Hidden Talents by David Lubar

This book has such a silly cover, I don't think I would have picked it up had the book not been recommended to me. I suppose it appeals to kids, though, and that is more important than appealing to me, so I am not sorry it looks like it does. Just a warning: there is more substance here than might be thought, if you just look at the cover.

The main idea of this story is that Martin Anderson has been sent to an Alternative School. It is a school at the end of the line for kids who have been expelled from all of their other schools. As might be expected in such a school, there a lot of kids with problems - thugs, certainly, but a wide range of other problems, too. Martin's problem is that he can't keep his mouth shut. He is adept at saying things that are precisely the thing that would anger the person in question, usually an adult, most. His comments hit at the person's deepest worries and vulnerabilities - and therefore, they anger the people beyond tolerance.

The other kids also have problems and Martin, after careful observation, discovers that some of their problems stem from supernatural talents and not willfully bad behavior. One kid starts fires; another throws things randomly; another is an inveterate cheater. This is not a completely realistic book, as most of these hidden "talents" are in the area of supernatural abilities, but that really doesn't detract from the story. Martin and his friends learn to control their talents and even Martin, who thinks he has no special talent discovers that he can, in fact, use his abilities for good, rather than let them control him.

Better than I expected. Enjoyable.