Book Review: The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

The Unteachables
by Gordon Korman (j Korman)

Meet Mr. Zachary Kermit, a former Teacher of the Year early on in his career. Sadly, he was caught up in a cheating scandal not of his making nor involvement, but he was blamed regardless. Jilted by his fiancée shortly after, ever since he’s just been coasting to early retirement — lonely, unhappy, uncaring. During his final year he’s been put in charge of the most incorrigible students — slackers, those with home-life issues, and others who’ve fallen between the cracks. All the middle-school tropes are present.

 

Mix in his Superintendent, Dr. Thaddeus, who is secretly plotting to get him fired right before his retirement so that Mr. Kermit will be left with no job, no pension.

 

The Unteachables learn Thaddeus’s plans and decide to join the science fair competition against the best and the brightest student teams. Who are they kidding? But, winning this thing will raise their overall grade scores thus negating the trumped-up reason for firing Mr. Kermit.

 

Written with Korman’s characteristic laugh-out-loud sense of humor, wit, sarcasm, and spot-on descriptions of his characters as everything is unpacked over the course of the school year. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character in the story, giving the reader the opportunity to get to know each person better. You’re rooting for the students and wondering how a group of slackers think they can win the science fair, and what will happen if they don’t. Nothing is guaranteed here.

 

Can be read over a long afternoon.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Gifted, also by Gordon Korman.)

 

( official The Unteachables page on the official Gordon Korman web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Tips at Your Fingertips by Ola M. Brown

Tips at Your Fingertips: Teaching Strategies for Adult Literacy Tutors
by Ola M. Brown (374.012 Bro)

Although there is an infinity of information on the internet about teaching adults and English language learners how to read, I found this book informative and practical. I personally often find myself overwhelmed with the amount of information available on the web, so I appreciate Ola M. Brown’s survey of techniques and strategies that are useful for both the experienced tutor and the novice. Admittedly, the book is not new, but the information provided is solid and a good starting point to help a tutor with practical ideas they can use that are grounded in best practices.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read, by Carmen McGuinness (372.43 McG), 200+ Proven Strategies for Teaching Reading, Grades K-8, by Kathy Perez (available via Hoopla).]

[ Wikipedia page for Ola Brown (a.k.a. Ola Orekunrin) ]

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!