Old School
Sale price
$1899
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2025 · Est. 7.5 hour read

Old School

By Gordon Korman

A boy raised in a retirement home faces the chaos of public school.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 2,261 ratings
288 pages· 52,832 words· Est. 7.5 hour read
$19.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Twelve-year-old Dexter, raised in a retirement village, is thrust into the chaos of middle school. His outdated style and cranky demeanor make him an oddity among peers. As he longs for his old life, an unexpected collision of his two worlds challenges everything he knows. Will Dexter find his place, or will he retreat to the comfort of the past?

From the publisher

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unteachables comes a hilarious story about a boy who is homeschooled in his grandmother’s retirement community…until he is forced to go to public school. Dexter Foreman is twelve going on eighty. He has lived at The Pines retirement village with his grandmother since he was six years old, and as a result he gets along better with senior citizens than kids his own age. He’s homeschooled by the residents up until the day the county’s truancy officer shows up and announces that Dex has to go to a “real” school, to the local middle school.At school, Dex sticks out like a sore thumb. He dresses like a grandpa (and can be just as cranky). His taste in movies and music is decades out of date. Only a few students–like Gianna Greco, a reporter at the school’s newspaper–find him intriguing. For most, he is either a weirdo or a target.Dexter would do anything to return to his old life at The Pines. But when his wish finally seems to be coming true, his old and new worlds collide in a way that surprises everyone–Dexter most of all.

At a glance
Format
Hardcover
Pages
288
Words
52,832
Reading age
8–12
Audience
Middle Grade
Lexile
~781L
Themes & topics
Books about homeschoolingBooks about family relationshipsBooks about middle school
For readers who can't stop at one

The next favorite is already out there.

Age-appropriate books selected to help their love of reading grow, delivered right to their door.

Find their book club
Bookroo club box with books for growing readers
The author

More from Gordon Korman

Explore Gordon's bookshelf
Unplugged
Sale price
$1699

Unplugged

Ages 9–12 · 2021
Series
Sale price
$1699

Swindle

Ages 8–12 · 2008

Notorious

Ages 8–12 · 2020
The Unteachables
Sale price
$999

The Unteachables

Ages 8–12 · 2019
Your next read

Books that feel like this one

See all similar books
Refugee
Sale price
$1799

Refugee

Ages 9–12 · 2017

The Wheel on the School

Ages 8–12 · 1954

Orange for the Sunsets

Ages 8–12 · 2019

Treasure Island

Ages 10–15 · 1882

A Place to Hang the Moon

Ages 9–12 · 2021

Fortune's Magic Farm

Ages 8–12 · 2009

The Wishmakers

Ages 8–12 · 2018

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Ages 8–12 · 2013
The fine print

Book details

Reading levels
ATOS
5
F&P level
~S
AR points
8
AR interest level
MG
AR quiz
553262
Publication
Published
January 14, 2025
Publisher
HarperCollins
Edition
Language
English
Type
Chapter Book
Identifiers
ISBN
9780063238145

Surprise a reader with their next favorite book.

Spotted a mistake or something missing? Improve this page.

Are you the author or illustrator? Claim your book.

Bookroo

Book Clubs

Follow Bookroo