Book Review: Ungifted

 Ungifted by Gordan Korman is about a boy named Donavon Kurtis who accidentally gets sent to a gifted Academy. It all started when Donavon hit his schools statue ending in collateral damage to the schools gym, Hardcastle. The superintendent Mr.Schultz accidentally mixes some things up so that Donavon gets placed in a gifted Academy. While in the Academy he becomes very close friends with Chloe, Noah, and surprisingly Abigail. Donavon is failing all his classes and not doing much for the robotics team, but he brought a sense of normal and everybody loved him. he was a whiz with the robotics controller almost guaranteeing them a win in the robotics competition. A Hardcastle dance was held at the Academy due to the damage of their gym. The Daniels  (Donavons friends) brought out Tin Man, their robotics team robot, out on the crowded dance floor crushing the robot. Donavon gets his sister Katie to come to the school and talk about her pregnancy for Human Growth and Development so the Academy kids wouldn't have to go to summer school. The teachers start to realize Donavon is not gifted so they give him a retake on the computer with questions too hard for Donavon to answer. Abigail cheats for him by hacking into the computer. While the kids are practicing for the tournament Mr.Schultz comes in for Donavon having figured out it was him who hit the statue. Donavon gets sent back to Hardcastle with community service. The Daniels arranged for Katie to drive Donavon and them to the robotics competition. At the competition Cold Spring Harbors robot bumped into the Academy's robot on purpose, causing them to drop their obstacle ring. Donavon can't take it so he gets up and and takes the controller and destroys Cold Spring Harbors robot. Right after that Katie announces it's time to have the baby. In the end Noah says he cheated and gets sent to Hardcastle, Donavon and Noah get to go to robotics three times a week. 

I would recommend this book to other 7th grade readers because the story itself is so interesting. You got to see the story from different peoples pointe of views. You can read from Donavon or Noah two polar opposites. This is the type of book that everyone is going to read at least once and thats a good because it's a great book. That's why I would recommend this book to other readers.

I think that one of the main themes in Ungifted is to think before you act. One example of this is when Donavon is thinking of all the things he has done without thinking about it "I have to say this was always the best part of it for a guy like me-the split second the tomato hits the car; the very brief flight as I drop from the edge of the roof to the pool; the instant that the balloon lifts the toupee and suns rays glint off that shiny bold head" (pg.7). Another example of this is when Donavon told his very pregnant sister her husband was very far away "I regretted it the instant the word passed my lips." (pg.18).  That's why i think one of the main themes in the book is to think before you act.

Noah Youkilis is so different from everybody in the book. He is so smart that no matter how hard he wants to fail he succeeds. The funny thing is he doesn't want to be smart he wants to be normal. Noah doesn't want to be at the Academy he wants to be at a place like Hardcastle. I just think that he's so unique from everybody else who has to work to be a genius or isn's even a genius at all. I think being at the Academy really affected Noah. Considering he doesn't even want to be there. Once he's in Hardcastle he's still the same, but it's different for him. He feels normal even though he's anything but normal. That's how the setting of the book affected Noah Youkilis.

The Perfect Pancake Flip

The Perfect Pancake Flip
By: Makayla Moore

I was in my kitchen watching my sister flip a pancake. I could hear the sizzle as the pancake mix met the pan. It filled the kitchen with the smell of pancake batter. I knew how to make the mix, but I could never flip the pancake myself.

“How do you do that?” I asked with curiosity.

“Come over here and I’ll show you.”

“You start by spraying the pan with Pam,” she said as she sprayed the pan. The spray hit the pan covering it.

“What’s next?”

“You pour the mix into the pan, not too much or too little.”

“How do you know if you have too much or too little?”” I asked very confused.

“You’ll just know,” she said with certainty

“Ok,” I said still skeptical on what’s too much or too little.

“Here’s a good tip to know when to flip the, pancake pop a bubble if it fills in it’s not ready if it stays hollow its ready to be flipped.”

She said as she popped the bubble and it stayed hollow.

“So it’s ready to be flipped?” I asked already knowing it should be flipped, but wanted to be sure.

“Yes,” she answered

“Be careful while doing this you don’t want to burn yourself.”

“I won’t,” I said confidently

“That’s what you say now, but you never know.”

As we were arguing I watched as my sister flipped the most perfect pancake ever.

“So is it done now?” I asked eager to make my own pancake and eat it.

“Not yet, you have to wait for the other side to cook. It won’t take long.”

“Ugh,” I said disappointed it wasn’t done yet.

A little while later my sister announced it was time to put it on the plate.

“Finally!” I said very enthusiastically

She put the pancake on the plate and it was perfect.

“Can I try now?”

“Sure, but don’t forget to spray It with Pam or you’ll have some troubles flipping it.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Don’t burn yourself.”

“I won’t,” I said very excited to finally be making pancakes

Flipping a pancake is not as hard as I thought it would be. It’s actually pretty easy. Pancakes are the type of food that every person knows how to make. Because they are so simple to make.  So be sure to learn how to make them.

Right after she let me make my own pancakes while I was attempting to flip the pancake I accidentally burned my hand. I guess I learned two things that day how to flip a pancake and to be more careful while flipping the pancake.