Reviews

The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix

savbag's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 ⭐️s A fun read! I did have to remind myself that this book is for elementary school students and thus suspend my disbelief on what this society decided to do with their advanced technology though.

djbagwell's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

wondaponda's review

3.0

This book was highly enjoyable. I can see it appealing to many readers. The idea of androids is so interesting! However, many major issues are only briefly mentioned or outright ignored. Mira should have been punished for her highly illegal, immoral deeds. Instead, she was completely forgiven. The kids-pretending-to-be-whatnots-pretending-to-be-kids should have been rectified. Instead, they got some money. I thought the message was money can't buy fix everything, but in the end, money fixes everything.

For all its faults, I truly loved the story of the whatnots. When the narrator mentions reading the legal mumbo jumbo, I wished it was included in the book! I wanted to know all of the secrets of the whatnots and the specifics of what was really going in. I would have loved to read more about the kids-pretending-to-be-whatnots-pretending-to-be-kids. At one point, whatnot training is mentioned. What does that mean? I would love to know!

#netgalley

thecampinglibrarian's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

chenoadallen's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

finesilkflower's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked that a middle grades book was taking on themes of income inequality, educational inequality, and the ethical wages of replacing humans with machines - for the people who grow up surrounded by machines, for the people who find themselves replaced, and for the hidden people behind "mechanical turk" sham AI. What complicated themes! The book also has some well-timed twists that complicate the story, rather than twists for twists' sake. Unfortunately, the ending fell short as it felt like the book moved its own goalposts from "solve this complex socioeconomic problem" to "the power of friendship." The solution doesn't match the problem.

timberwolf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

kristenremenar's review against another edition

5.0

Great sci-fi choice for kids who don't want outer space stuff.

Plus, the narrator is so interesting. Use this for a writing lesson on non-traditional narration.

lyrareadsbooks's review

4.0

Can AI replace classmates? Would we want them to?

wordworm3's review against another edition

2.0

I loved the premise of the book. I was so excited about the discussions that I had with my 11-year-old who also read it about social class differences. But the ending really fell flat on the social commentary. It felt a real disservice to the kids who had been taken from their families to serve the wants of the upper class. Some great opportunities for discussion, but not the takeaways I hoped for.