Noah is a genius with a 206 IQ. He receives his Middle School diploma with his High School diploma & a full scholarship to Wilderton University. He is going during the summer to adjust to college & he brings his best friend Donovan with him to help. Noah takes classes, while Donovan is a counselor for day camp. Noah wants to be part of the secret society-the Society of the Gavel. Lots happens-like almost poisoning the University mascot, helping 2 frat guys, finding out where one of the camper goes each day, and creating a AI program that goes rogue.

This is a 3rd book in a series. I hadn’t read the first 2 (yet), but I still enjoyed it! I love how the chapters were different characters and different points of view.. Parts just made me laugh out loud. . I now need to read the other 2 books in the series.

This was an awesome story. It had lots of layers to keep kids interested. I enjoy when books are told from multiple perspectives as well. I think this would enable great class discussions! Highly recommend!

This book is an amazing book for people who love Gordon Korman. This is definitely a 5 star book guaranteed. It is exhilarating, humorous, funny, and indeed interesting. This book keeps you wanting more of Gordan Korman and his series of books.

This is a classic Gordan Korman novel, with quirky characters, wacky situations, and no shortage of drama and humor. I can definitely see my students connecting with Donovan and Noah and the chaos that follows them. However, as an adult, I had trouble with some of the scenes and situations that they got themselves into and felt like there weren’t enough consequences for their actions and would hate for this story to encourage similar behavior in my students. Overall, this is a solid novel that I think middle grade readers would enjoy, however it is not my favorite Korman novel.

What worked:
The story is told from multiple points of view, allowing readers inside several characters’ minds. This strategy is important because these characters have different motivations for attending an elite college during the summer. Noah has an IQ of 206, and he’s just graduated from middle school and high school, too! He’s starting college as a freshman, but he’s asked his best friend Donovan to spend the summer in the dorms to help him get acclimated. These two characters are the focus of the plot. Readers also read chapters about Raina, a new summer camp counselor, a fraternity member, and other characters from the college.
Noah and Donovan can be described as an odd couple, since they’re starkly different people. Noah is super smart and has difficulty thinking like “normal” kids. He wishes he weren’t judged by his high IQ and all of the expectations that come with it. Others might be surprised that his favorite activity is watching YouTube videos. He comes up with an idea for an AI program that will impress his co-ed crush and his computer science professor. Donovan plans to lie on the couch all summer watching endless television shows until his parents say he’ll be rooming with Noah instead. Donovan is given a job as a CIT (counselor in training), and his style is much different from Raina’s. The major conflict in the plot arises from Noah’s Elderberry plant and the college’s pig mascot, Porquette.
The author adds a bit of mystery with a secret group on the college campus called the Society of the Gavel. No one knows the identity of the members (until they’ve died), and no one knows what the group does. Members are secretly notified of their selection into the society, so no one knows what it takes to become a member. Noah thinks secrets are meant to be discovered, so he makes it his mission to become invited into the Society of the Gavel. This motivates him to create the AI program, but it also leads to some ill-advised decisions. He eventually decides to create the Fibonacci Society, but no one understands, and his plans go awry.
What didn’t work as well:
I have a pet peeve against using too many points of view, and there are a couple of characters who didn’t need to be included. The strategy breaks the plot into many smaller pieces, which can be a distraction. On the other hand, the use of multiple points of view in this book causes readers to become more mentally engaged, as they piece the events into one cohesive story.
The final verdict:
This book is classic Gordon Korman with its blend of humor, a wayward plot, and featuring multiple voices. Much of the plot is predictable, but the author saves a few surprises for the end. Korman’s style is always appealing to middle-grade readers, and I recommend you give it a shot.

Thank you NetGalley! Noah is a genius with a 206 IQ but is also clumsy and a bit gullible Jailbreak. When he is recruited to the prestigious Wilderton University for the summer, he brings his friend Donovan for emotional support. Noah is obsessed with a secret society while Donovan works as a counselor in training but chaos ensues when the school’s mascot goes missing. Another charming book by Gordon Korman.

I enjoyed this book. Hypergifted is about a kid with 206 IQ (Noah), his best friend (Donovan), and their adventures at college summer camp.

There were several aspects I enjoyed about this book:
1. I really liked reading from Donovan's point of view. He often seems to see things more clearly than his super-smart friend Noah. Where Noah is socially awkward, Donovan knows how to smooth things over.
2. This book is inspirational. It's not the type of book that showers you with cool mantras like "believe in yourself!" or "you are special!", but it's more subtle. For example, I used to want to be really, really smart, like genius-level smart, and I lamented the fact that I was just average. But after reading this book and seeing events from both the perspectives of a genius and a non-genius, I suddenly feel like being a normal person is also okay. Like I mentioned before, Donovan sees things much clearer than Noah does, and I think that's one of the gifts that we "normal" people have.
3. I loved how loyal the university was to their mascot, and through her, to their school family.
4. I liked how the adults were mostly supportive. There wasn't any evil guy trying to take down all the kids or anything like that.
5. I really liked how Donovan treated the kids. He was supportive of them, not looking down on them, but treating them almost as equals.
6. The ending was spectacularly satisfying. It wrapped up the whole story fairly well, though I do wish that Donovan had gotten more love from his parents.

There were also several things I didn't enjoy about the story.
1. Noah's POV was too cliche, like extreme geniuses-don't-social. I found that somewhat irritating at first, but in the end it turned out to be a little bit endearing. I still think that it was a bit overdone, though.
2. Donovan... his character was conflicting for me. On one hand, I really liked how chill he was about everything. On the other hand, however, I felt like he was <i>too</i> chill about everything, like to the point where he's almost invincible. But there are also parts where the readers can see how disturbed he gets when some things get under his skin, like the fake super star videos of him that were circulating around. It seemed almost dangerous to me, like maybe he's hiding himself away because he feels like there's no one that will listen -- especially considering his neglecting parents.
3. The whole plot revolves heavily on Noah's 206 IQ, but I didn't see enough evidence of that IQ. Noah did build an AI that was apparently very powerful, but I would have enjoyed seeing more of his alleged IQ.

Content: Clean. Perfectly suitable for middle-graders. There's mentions of playing pokers, and gambling with toothpicks, bottle caps, and beans, but I don't think that's a bit deal since it's more portrayed as having fun (and there are no real stakes involved; other than the beans, of course).

I received an ARC copy of this from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hypergifted by Gordon Korman

As a retired teacher of gifted learners, I was excited to read this book by Gordon Korman, an author my students and I loved, beginning with Swindled, published in 2008. From my experience, Noah was portrayed very well. I loved that he could admit he didn’t know something. He was likeable as well as brilliant. This was a fun and slightly silly book, but I enjoyed it a lot. (Could a pig really exist in a bathtub for a month?)

The last Gordon Korman book I read (with my granddaughter) was “Linked.” The topic went much deeper and the book was very thought provoking. So it took me a little while to get into Hypergifted, because I was expecting a similar vibe. However, both books are great, for different purposes. I can see Hypergifted being great for gifted kids (because gifted) but also for more reluctant readers, because of the crazy things that happen. Overall Hypergifted is 5 stars for me!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc!

Hypergifted is the third book of the Ungifted Series by Gordon Korman. aka the third book to what used to be my one of my favorite series ever.

This was such a nostalgic read! I think Gordon Korman still has that same classic way of writing middle grade books that feels realistic and humourous. This is just a silly goofy little book for silly goofy little people. aka me.

We see the same two main characters from the previous book, and I love their friendship. I think at certain times they have an uneven relationship where one character is more relying on the other while not being a great friend. But there's also other times where I just enjoyed their bromance. and bromance is >>>>

Despite not being the target audience for this book, I still had fun with it. The writing, at some points, made me giggle. I will say that at certain points, it could also pull me out of the story. During some of the POV shifts, it felt like a lot telling and not showing. I wasn't there; I was just listening to a version of a story. This lessened the emotional connection I had to it.

This is definitely a book meant for more of a fun, quick, light-hearted read. While not super memorable, it is a nice read. I think a middle schooler who is meant for this book would enjoy it more, but older audiences could also have a good time with it.

My grandson and I also were so delighted to receive this eARC in exchange for a honest review. We love Gordon Korman's books! Full of fun for readers of all ages. The characters are entertaining. The story plot is engaging. Noah along with his friend Donovan head to summer semester College. There are lots of great times for the two. Love this third book in the series!! All opinions are mine. Thanks #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsChildrensBooks for the eARC.

My kids love the Ungifted Series by Gordon Korman, so they were so excited to hear that there is a third book coming out! Hypergifted follows the events that arise when 13 year old genius Noah Youkilis is accepted (against his will) as a freshman to Wilderton University a prestigious college in his state. His friend of average intelligence, Donavan Curtis is persuaded by his parents to accompany Noah to college to keep him company for the summer semester. Both boys experience a summer they will not soon forget. Noah is resented by students and praised by teachers, while Donavan is stuck running a day camp with an intense girl named Raina. The boys even have some drama with a pig along the way!

This latest installment is just as entertaining, humorous, and full of lovable characters as the last one! Thanks NetGalley, Gordon Korman, and Harper Collins Children's Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.