[John The Kiwi]

 

Hey Gordon,

 

I’ve been a reader of your books since they were first released in New Zealand, ordering each of these early ones from the Scholastic Book Club. 

 

I was exactly the right age for McDonald Hall and I Want To Go Home, and was starting high school when Don’t Care High and Son Of Interflux were released, so right in the core demo. 

 

Much to my parents dismay, my sense of humour then and now skews Rudy Miller and Mike Otis.

 

I’ve kept up over the years, about every year or two I’ll hit Powells Books here in Portland where I live now, or my local library, or eBay, and pick up the latest. 

 

This week I read Slugfest, Faker, Old School, Snoop and Hypergifted for the first time, and reread I Want To Go Home, Don’t Care, and No Coins, Please again.

 

My question - where are they now? What are Rudy and Mike (and Chip), Artie, Mike Otis, Irving Simon, and Bugs Potter doing in 2026?

 

Thanks for all the funny, and 48 years of amazing books. 

 

John The Kiwi

Thanks so much, John, for the longtime loyalty! 48 years! I have a 50th anniversary coming up for my first effort, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AT MACDONALD HALL!

Where are Rudy and Mike, Mike Otis, Artie Geller, etc now? I suspect at the Old Folks Home! Except for Bugs Potter and Bruno Walton, who may be in jail.

                                          Thanks! With kindest regards,                                                  -----Gordon Korman-----

[Jeffrey Bumgarner]

I read your first Macdonald Hall book when I was about eight or nine years old. Had no idea there were sequels until I decided to look you up about a year ago. I decided (even though I’m now 56 years old) to go ahead and read the rest of the books. I have to say that they are very well written and I enjoyed them thoroughly. Thanks for almost 50 years of entertaining me with Boots  and Bruno and of course, The Fish.. Best of luck to you.

PS I wouldn’t mind reading a new MH book if you have it in you.

[John]

Twenty years later, Paul Abrams is on a business trip somewhere in rural America and sees a sign:

OTIS MACHINE WORKS

He walks in and finds Mike exactly as he remembers him.

The shop contains:

• Half a dozen experimental vehicles.


• Tools nobody has ever seen before.


• A waiting list six months long.

Mike himself hasn’t changed at all.

Paul says, “Mike, do you realize you’re famous?”

Mike looks up from rebuilding a carburetor and says:

“For what?”

 

[Gordon]

Hi, Jeffrey,

Thanks for posting. I don't think I could go back and recapture B&B again -- it's almost 50 years since I wrote the first one, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AT MACDONALD HALL. But if you're interested, the book that's coming out next month is called SLEEPLESS, and it happens to be Book # 108!

I can hardly believe it myself! Thanks again, Jeffrey!                                               -----Gordon Korman-----

[Gordon]

Wow, John, you really remember DON'T CARE HIGH! You've made my day! Thanks for this!

                                                                                                                         -----Gordon Korman-----

[John]

Hey Gordon, I literally read Don’t Care High again over the last couple of days. My friend asked me to loan him my five favorite of your books, so I’m re-reading them as I give them to him. I was just starting high school when Don’t Care and Interflux came out, so they, and I want to go home, are easily my top three. I thoroughly enjoyed Old School though. 

[Gordon]

Glad to see you're keeping up with the new stuff, John.                                                                         --GK--

[Raymond Jardine]

John the Kiwi! Jeffrey! And maybe Darren if he's lurking! I'm amongst my people. 

As someone now closer in age to Headmaster Sturgeon than to the Macdonald Hall inmates, I try not to flood the Forum with posts that might leave the target demographic wondering why Gramps is muttering about out-of-print paperbacks again.

But if anyone’s up for a “classic Korman” thread—a place for vintage Kormaniacs to compare notes, swap memories, overanalyze Bruno and Boots, and generally behave like responsible adults who have learned absolutely nothing and still laugh at references to "the flute guy" and intermittent defects—count me in.

[Darren]

Always lurking, Raymond!

Heck, I'm still waiting on the recipe for Bugs' flashbombs. (Maybe that's what Artie was talking about with the Road Hogs chaperones).

[John the Kiwi]

Nice to meet you Raymond and Darren!

I am currently reading Son Of Interflux, and I can’t believe it took me 40 years to realize the grave error in this Querada anecdote:

Querada was across the room and upon him like a chicken hawk. “There is only one excuse for missing a Querada class. Death — your own!”

Then he was back to normal again, pacing in front of the students. “When I was in Kenya, I was teaching a group of artists studying wildlife painting. One man, an Australian, missed one session and fell so far behind that he would never again catch up. He missed more and more sessions, and began taking long walks in the jungle. Poof! He was eaten by a tiger. If you’re in class, you can’t be eaten by a tiger!”

Deliberate, or was a 22 year old Korman not aware of the native wildlife in Africa? 

Ouch, John th Kiwi, tigers are only in Asia; there are none in Africa!

Well, I'm going to go with the fact that it was Querada who didn't know about that. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

                                                                                                          -----Gordon Korman-----

[Raymond Jardine]

Good catch, John. But I will say in Querada's defense, perhaps he had already exhausted his capacity for recognizing errant zoological geolocation. To wit:

"What about your 'View of Central Park," Mr. Stavrinidis... since Central Park is not in the Middle Eastern desert, why is that hansom cab being pulled by a camel?"

[Josh]

Mr. Wizzle was probably an early investor in AI. 

I assume that Rabbit Man is living on a far, growing organic carrots, and entertaining his 700+ offspring.