- Don't Care High
-
Don’t Care High Author(s) Gordon Korman Country Canada 
Language English Genre(s) YA Publisher Scholastic Canada Ltd.[1] Publication date 1985 Media type Print (Paperback) Pages 243 ISBN ISBN 0-590-43129-3 Don’t Care High is a 1985 novel by Gordon Korman.
Contents
Plot
Paul Abrams has just moved to New York City with his parents. He starts at tenth grade in a new high school, Don Carey High School.
When he finds out that no one at his new school cares much about much of anything, he tries to shake things up by nominating Mike Otis, a reclusive man of mystery, for Student council president. Mike runs unopposed and is soon elected and soon forgotten. Sheldon then begins to care and starts to talk up Mike and attributes a wave of needed repairs to Mike. As the students begin to care, the teachers sense that something is going on.
They take it to the next level by publishing a short newsletter entitled The Otis Report, which criticizes school staff and praises Mike to the heavens. They distribute it on roller skates, wearing masks. As a result, Mike is dismissed as student body president. The pair react with a campaign to restore him and the students begin to care about something.
Mike's address in his permanent file is on the eleventh floor of a ten-story building. The pair track him and locate his real address. Eavesdropping, they discover that he is about to fail a course. They seize on the chance to increase student participation even more, as a large part of the student body now idolize him. They collaborate to produce a project for him. The project is of such quality that it is entered in a science fair. It is disqualified when the judges discover that the work is not his. The students react badly, resulting in the schools banning from the event. Next they turn to sports. An announcement that Mike likes basketball results in full-on participation in the game. They play an away game and win (63-62). This results in a joyous riot and much destruction.
Eventually, the staff gives in and confirms Mike as student body president. Paul and Sheldon are ecstatic at this news, feeling that the sky is now the limit. However, Mike soon announces that he is leaving. The students are surprised, but plan a party to "send Mike off in the style he deserves."
Cast of characters
Main
- Paul Abrams (16)- new student, recent immigrant from Saskatoon, Sask.
- Sheldon Pryor - Paul's Best friend that is always with him and does everything he does and plans. Keeps dragging Paul to restaurants that serve food he cannot stand.
- Michael "Mike" Otis - A reclusive student. He is a senior (b. Apr 1 1968), but his origins are a mystery and his motivations even more obscure.
Students
- Feldstein - The school's "Locker Baron," who runs an unofficial black market in student locker assignments and is always ready to make a deal.
- Wayne-o - Inscrutable student who seems to have his own dialect.
- Daphne Sylvester
Teachers
- Mr. Arthur Morrison - homeroom teacher, optimist
- Mr. Willis - photography
- Mr. Gamble - vice-principal
- The principal
Don Carey High School
The four-story school building is 140 years old and located near the 22nd Street ramp for the Henry Hudson Parkway. The ramp was built over the schools athletic field.[3] The school is named after Don Carey, a fictional public works commissioner.[4] The school has nearly 2600 students enrolled. Their sports team is the Don Carey Sewer Men. The school is known by the student body as "Don't Care High", with good reason.
References
- ^ "Don't Care High, Gordon Korman". Scholastic BookWizard. http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/viewWorkDetail.do?workId=1255253.
- ^ "Don’t Care High". gordonkorman.com. http://gordonkorman.com/dontcare.htm.
- ^ pp 21-22
- ^ p. 3
External links
- "Dont Care High". Fantasticfiction.co.uk. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/gordon-korman/dont-care-high.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
Categories:- 1985 books
- Novels by Gordon Korman
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