Book Review ~ The School for Whatnots.

Hello to everyone at Hive Book Club! I hope everyone is well. Today I want to share with you the story of The School for Whatnots, written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is a story written for children and teenagers, published in 2022. The main subject of the story is a school where many of the students are actually human-like robots, called whatnots. Here, rich children are taught how to understand everyone equally and make friends together. I really enjoyed reading it, because this story is fun and also contains some important lessons. I hope you enjoy reading it too. When I started reading The School for Whatnots, the title first intrigued me. What exactly is “Whatnots”? I thought it might be the name of a naughty school, or some funny characters. But as I read, I realized that it is not just a school, but a lot of big secrets are hidden inside. At the center of the story is Max. He is the son of a wealthy family. His mother is very conscious that she does not want Max to lose his sense of real life values by being obsessed with wealth. So as a child, he is admitted to a strange school. The School for Whatnots. On the outside, it is a very ordinary private school, but on the inside, it is very different. Many of the students in this school are not real people, they are android robots, called whatnots.Max’s closest friend is Josie. At first, Max also thinks that Josie might be a whatnot like the others. But Josie is different from the others. She laughs more, talks more, and asks questions that make Max think. And one day, Josie says something that makes Max doubt whether she is really a robot? Max starts trying to find out the truth, and slowly the mystery begins to unravel. At one point, it is revealed that Josie is actually a girl from a poor family, who was brought here as a child in the guise of an android, so that she can study in a safe and good environment. Max is surprised. The one he has thought of as artificial until now is actually his most genuine human friend.Then a new chapter begins, as both Max and Josie learn to understand that the value of a person cannot be measured by money or birth. Together, they overcome many misunderstandings and obstacles, and present a beautiful message to the reader that friendship is above all else.  To be honest, when I picked up The School for Whatnots, I didn't think it would have such a deep meaning. At first, I thought it was just a fun school story with a few robots, a few mysteries, and a light-hearted adventure. But as I read, I realized that it was hiding a big truth about society: class discrimination and inequality of opportunity.Author Margaret Peterson Haddix has shown very accurately how huge the gap in opportunities can be between children from rich families and children from poor families. If Josie hadn't enrolled in that school under the guise of a whatnot, she might never have received such a good education, security, and opportunities in her life. On the other hand, Max might never have understood that the difference between humans and robots is not just in appearance or body, but also in heart, feelings, and thinking. The structure of the story moves at the right pace. At the beginning, a mystery arises in the reader's mind about who Josie is? Is she really a robot, or something else? In the middle, the curiosity gradually increases, small hints are found, which make the reader think more. And towards the end, the emotion and the message reach the heart together. I myself was waiting for the truth to be revealed with Max while reading. When the real truth came out, I felt like wow! That is the real beauty of the story.What I liked the most about the author's language and style of narration. Haddix writes in a simple and straightforward manner that is suitable for readers aged 8-12, but is equally enjoyable for adults. The emotional moments of the story are portrayed in such a way that the reader is drawn into the situation.The moments of friendship in particular, where Max and Josie understand each other, help each other, and overcome their limitations to move forward, are touching. Their friendship proves that birth, class, or financial status are not the true measure of a relationship; what matters is trust, empathy, and the attitude of being there for each other. All in all, The School for Whatnots is not just a story about robots or mysteries, but a story that teaches children that the true identity of a person is in their mind and behavior, not in their external pomp or position. And this aspect is what makes the book special for me