Review by Booklist Review
Korman's Gifted series began with Ungifted (2012), in which prankster Donovan Curtis did "colossal damage" to the gym on his first day of middle school, after which he ended up in the superintendent's office and was mistakenly assigned to the gifted program. Meanwhile, his friend Noah, an actual genius, was mysteriously assigned to ordinary classes. In the latest volume, Noah is offered a full scholarship at a fine university, and the dean suggests he come for the summer session in order to adjust. Noah is willing, but only if Donovan will be his summer roommate. Donovan reluctantly agrees, but they become entangled in a mystery almost immediately: Porquette, the university's resident pig/mascot, is missing, and the students and alumni are very upset. So are Noah and Donovan--mainly because she's living in their bathtub. Even before the novel's end, it's clear Donovan has skills only Noah can appreciate, and vice versa. Rotating among characters, the first-person narrative reflects the views of many individuals. A madcap addition to an amusing series.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In the third book in the Ungifted series, hypergifted Noah Youkilis graduates from eighth grade and unwillingly starts off his summer at Wilderton University. Making matters better (or maybe worse), he gets to bring his best friend, Donovan Curtis, who "barely squeaked through eighth grade," to help him adjust before the fall semester begins. "Trouble magnet" Donovan will spend his days as a counselor-in-training with fellow 13-year-old Raina Overbrook and five energetic 8-year-olds. Living and working on campus requires way more effort than the lazy summer he'd hoped for. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Noah shows that he's leaps and bounds ahead of many of the college students as he develops an elite AI program, but he's behind the curve socially and struggles to fit in with the older students. Noah is bent on joining the university's top-secret Society of the Gavel, seeing it as a way to finding friends and a great intellectual challenge (he has an IQ of 206). Joining the society proves difficult, however, and Donovan and Noah can't help but engage in hijinks, including hiding the school mascot--a 300-pound pig--in their dorm room. Will they survive the summer without being caught pig-handed? Told from multiple points of view, the story is laugh-out-loud funny, and readers will be entertained as Noah and Donovan try to make sense of college life. The main characters present white. A hilarious romp.(Fiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
