The Unteachables
CBC Books | | Posted: January 29, 2019 4:54 PM | Last Updated: June 10, 2020
Gordon Korman
The Unteachables are a wayward medley of characters: Parker the dyslexic farm boy; Aldo, who is perpetually angry; Elaine (rhymes with pain); Barnstorm the jock; Rahim the sleep-deprived artist; and Mateo, lost in fantasy worlds. Plus Kiana, who is just in town visiting her dad and isn't even registered with the school. Not to mention their teacher, Mr. Ribbit — er, Mr. Kermit — who remains in disgrace after a 25-year-old cheating scandal and is just killing time, doing crossword puzzles and waiting to take early retirement at the end of the year.
Are they really incorrigible, or is it possible they are just misunderstood? This unlikely group of heroes is about to find out for themselves. (From Scholastic Canada)
From the book
It's no fun riding to school with Stepmonster — not with Chauncey screaming his lungs out in the back seat.
Don't get me wrong. I'd cry too if I'd just figured out that Stepmonster is my mother. But at seven months old, I don't think he's processed that yet. He just cries. He cries when he's hungry; he cries when he's full; he cries when he's tired; he cries when he wakes up after a long nap. Basically, any day that ends in a y, Chauncey cries.
There also seems to be a connection between his volume control and the gas pedal of the SUV. The louder he howls, the faster Stepmonster drives.
"Who's a happy baby?" she coos over her shoulder into the back seat, where the rear-facing car seat is anchored. "Who's a happy big boy?"
"Not Chauncey, that's for sure," I tell her. "Hey — school zone. You better slow down."
From The Unteachables by Gordon Korman ©2019. Published by Scholastic Canada.