I have never read a story with eight individual voices before, but it works very well in Korman’s hands. Each chapter is a first-person account by a character in the story. The flow is very well done, and the different voices are distinct as the reader is allowed to see events from the various points of view. The main character, Capricorn, has never known life outside of an old, rundown commune. For the past few years, the only inhabitants have been he and his grandmother, one of the original founders of the society. When she is injured, Capricorn must live with a family in the city while she heals, and this generates an intensely amusing situation.

This is a very, very easy read as well as fun. The culture shock experienced by Cap within the halls of a modern junior high school is as believable as it is slightly painful to read, since most of the conflicts are predictable. There are a few surprises, however, and they make for a refreshing look into the society of modern teenagers, even the clearly self-centered characters.

There is not really any kind of a moral here, just an enjoyable story with appealing people.

Rated: Mild. No foul language, but 3 instances of using the name of God in vain, and a few usages of typical teenage terms that are ever so slightly crude.