Dexter Foreman has received an excellent education at The Pines Retirement Village, where he’s lived with his grandma since he was 6 years old. However, one day a truancy office appears and sees the situation a little differently.
Dexter Foreman has received an excellent education at The Pines Retirement Village, where he’s lived with his grandma since he was 6 years old. However, one day a truancy office appears and sees the situation a little differently.
Like any normal kid, Dexter loves spending time with his grandma. Unlike most kids, Dexter lives in his grandma’s retirement community, where’s he’s also homeschooled. However, one day a truancy officer announces that Dexter must attend the local middle school.
Gianna Greco loves her position as a reporter for the school paper; she just wishes she had something better to report than a broken laminator. Yet, in a school where nothing happens, one day the impossible does: a new student arrives and offers compelling, front-page feature potential.
Ronny Greco wishes he could be anywhere but school. He’s already been held back once, and he’s on pace to fail once again. When Dexter joins the school, Ronny originally identifies his next target to bully. But as Ronnie gets to know this strange, new classmate, he starts to wonder if maybe he’s misjudged him.
The school is falling apart, so Dexter takes it upon himself to fix its problems using his trusted Swiss army knife. But when he gets caught fixing a vending machine with the knife, he faces a suspension. Gradually, Dexter’s classmates rally around him. And realizes he might have found something more at Wolf’s Eye Middle School than he originally thought.
Someone mentions prayer.
Harry Potter and potions are talked about.
Dexter’s parents leave him to be raised by his grandmother while they pursue their careers overseas. The members of the retirement community treat Dexter like their grandson and work together to homeschool him, teaching Dexter important values and skills.
Local authorities force Dexter to attend school when they discover he hasn’t been registered as a homeschool student. Dexter’s new teachers and his guidance counselor, Ms. Napier, are fair and care about the students. The principal, Mr. Dunwoody, cares more about appearances than people. Ronny bullies Dexter at first.
Gianna wonders if she and her classmates are being kidnapped when their bus takes a different route than normal. Ronny tries to start a fight with Dexter but punches the bus instead. Archie encourages Dexter to fight more kids so they don’t pick on him. Cigar smoke, WWII, Nazis, paratroopers, the Spanish inquisition, Torquemada and torture are all mentioned. We hear a reference to Woodstock as well.
Jackson wishes that he had told Dexter to jump off a cliff, and he dumps hydrochloric acid on Dexter’s sweater. Someone mentions swearing, but no specific words are used. Dexter’s grandpa passed away years before. Name-calling includes “dunderhead,” “numbskull” and “nincompoop.”
[Spoiler Warning] A character falls and hits his head. Later, he’s taken away in an ambulance and dies.
None.
What important lessons or skills have you learned from your grandparents? What questions would you like to ask them about their lives or childhood?
The other students originally thought Dexter was weird because he dressed and acted differently. Do you ever judge people too quickly? What can you do to get to know others better instead of judging them too fast?
Gianna stood up for the truth even though it was scary. Do you stand up for others? Why or why not?
Old School offers an inspirational look into the middle school world. Though bordering on absurd and unrealistic at times, author Gordan Korman creates vivid characters who are easy to root for. The story doesn’t lag, and it challenges the reader to consider how they might misjudge others and what it could look like to stand up for those on the outside instead of avoiding them.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
Rachel Pfeiffer serves as Editor of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine, where she acquires and crafts stories to entertain and disciple children. She graduated from Taylor University with a degree in professional writing and Moody Theological Seminary with an MA in Biblical Studies. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she can often be found hiking the beautiful Colorado Rockies.
