Published: 2022
Series: N/A
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Illustrator: N/A
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Friendship, Juvenile Literature, Thriller
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 3-7
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: The School for Whatnots
Triggers / Content Warnings: Socioeconomic segregation, corporate exploitation, and the death of a parent (maternal death during childbirth).
Review By: Kim LeRoy
Publisher’s Summary:
From master of suspense author Margaret Peterson Haddix comes another page-turning stand-alone adventure perfect for fans of Cog and Bad Magic.
No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.
That’s what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard. He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He’d know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it–and what it means–remains a mystery. Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about “whatnot rules.”
But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn’t real? And what are whatnots? As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie–and what she is or isn’t–little does he know that she’s fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from ever seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn’t supposed to be real. This middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix delves into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship, and the question of humanity and identity. Because when anyone could be a whatnot, what makes a person a real friend–or real at all?
Review:
The School for Whatnots is a fun, high tech story made for upper elementary/middle school kids with life topics like social class, economic status, friendships, betrayals and loyalty.
Josie’s mother died during childbirth and her laborer father wants the best for her. So, he signed an agreement for his daughter to play the role of an android friend for the billionaire kid Max in exchange for a good education and chance for a better future. Max’s parents wanted their child to learn more than just being the rich kid, so they seek the service of the whatnot company that provides android kids that will play the role of real life schoolmates. The idea is that these perfectly-behaved children will make kind friends to him, shielding him from childhood bullying, while providing role models to keep him from going astray.
The secret was out when Josie left a note for Max to find saying that regardless of what he’s been told to always remember she is real. Then she disappears. Max is determined to find her and the story becomes an adventure with many twists and turns. I like the moral lesson that this story brings. Real friendships can not be bought and when people unite for a common cause, all things are easier to achieve.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA (English Language Arts): Excellent mentor text for analyzing plot twists, narrative suspense, and the construction of dual-perspective character motivations in speculative fiction.
- Social Studies & Economics: Connects strongly to units discussing industrialization, economic stratification, social class structures, and how wealth shapes systemic opportunities.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): Serves as a great foundation for lessons on empathy, loyalty, evaluating what constitutes a true friend, and exploring individual identity when facing peer pressure or parental expectations.
- Extension Activity / Library Application: Perfect for an interactive library book club or classroom extension. Educators can coordinate a “Design Your Own Future Policy” debate. After reading about the “whatnot rules”, students can work in teams to draft a mock classroom bill outlining ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence and android technology, emphasizing the protection of individual human dignity.
- Diversity & Representation: The book addresses equity and diversity by directly confronting class disparity and systemic economic barriers. By placing Josie, a working-class student entering an elite space via a predatory corporate contract, at the center of the narrative, the book provides a meaningful, empathetic look at economic inequality, highlighting the agency and resilience of marginalized individuals who stand up against institutional power.
