I Hate Being Gifted

This likable novel offers much more than its off-putting title would suggest. KT can't deny that she's proud to be one of the handful of students selected to be in her school's program for gifted children. But at the same time she dreads being separated--even for just a few afternoons a week--from her two best friends, Melinda and Chrissy. To make matters worse, bossy Erica is poised to usurp KT's place in the trio of friends. But this staunch heroine is more than a match for her manipulative classmate: she makes some new friends and, by the novel's end, is well on her way to reclaiming the friendship of Melinda and Chrissy. In addition, she learns that intellectual pursuits are not incompatible with a lively social life. KT's narrative voice is authentic and fresh; many readers will recognize themselves and their classmates in this slice of sixth grade life. Ages 11-up. (Dec.)