, Noah was my favorite secondary character in Ungifted. Amazingly, Supergifted is even funnier than Ungifted. It is an absolute festival of belly laughs.
I have strongly recommended both this book and Ungifted to my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is the perfect age for this middle grade novel, which is primarily targeted at children aged 8-10.
I checked out the audiobook version of this novel through Hoopla. Similar to Ungifted, this sequel is told from multiple points of view, and each of the POV characters is narrated by a different voice actor. The recording is very well done.
I had a great time revisiting this adorable children's book for the second time via the audiobook I checked out from Hoopla. I agree completely with my previous rave review below.
Review from 2/5/24:
Uproariously funny sequel to Ungifted
Donovan Curtis, the MMC of Ungifted, returns in this fabulous sequel, and his co-star is Noah Youkilis, a 4'10", skinny eighth-grader with an IQ of 207. When Donovan is kicked out of the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, because he is not actually gifted and was there by mistake, Noah employs his stellar hacker skills to get himself accused of cheating and kicked out of the academy as well. When Donovan spots Noah in the halls of the local, rundown, public middle school, he is shocked and extremely dismayed on Noah's behalf, because he is prime material for constant attacks by bullies. But Noah himself is absolutely delighted. He has never been wrong about anything at school before in his life, and he is bored to death with being perpetually right. From the very first day at his new school, none of the teachers or the guidance counselor are convinced by his school records that this kid is exceptional, because his social skills are extremely backward and his high flown speech sounds like gibberish to them. As a result, he is making poor grades, and the counselor wants to sign him up for remedial tutoring. Noah is ecstatic that he is experiencing failure for the first time in his life. It makes him feel like a normal human being, and it gives him a chance to actually improve himself. It was impossible to improve on his previous scholastic perfection. He is avidly seeking out further areas to fail in when he stumbles upon the signup list for the cheerleader squad. When he gets accepted, in spite of barely being able to stop himself from falling over his own feet, this is the inciting incident that rolls out all of the wacky events that comprise this adorable comedy of errors.
Other than Donovan, whom I absolutely love, Noah was my favorite secondary character in Ungifted. Amazingly, Supergifted is even funnier than Ungifted. It is an absolute festival of belly laughs.
I have strongly recommended both this book and Ungifted to my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is the perfect age for this middle grade novel, which is primarily targeted at children aged 8-10.
I checked out the audiobook version of this novel through Hoopla. Similar to Ungifted, this sequel is told from multiple points of view, and each of the POV characters is narrated by a different voice actor. The recording is very well done.
October 30, 2022
This book was all right, not great, but not bad either. The thing that kept it from getting more stars for me was that it simply didn't feel like a sequel to Ungifted. There were the same characters and settings, but if you didn't read the first book you could still understand this one. Also, Chloe, Abigail and the rest of the robotics were shoved to the sidelines in favour of spending more time with the Noah plot, and that kid seriously acted like he had no common sense AT ALL. Imagine a cross between Rapunzel on her first day out of the tower and Sheldon Cooper and ramp it up to eleven. That was Noah the entire time, and wow, did it start to wear after about halfway through.
I don't regret reading this, but I would have preferred a little more time with the robotics team, and especially between Chloe and Donovan, and less time on the whole "superkid" plot. It started to wear thin after a bit, although Korman did keep the twist hidden from the characters well. It was one of those situations where even though the reader could see it coming, the characters couldn't, and he pulled it off really well.
I don't regret reading this, but I would have preferred a little more time with the robotics team, and especially between Chloe and Donovan, and less time on the whole "superkid" plot. It started to wear thin after a bit, although Korman did keep the twist hidden from the characters well. It was one of those situations where even though the reader could see it coming, the characters couldn't, and he pulled it off really well.
November 17, 2019
I liked this book, but not quite as much as the first one. I was really excited to read this one.
When I was reading and found out it was going to be a lot about Noah, I was SO excited. Noah was one of my favorite characters and I LOVED his quirky antics and the was he thought. He reminded me so much of the quirky people in my life. I also LOVE Donovan with his quick thinking and goofy personality.
Unfortunately in this book, both of those things kind of went away. Donovan and Noah both lost sight of who they are for a bit and that make this book much less enjoyable. In fact, it almost made Noah just seem like a huge ass, which is NOT who Noah is.
Overall, I liked a lot of the similarities in the two books, and I didn’t have a problem with the new characters introduced (although I didn’t LOVE them). The book kept me entertained and interested, but I was never just DYING to read more. I have the third book ready to go. I’ll read something else in between, but I sure hope the third one is better!
When I was reading and found out it was going to be a lot about Noah, I was SO excited. Noah was one of my favorite characters and I LOVED his quirky antics and the was he thought. He reminded me so much of the quirky people in my life. I also LOVE Donovan with his quick thinking and goofy personality.
Unfortunately in this book, both of those things kind of went away. Donovan and Noah both lost sight of who they are for a bit and that make this book much less enjoyable. In fact, it almost made Noah just seem like a huge ass, which is NOT who Noah is.
Overall, I liked a lot of the similarities in the two books, and I didn’t have a problem with the new characters introduced (although I didn’t LOVE them). The book kept me entertained and interested, but I was never just DYING to read more. I have the third book ready to go. I’ll read something else in between, but I sure hope the third one is better!
February 25, 2018
A fun and funny sequel to Ungifted that is easy to read. Like Ungifted, Korman has delved into the concepts of friendship, identity, and what it means to be successful. A recommended read for students in grades 4 and up.
August 27, 2022
Listened to the audiobook with my son. Super cheesy, stereotypical characters (nerdy genius, cheerleader, captain of the LAX team, etc.), pretty unbelievable story line. Kept our attention in the car, though.
September 18, 2020
Hilarious😂😂😂 I loooove the Ungifted books!!!
December 24, 2017
How far would you go to protect your best friend? The sequel to #Ungifted shows the measures a friend would go to, but also shows all of the backlash that can come with it. Check it out in April! It was #Unputdownable 🤖 👬 💙
January 29, 2024
I love Gordon Korman’s books, don’t get me wrong. But this one…
Let me paint you a picture.
The first book: wonderful plot, good characters, interesting hooks.
Now I hate this one. But why?
1. Noah’s YouTube obsession.
This literally ruined the plot for me. Why does he have to be a stupid iPad kid who has nothing better to do but spend his days on a screen? I think we all know that YouTube is a bad influence… don’t get me wrong, I like videos and movies and cartoons, but his obsession was REALLY, VERY, ANNOYING.
2. Noah = 206 IQ? No way
In the first book, you could clearly see Noah’s gifted ability. Maybe someone in real life will act the same, but just from the vibes Noah gave me… he is not too smart. His decisions after the whole- um… (no spoilers) - thing, were so dumb. So so dumb. Absolutely stupid. I get what Noah is trying to do by getting into Hardcastle and trying to fail, but to me, just like Abigail said in the first book, he is wasting his ability. He said he got a scholarship when he was ten… why didn’t he take it? If the gifted program didn’t challenge him, maybe the university would have!
3. People actually believed it.
I cannot say anything here without revealing spoilers, so I am not going to say anything at all. Come back when you’ve finished the book. Well, maybe don’t.
4. Oh yeah, don’t even get me started on the ending.
Why did it end like that? I HATED the ending. That is just so dumb, and he deserved WAY more (read the book to find out what I mean).
When it was FINALLY over, after so many days and nights and so many useless chapters and a plot that dragged on for way too long, it was done. I have never been so relieved to have finished a book.
I love Gordon Korman’s books, but this one was a trainreck to me.
DEFINITELY do NOT recommend.
I give it 2 stars out of 10.
Let me paint you a picture.
The first book: wonderful plot, good characters, interesting hooks.
Now I hate this one. But why?
1. Noah’s YouTube obsession.
This literally ruined the plot for me. Why does he have to be a stupid iPad kid who has nothing better to do but spend his days on a screen? I think we all know that YouTube is a bad influence… don’t get me wrong, I like videos and movies and cartoons, but his obsession was REALLY, VERY, ANNOYING.
2. Noah = 206 IQ? No way
In the first book, you could clearly see Noah’s gifted ability. Maybe someone in real life will act the same, but just from the vibes Noah gave me… he is not too smart. His decisions after the whole- um… (no spoilers) - thing, were so dumb. So so dumb. Absolutely stupid. I get what Noah is trying to do by getting into Hardcastle and trying to fail, but to me, just like Abigail said in the first book, he is wasting his ability. He said he got a scholarship when he was ten… why didn’t he take it? If the gifted program didn’t challenge him, maybe the university would have!
3. People actually believed it.
I cannot say anything here without revealing spoilers, so I am not going to say anything at all. Come back when you’ve finished the book. Well, maybe don’t.
4. Oh yeah, don’t even get me started on the ending.
Why did it end like that? I HATED the ending. That is just so dumb, and he deserved WAY more (read the book to find out what I mean).
When it was FINALLY over, after so many days and nights and so many useless chapters and a plot that dragged on for way too long, it was done. I have never been so relieved to have finished a book.
I love Gordon Korman’s books, but this one was a trainreck to me.
DEFINITELY do NOT recommend.
I give it 2 stars out of 10.
April 4, 2018
By the time this came off hold for me in Overdrive, I'd forgotten why I'd added it. After awhile of reading it, I started to get the sense that it had a prequel. It wasn't until halfway through that I started to remember, yes, it did, and I had read book 1. Though I still only have vague memories of it.
It's a pretty guy-oriented book, and is subtly sexist and not-so-subtly heteronormative. Like, there are female characters, but it's still male-focused. Despite cheerleading being a rather large plot point.
A couple times, I almost quit reading it, but there was something compelling enough that I did keep going. But, I'm done with this series. The "genius" character(s) is not only unrealistic, but you start to get the sense that the book (and the series?) is genius-phobic.
Also, that is not how programming works. I have no experience with robots, but I'm fairly confident that's not how robots work either. And I never did work out what the golf balls were even for.
But, I am pretty far outside of the target audience, so you can take my review with a grain of middle-aged salt.
It's a pretty guy-oriented book, and is subtly sexist and not-so-subtly heteronormative. Like, there are female characters, but it's still male-focused. Despite cheerleading being a rather large plot point.
A couple times, I almost quit reading it, but there was something compelling enough that I did keep going. But, I'm done with this series. The "genius" character(s) is not only unrealistic, but you start to get the sense that the book (and the series?) is genius-phobic.
Also, that is not how programming works. I have no experience with robots, but I'm fairly confident that's not how robots work either. And I never did work out what the golf balls were even for.
But, I am pretty far outside of the target audience, so you can take my review with a grain of middle-aged salt.
July 4, 2019
I’m surprised! I love Gordon Korman’s books and I enjoyed Ungifted. I saw there was a sequel so I definitely wanted to check it out! It just wasn’t good. It says Noah has an IQ of 206 (or something like that) but then he acts dumb in so many different ways. He was also an annoying character in this book. He doesn’t listen to anyone and he spent the entire time taking credit for something he didn’t do. It all started when Beatrice, Brad’s dog, bit a bully that was attacking Noah and Donovan. So he couldn’t take credit because Beatrice would be killed. So he stayed quiet. Everyone eventually found out and then everything was immediately resolved. Hastag’s dad saw that Brad was an army man and his brother in-law saved a family so he dropped the threat. JUST LIKE THAT! Noah was forgiven almost immediately and it was as if nothing happened. Another thing is, when everyone found out it was Donovan, nobody cared. It felt a bit bad honestly.
TL;DR The book was bad and I would not recommend it.
TL;DR The book was bad and I would not recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2019
Ever since Donovan Curtis— a no good trouble maker— has returned to his old middle school, Hardcastle Middle School, along with genius Noah Youkilis, things have been different. For one thing, Donovan has become a hero, even though no one can know about it. Ever since Donovan rescued Noah from a school bully, Hashtag, his family dog has been in danger. Hashtag’s parents have threatened to call Animal Control and send Beatrice, their dog, away forever. So now, Noah has taken credit for the accident turned rescue in Hashtag’s neighborhood.
I loved this book because I got to see new characters and I got to see a new side of Noah. There are many other things I loved about the book. For example, the new dog in the house, Kandy. I also loved that the Daniels finally had a chapter, even though I don’t like them. I also liked how everything started to unfold towards the end.
Next up: Schooled by Gordon Korman
I loved this book because I got to see new characters and I got to see a new side of Noah. There are many other things I loved about the book. For example, the new dog in the house, Kandy. I also loved that the Daniels finally had a chapter, even though I don’t like them. I also liked how everything started to unfold towards the end.
Next up: Schooled by Gordon Korman
January 2, 2018
Told from several perspectives, this novel explores the life and times of supergenius Noah Youkilis.
Noah now attends regular school with Donovan. While there, the genius is attempting classes and projects he will not succeed in (to help him improve himself). This book is a comedy of errors, where Noah breaks it, while his best friend Donovan attempts to protect him and fix it. When Donovan heroically saves a family, he must keep his involvement in the event a secret, so Noah takes credit for it. Noah rises in popularity and it creates tensions all over.
I am not a fan of Noah's. It was difficult for me to see why he has and keeps the friends he has. For being so smart, he seems to be a parody of Amelia Bedelia.
Noah now attends regular school with Donovan. While there, the genius is attempting classes and projects he will not succeed in (to help him improve himself). This book is a comedy of errors, where Noah breaks it, while his best friend Donovan attempts to protect him and fix it. When Donovan heroically saves a family, he must keep his involvement in the event a secret, so Noah takes credit for it. Noah rises in popularity and it creates tensions all over.
I am not a fan of Noah's. It was difficult for me to see why he has and keeps the friends he has. For being so smart, he seems to be a parody of Amelia Bedelia.
August 20, 2018
My rating on this is subject to change. I haven't fully figured out how I feel about this one.
I really like Ungifted, so I was excited to see a sequel. As mentioned above, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The characters threw me with this book. I kept getting really frustrated with the way they were acting. Donovan is underappreciated by everyone, and the writing really shows that. I think I may have been a little too invested in Donovan's struggles.
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 2018
I really like Ungifted, so I was excited to see a sequel. As mentioned above, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The characters threw me with this book. I kept getting really frustrated with the way they were acting. Donovan is underappreciated by everyone, and the writing really shows that. I think I may have been a little too invested in Donovan's struggles.
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 2018
January 19, 2018
Not as good as "Ungifted" but still with some great, Korman humor.
example: Noah's idea of an apology: "I'm sorry I was better at being the superkid than you."
This book has:
1. A military dad home on leave trying to make a newborn fall in line with his military schedule
2. An award teenage genius boy that decides to become a cheerleader
3. A lacrosse player named "Hashtag"
4. Learning how to wrestle by watching youtube (and metal chairs and painted boots)
Love Kormon. I don't read much middle grade but his stuff ALWAYS makes me laugh. Highly recommended.
example: Noah's idea of an apology: "I'm sorry I was better at being the superkid than you."
This book has:
1. A military dad home on leave trying to make a newborn fall in line with his military schedule
2. An award teenage genius boy that decides to become a cheerleader
3. A lacrosse player named "Hashtag"
4. Learning how to wrestle by watching youtube (and metal chairs and painted boots)
Love Kormon. I don't read much middle grade but his stuff ALWAYS makes me laugh. Highly recommended.
March 18, 2019
So, maybe if I was in a better mood to suspend my disbelief I would have enjoyed this more. As it was, I felt that it didn't have the same magic as Ungifted. I felt that the characters were even more stereotypes than the first one (and it was pretty heavy handed in the first one), to the point where I felt they acted out of character just to fit with the stereotype (Noah, the socially clueless genius was the worst offender). It was a quick read, with some humor and heart. I'm probably more of a 2.5.
September 13, 2020
sort of frustrating at first because Noah lied to the school, meaning to protect his best friend, but it turned out to be more than he thought. It was really annoying to read Noah being the super kid and ignoring his friend, hurting his feelings.
October 22, 2018
A really fun read, but the characters didn't seem consistent with their personalities in Ungifted. 3.5
April 17, 2019
Though it was still funny and fun the first book was much better.
July 13, 2019
Horrible, It is like they repeat each event. First Book is Better. FYI the first book is Ungifted By Gordan Korman
September 1, 2019
I liked it, but honestly it kinda bugged me that Noah didn't get at least a little reality drummed into him. He's pretty obnoxious and self absorbed and I think everyone babied him too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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