Genius Under Construction

In this sequel to "a.k.a. Genius," Gabe Carpenter reters to St. Jude's Academy for his final year of middle school. On the cusp of graduation, this eighth grade status brings some inescapable realities. Gabe and his fellow students must complete fifteen hours of community service. Gabe picks tutoring as a way to use his academic talent to help others. But when he finds out he will be working with a student who has a learning disability, things get more complicated than he expected. Meanwhile at home, an envelope with a blank application to Carolina Science and Math High School is shoved in the bottom of his closet. The deadline is quickly approaching, and Gabe is being pressured by his parents, grandma, and the memory of his dead grandpa to decide whether or not to apply. He loves science, but is he willing to leave his friends behind to go there next year? Leave Maya? At least Gabe can still turn to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, to help him along the way...