From the back cover:
The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy for Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.
It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harders and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
I enjoyed this visit to an elite school through a normal kids eyes, but I also liked hearing the brainiac voices of the story. In the same fashion as Korman's Schooled - the various characters take a turns in telling the story. I thought the strongest of these to be Donovan, Chloe and Noah's. I especially liked how Donovan's character frees up Chloe and Noah from being driven students with only one goal (A+++++) into becoming people with many characteristics.
From page 8.
"Corrosion is a terrible thing. It was all in slow motion, but there was nothing you could do to stop it. With a crack, the bolt snapped, pieces whizzing out of sight. The ball of the world and heavens toppled and hit the ground with a whump!
The big bronze globe careened down the hill toward the gym, picking up speed as it went...
The prognosis was not good."
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