Ungifted by Gordon Korman Read Free Book Online Page A

differentiated instruction in the state.
    But I did know better. Our selection procedure was ironclad. Students had to pass a battery of tests from the state department of education, not to mention faculty interviews, and even a psychological exam. A mosquito couldn’t make it through the screening process.
    Our last faculty meeting was essentially a seminar on Donovan Curtis. It turned out to be quite a revelation. All his teachers had realized that he was weak in their courses, and had assumed that his gifts lay elsewhere. But after comparing notes, it became clear that his gifts lay nowhere . He was mediocre in English, social studies, French, and computer science, and well below average in math and science. I didn’t expect him to excel at everything , but Donovan excelled at nothing . Which begged the question: What was he doing at the Academy?
    â€œHave you tried getting him involved with the robotics team?” asked our principal, Brian Del Rio.
    I nodded. “He’s our designated Googler.”
    â€œYour what?”
    â€œHe has no knowledge of programming, engineering, hydraulics, pneumatics, or even basic mechanics. So he surfs the internet looking for pictures to download and paste on Tin Man. Like Albert Einstein eating a banana.”
    Brian frowned. “What’s Tin Man?”
    â€œThe robot. It’s short for Tin Man Metallica Squarepants. Donovan’s idea.”
    â€œYou don’t think he’s putting us on, do you?” suggested Ellie Shapiro, the department head for social studies. “Some of these bright kids have a warped sense of humor.”
    â€œI doubt it,” I told her. “To be honest, the other kids love what he does with the graphics. And nobody’s ever thought of naming the robot before. I admit I wasn’t too crazy about the idea. At first I only went along with it to empower Donovan. But you know what? I’m glad we did it.”
    â€œIt’s very cute,” Ellie agreed.
    â€œIt’s more than cute,” I amended. “It’s humanized our entire program. The difference between dealing with an it and a him is a transformative concept.”
    â€œMaybe that’s our answer,” Brian mused. “Dozens of brilliant kids pass through your class, building machines that win prizes at the highest levels. Yet the simplest thing—naming a piece of equipment, or decorating it—gets by everybody except Donovan.”
    Maria Bevelaqua—math—spoke up. “Or he does it because he can’t do anything else. He doodles through my class. He hasn’t taken a single note.”
    I jumped on this. “A photographic memory?”
    â€œHe’s lucky he can remember his own name,” she deadpanned. “I asked him what school he came from, and you know what he said? ‘I forget.’ If that’s a photographic memory, he left the lens cap on.”
    â€œPerhaps it’s a kind of social intelligence,” Brian ventured, really reaching.
    â€œOh, please,” Maria snorted. “He may seem like a smooth operator compared to our usual clientele. But there’s nothing special about him in that way either.”
    â€œI have to agree,” I said wearily. “He alienated Abigail on day one. And he causes a lot of friction in the lab. Latrell feels threatened by him, and Jacey doesn’t know what to make of him.”
    â€œJacey doesn’t know quite what to make of anyone,” Ellie cut in.
    â€œChloe comes the closest to understanding him, but they butt heads too,” I went on. “And as for Noah—”
    â€œNoah’s so smart that most of us can’t even begin to imagine what’s going on in his head,” Maria put in.
    I sighed. “Maybe. But the reverse is also true. Noah can’t understand not understanding. And there’s Donovan, who understands nothing . To Noah, he’s like some exotic space alien who crash-landed in the