Revelations: The School for Gifted Potentials

Revelations is the second in a series ~ The School for Gifted Potentials ~ from Allis Wade and is as engaging as her first book – Orientation. In this new volume, we see Everett and his friends adjust to everyday life at their new school.

From my review of Orientation:

“Set one hundred years in the future, this story has the familiarity of a young

adult fantasy/science fiction novel …an enchanting tale of a boy unaware of

his origins and unsure of his future. Ringing dystopian for some and utopian

for others, the main character – Everett – lives in a world where gifted children

are sought out for their intellectual gifts and talents; and then whisked off to

a residential school where they are rarely ever allowed to see their families

again.” (The full review may be read here.)

Revelations lives up to its title. There are many answers revealed from the first book, but just as many new questions are raised. The tangled web woven by his mother begins to unravel as the reader learns the truth behind Everett’s admission to the SFGP. But … all is not as it appears at the School for Gifted Potentials!

One thing is for sure … there is nothing predictable in this story line – nothing! It is layer upon layer of good writing and great strategies for parents and teachers of gifted students. Allis Wade takes complex concepts associated with giftedness and makes them understandable for all. Her experiences with gifted children are evident throughout the book.

The author does not shy away from difficult situations ~ separation of mother and son, sibling rivalry, and the inequity prevalent in real world schools between regular education and gifted education. She delves deeply into parental struggles … love lost; a fatherless child; lies told to children in an attempt to protect them; a mother’s love so strong she is willing to lose her child in order to provide him with the best possible education.

Who is the audience for this series? Gifted students will learn how to deal with bullying, perfectionism, coping with failure, asynchronous development and Dweck’s work on mindsets. Parents will learn about Dabrowski’s Theory of Over-Excitabilities. Teachers will see how to incorporate Project-Based Learning into their curriculum, build meaningful relationships with their students and see the possibilities of ‘teacher-as-coach’.

There are many books written about gifted education and giftedness. Good fictional tales, however, involving gifted children are few and far between. I encourage parents to read these books and then pass them on to their children as I believe both will benefit from the them.

Everett has a tough decision to make about his future at the end of Revelations. The reader has an easier task – awaiting the arrival of the next book from Allis Wade. I personally hope that the wait is a short one!

Postscript: Discussion questions at the end of the book are just what you would expect from an author who is also a teacher. This addition makes the book a perfect choice to be used in a gifted classroom. These thought provoking questions will guide the readers to a better understanding of the nature of giftedness.

Addendum: My thanks to the author for providing a digital copy of this book for review.