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Supergifted
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Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “Supersecret, Noah Youkilis”
Even YouTube does not have anything as unexpected as what Noah witnessed at the Mercurys’ house. Noah is unable to stop thinking about Donovan saving the house from a potential explosion. The more he thinks about the “act of great heroism” (60), the more he is frustrated that Donovan is not getting his deserved credit.
At school, Megan delivers an emotional speech thanking the superkid. The superintendent, Dr. Shultz, urges the superkid to reveal himself so that he can be thanked properly. After the assembly, the Daniels approach Noah and Donovan: They’ve guessed that Donovan is the superkid, knowing that Donovan and Noah were in the area of the accident that morning. Noah decides to find a way to help his friend.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Superphony, Donovan Curtis”
Brad knocks at Donovan’s door to wake him up. They argue over Beatrice and Kandy’s barking, and Brad compares Donovan unfavorably with the mysterious hero who “puts others first and himself second” (65).
Donovan reflects that Brad is not alone in his admiration: Everyone in the school halls, on the playgrounds, on television, and in the checkout lines is talking about the superkid. He listens to Brad trying to settle Tina down for a nap and notices that Brad seems stressed and sad. When Donovan asks, Brad admits that he feels he is not good at managing Tina’s schedule. When he is deployed, he knows what to do, but with his own family, he feels lost. Donovan is pleasantly surprised to see this vulnerable side of Brad. He suggests Brad practice baby talk with Tina. For the first time in his life, Brad seems to consider Donovan’s advice.
The next morning, all the students are eager to enter the school: The truck driver is there to identify the superkid. Donovan is deeply relieved when the driver fails to recognize him, and the Daniels tease Donovan about his careworn appearance. Donovan notices that Noah is absent. When he returns home, he finds everyone sitting at the edges of their seats excitedly: The breaking news on the TV claims that the superkid has been identified. Donovan is surprised to see Noah on the television screen, pulling the St. Christopher medal out of his pocket and describing the Saturday morning incident. Donovan’s family gushes over Noah’s bravery and altruism, which makes Donovan feel as though they find him lacking in comparison. Donovan’s mother asks him to invite Noah over. When he tells her that Noah is busy with his cheerleading practices, Katie, a former cheerleader, gladly offers to coach him.
Donovan keeps calling Noah and getting his voicemail, so he heads to his house, which is packed with people. When he finally manages to talk to Noah, his friend is excited and says that he claimed responsibility to help Donovan: Noah decided to be the superkid so that people would stop looking for him. Thinking of Beatrice, Donovan feels stuck with Noah’s lie.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Supergrateful, Megan Mercury”
Megan is having a hard time believing that Noah Youkilis is the superkid or feeling warmly toward him, despite knowing that he saved her life. Along with her parents, she goes to Noah’s house to thank him. Her parents make her hug him, which she finds “awful” (76). The next morning, Principal Verlander has her hug him again in front of 900 people.
At school, Noah is always surrounded by admirers. Megan gets annoyed with the constant praise and snaps that he only saved her house—not her life—only to awkwardly backpedal when Noah appears. She avoids her friends at lunch, as they’re all sitting with Noah. To her chagrin, the Daniels sit with her and corner her into inviting Noah to her birthday party.
In the lacrosse game against Rutherford, Hardcastle’s division rival and neighbor, everyone is fussing over the superkid. Nobody is watching the players or the head cheerleader at the top of the human pyramid. Even Hashtag is warming up to the local hero, but for Megan, Noah is “still a weirdo” (80).
Chapter 12 Summary: “Superspotty, Chloe Garfinkle”
Chloe reflects that heroism often occurs in unlikely places. Chloe is excited about the “supergifted” Noah turning out to be the superkid. She is really proud of him, and the whole robotics team celebrates Noah’s triumph as their own. They program Heavy Metal to raise a sign that says “CONGRATULATIONS, SUPERKID” (83). Their coach, Oz, plays Noah’s interview with a television personality named Russ Trussman, whose “store-bought nose,” hair, and teeth are unnaturally perfect; Chloe concludes that fame causes one to have “fewer original body parts” (83).
Trussman asks about the folding chair found in the pool. Noah is startled but denies knowing anything about it. Trussman invites people to call him with any information regarding this mystery. After listening to the interview, Chloe’s gut feeling tells her that Noah is not the superkid. She shares her suspicions with Donovan, who tells her that he himself saved the Mercurys’ house, but she does not believe him either.
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
Even before Noah steps forward as the supposed superkid, the situational irony of Donovan’s situation is apparent. Brad comes to Donovan and compares him to the superkid, who he says “isn’t so self-centered” (65). The irony builds as Brad lectures Donovan about commitment to physical fitness, using the superkid as a reference point. Donovan knows that the superkid—he himself—would disagree with the idea that fitness is of paramount importance but can’t say anything. Likewise, he must later listen in silence as the rest of his family praises Noah’s courage and selflessness. Donovan experiences a deep sense of hurt and frustration as they unknowingly hold up the superkid as an ideal and compare him unfavorably to himself.
This conversation contains a further layer of irony, in that Donovan’s family is surprised to learn the identity of the superkid; they didn’t think Noah was capable of something so heroic. In fact (as Chloe later notes), the novel suggests that heroism does occur in unlikely quarters—but even having grasped this, Donovan’s family fails to notice it in their own son and brother. In fact, Donovan’s very determination to let Noah take the credit emphasizes his true “superkid” nature; it requires resilience, selflessness, and sacrifice, all of which Donovan undertakes out of his Friendship and Loyalty toward Beatrice. The tension between Donovan’s unspoken capabilities and his family’s admiration for the superkid underscores the extent of his determination and maturity and suggests that perception and reality are often at odds, developing the theme of Dynamics of Identity, Growth, and Self-Acceptance.
Donovan’s maturity and compassion are also evident in his attentiveness toward Brad’s emotional state. His relationship with his brother-in-law is rocky, but he shows immediate willingness to support him. At the same time, Donovan himself gets a reminder that people aren’t always what they appear. Hearing Brad admit that he’s “not good” at something takes Donovan by surprise. Donovan has always held a certain image of Brad, associating him with competence and success due to his military background. The revelation that Brad feels “lost” and uncertain within his own family challenges Donovan’s preconceived notions and underscores the complexity of Brad’s character. Donovan’s response acknowledges Brad’s success in calming baby Tina, but he also suggests that Brad use baby talk. The fact that Brad actually considers Donovan’s advice demonstrates his potential for character growth, while the exchange as a whole emphasizes how Embracing Differences can lead to growth, understanding, and even mutual learning.
In Chapters 11 and 12, Noah and those around him grapple with his unexpected celebrity status. Noah’s explanation of why he took credit for the truck incident is sincere: As Chapter 9 establishes, Noah wants to help his friend as Donovan has helped him. However, Noah consistently struggles with the mechanics of interpersonal relationships, so the solution he hits on (without consulting his friend) causes at least as many problems as it solves. One looming problem involves fame itself. Though ostensibly about Trussman’s physical appearance, Chloe’s reflections on the interviewer’s artificiality hint that celebrity makes people less honest and more superficial, foreshadowing that Noah may undergo a similar transformation.
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