Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9781423105169
Edition: Reprint
ISBN: 1423105168
Label: Hyperion Books for Children
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Hyperion Books for Children
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 208
Publication Date: 2008-08-26
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Studio: Hyperion Books for Children

Customer Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Comment: What a fun read. The main character is very unique and the plot allows for great discussion as to how we treat those who are different from us. Entertaining!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Kind of like "Stargirl"...
Comment: Just throwing this out there, but this book reminds me of "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli. If you like this book, you should definitely read Stargirl.

Anyway, this book is amazing. It tells the story of Capricorn (aka Cap) Anderson, who spent his whole life with his hippie grandma, Rain, in their hippie settlement that was founded in 1967. Cap's parents died of malaria while working in Africa, which is why Cap has to live with his grandmother.

The settlement had fourteen families in 1967, but by the time Cap was born, it was just him and his grandmother.

Cap had never known one other person besides Rain. Rain unfortunately falls out of a tree and breaks her hip, forcing her to have surgery and a long, painful recovering process.

Cap can't live at the settlement all by himself, so he is forced to go out into the real world, where he has never been before. He's never seen a television; never even tasted a pizza. He was home-schooled by Rain his whole life, and after her accident, he is plopped right in the middle of Claverage (C Average) Middle School.

This humorous tale tells the story of Cap and the kids at C Average Middle School and how they accept this strange boy. I would recommend it to anybody.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Recommened by a Homeschooler
Comment: I read this book after reading about it on a Homeschool blog: http://blogaramabingbong.com/?p=4. I found it funny, and entertaining an easy read. Not sure if a guy raised on a fading hippy commune could be as gullible as Capricorn Anderson is made out to be, but I just love the idea of it and how his tie-dyed ways crept into the hearts of the kids at C Average Middle School.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Comment: My middle school son is always looking for an excuse to NOT read. This book was one that he picked up without an argument. It was enjoyable, easy to read, short chapters, fun characters. It was definitely a hit with my, not so easy to please, son.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fish Out Of Water Goes Swimming With The Sharks
Comment: One of the last remnant offspring of a hippie homeschool commune finds himself in the hands of social services when his grandmother must be hospitalized. This fish out of water is plunged into swimming with the sharks at the local public middle school. While Capricorn Anderson represents more aptly the exaggerated stereotypical new ager, we still get a knowing glimpse at the social classes and clashes rampant in our "educational" institutions through his coming of age experiences. Will he become a hero or remain a zero?

Mainstream Home Educators Beware: Lots of Zen-like thought and techniques are dappled throughout with inferred validation. While it is outwardly criticized by Capricorn's new "friends," it is inwardly admired. I didn't find it concerning, because a healthly dose of humor is directed to Capricorn's untraditional upbringing, as well as to the amount of academics occurring at schools. The author stroked a wide brush of sarcastic exaggeration across all of the characters.

Extra points for the creative technique of alternating the first person voice from character to character in the chapters.

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