Old School
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Old School by Gordon Korman is a great middle-grade novel that readers will certainly enjoy and parents will feel good about. This engaging story is centered on seventh grader Dexter Foreman who has grown up at The Pines, a 55 years and older senior living community with his grandmother, while his parents travel the world on diplomatic trips. After a visit from a truancy officer, Dexter is forced to attend Wolf’s Eye Middle School. Being the new kid is never easy, but being twelve, going on eighty makes it even harder.
Dexter stands out like a sore thumb and jeers begin the moment he gets on the school bus for the first time. Gianna Greco seems to befriend him from the beginning, but she is also a school reporter looking for her next big story. What could be a better story than a kid growing up at an old-folk’s home? At least, that is what she is thinking at first. After writing her interest story on him and seeing Dexter’s disappointment at the publication, she realizes that she wasn’t quite the friend she thought was but does in fact want to be his friend and throughout the rest of the book she clears the air, and her commitment to Dexter reveals to him what true friendship is - not the one he thinks is real friendship with a girl named Teagan whom he had known since his younger days at The Pines. There is a little bit of an inferred crush going on with regards to these three characters. Gianna likes Dexter, but Dexter likes Teagan, and unfortunately, Teagan is more interested in messing with Dexter, particularly because Gianna is around. However, in the end Dexter realizes that Teagan is false towards him and is thankful for Gianna’s friendship.
Ronny, Gianna’s brother, is pretty much a bully toward Dexter at first. However, Dexter’s kindness eventually wins him over; especially when Dexter offers to help him pass his math class so he doesn’t fail seventh grade - something his “friend” Jackson is unwilling to do. There is definitely a redemption arc with Ronny.
Jackson Sharpe on the other hand is the school’s soccer star and captain of the school’s Math team. Jackson speaks about himself sometimes in the third person and has an unhealthy view of himself. He plays a mean trick on Dexter, which ultimately doesn’t work in Jackson’s favor. One quote that pretty much sums up his attitude is “If I can’t be great at everything, what’s the point of being good at anything?” (49). It is this striving to be first, the best, the most noticed and applauded that leads him to set himself up against Dexter in every possible way. There is no redemption in Jackson’s character, and he stays unapologetically bitter throughout the book. This is one aspect of the novel that I do like, because it helps readers to question themselves and attitudes they have towards others - the jealousy, the competitiveness, in a quiet way.
Leo is Dexter’s best friend. Leo is also 99 years old and a WWII vet who was a code breaker. After his first visit at school, he complains of the horrors to Leo. The wonderful thing about Leo is that he is consistently giving Dexter solid advice. “Don’t be so hard on your new school. I only had one student to worry about: you. So I could teach things as fast as you could soak them up. The school system has millions of kids, all of them learning at a different pace. So they design a curriculum that suits the most people. They’re not the exception. We are” (35). Leo also encourages Dexter that ultimately the children at school are just like them, only younger (38). In the end, Leo does pass away which is a very sad moment for Dexter and the reader.
Other points of mention/ Quotes:
Grandma’s tea is described as “a combination of truth serum and one of the potions from Harry Potter” (41).
Dexter’s grandmother is a great character who is loving of Dexter, inviting to his friends, and willing to express the hard stuff when needed. On page 43 she even challenges Dexter’s early attitudes toward school that maybe his trouble adjusting is that at The Pines he is special but at school is just like everyone else.
“Seniors deserve a lot of respect. They fought wars for us. They built this country. They sacrificed. They eat dinner at four thirty so they can wake up early and do it all over again” (52).
“Where I come from, you don’t wait for fancy repairmen to overcharge you. You take the bull by the horns, roll up your sleeves, and do it yourself” (59-60).
“A middle school can be an eye-roll factory. But you don’t get that from Dexter. He saw something wrong in his world and instead of complaining or looking the other way, he committed to changing it. He got involved” (113).
“My teachers at The Pines showed me a lot of things. But spotting a rat like Jackson is something you can learn only by being in the real world” (267).
“Leo was an amazing person, a war hero, a fantastic friend. But we’re all only human. And some things can’t be fixed with a Swiss Army Knife” (270).
While this fun story focuses on Dexter, it is also told from the perspective of other characters who interact with Dexter. This narrative structure is great as it gives Dexter’s own thoughts and feelings as well as those he interacts with and their understandings and impressions of Dexter. I really liked this narrative structure choice by Korman.
Lastly, one of the best parts of this book is the coming together of middle school students and the residents at The Pines. When Dexter is suspended at school, some of the students begin to show up at The Pines to show support for him and the injustice of his suspension. However, what really happens is that those students begin to interact with the residents there, learning from them, having fun with them, and receiving mentors from their relationships. I LOVE the sweet view and value that Korman places on the seniors and that there is much the younger generation can take and learn from them. The interactions are funny but also valuable. There are many great themes and lessons wrapped in this story that I’m sure it will be a winner for your reader.
