Review Detail

Middle Grade Fiction 236
Android Friendship Mystery
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
What I liked:
Max is a child of wealthy parents, and when it's time for him to enter school, they don't want the other kids only to be friends with him cause he is rich or for him to get bullied. After all, he is rich. They are recommended to place the child in a school of androids or whatnots, but are they androids?
The School for Whatnots takes a concept that we as parents all fear that our children will not be liked, loved, or have friends due to whatever it is about them that makes them unique. We want to protect them from bullies, make sure they make good friendships, and learn to adapt to situations in an ever-changing world. The solution, at least for the rich kids in this book, is not to have them with kids until they are in middle school; the opposite is true for the poor kids who want better education, so they pretend to be computers.
The construction of the narrative is excellent. There is a mix of the story with interjections by the narrator. It was a clever way to add something new to the story.
Final Verdict:
The school for whatnots is the perfect novel for middle-grade readers. As they transition from elementary to the upper levels, they tend to notice things more, and important to discuss these things. It gives these readers a book to start understanding situations beyond their lens, how to improve the world, and how we view those in a different space in life. The School for Whatnots is a thought-provoking novel that will open up a middle-grade reader's mind to situations that can be personal and help them want to talk about them. Margaret Peterson Haddix has a unique voice in middle grade, and all of her novels leave room for discussion among peers and adults.
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