The School for Whatnots

The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2022

Recommended for grades 4-8; Science fiction

Brief Review

When Max was born, his wealthy family decided to protect him from other children’s greed by paying for him to grow up surrounded by “whatnots”. Instead of real human children, Max’s school will be populated by androids. As per the protocol laid out by the Whatnot Corporation, Max won’t find out that his classmates aren’t real until he’s in middle school. On the first day of Kindergarten, he befriends a “bouncy girl” named Josie, and for the next several years, they are inseparable best friends. But then at Max’s end-of-fifth-grade party, Josie makes some cryptic remarks about “whatnot rules” and not being allowed to go to the same middle school as Max. She also leaves a note: “No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.” After Max tries in vain to contact Josie and starts investigating her disappearance, his parents tell him about whatnots and the Whatnot Corporation slightly ahead of schedule. But Max refuses to believe that Josie isn’t real. And he’s right. Josie is actually a real child from a poor family who was given the opportunity to pose as a whatnot in order to get a quality education. And as Max and Josie both soon find out, Josie isn’t the only fake whatnot. The Whatnot Corporation has even more secrets than anyone knew. Full of memorable characters, suspenseful plot twists, and interesting questions about the nature of friendship and how it is (or isn’t) affected by privilege, this soft science fiction story will appeal to many middle grade readers.

Longer Review

Maximilian J. Sterling was born eleven years ago into a family that could afford to give him everything that money can buy. But there are some things that money can’t buy. It can’t buy genuine friendships, ensuring that a child grows up surrounded by love instead of greed. It can’t buy the experiences that allow a child to learn that “his own soul is more valuable than money.” Or can it? Mrs. Sterling makes the decision to pay for whatnots. Instead of growing up alongside other real children, Maximilian’s school will be populated by androids who look completely human but who always behave perfectly and who will be completely unaffected by the Sterling family’s wealth. And since Maximilian won’t find out that his classmates aren’t real until he’s in sixth or seventh grade, as per the protocol laid out by the Whatnot Corporation, his social development will not be affected by the lack of real peers in his life.

On the first day of Kindergarten, Maximilian immediately befriends a bouncy girl named Josie. She shortens his name to Max, and from that moment on, Max and Josie are inseparable best friends. Years later, at Max’s party for the end of fifth grade, Josie makes some cryptic remarks about “whatnot rules” and not being allowed to go to the same middle school as Max. And then she leaves a note: “No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.” Max has no idea what she might mean.

When Max repeatedly tries to contact Josie and even sneaks out to go to the house where he believes she lives, his parents tell him about whatnots and the Whatnot Corporation slightly ahead of schedule according to official protocol. But Max refuses to believe that Josie isn’t real. And he’s right. Josie is actually a real child from a poor family who was given the opportunity to pose as a whatnot in order to get a high quality education. And as Max and Josie both soon find out, Josie isn’t the only one. The Whatnot Corporation has even more secrets than anyone knew. 

Haddix is the author of numerous other middle grade novels spanning approximately three decades, and like most of her books, this is a suspenseful soft sci-fi story with numerous plot twists that gradually reveal that the world works completely differently than everyone thought. This story raises questions and offers answers about the nature of friendship, but also about the much more specific topics of the relationship between humans and technology and the degree to which socioeconomic status affects childhood experiences and friendships. It also features a variety of memorable and likable characters, including Max, Josie, their classmate Ivy and her sister Lucinda, Max’s Nurse Beverly, an android named Lola, and Frances Miranda Gonzagaga, the reclusive and enigmatic founder of the Whatnot Corporation.

In my opinion, The School for Whatnots gets a little corny near the end, mainly because the discussion of friendship gets a little too vague and nebulous despite being identified as the driving force behind all of the characters’ decisions and motivations. I also felt that the pacing was inconsistent and that some of the surprises occurred too early in the story, while the climactic scene taking place in a labyrinth full of androids ends up taking up nearly half the book. But my overall impression of this book is that its appeal factors far outweigh these quibbles and that it will be very popular with its target audience. Strongly recommended for any middle grade readers with an affinity for stories with plot twists.