Hardcastle Middle School

This is the school that Donovan initially attends, and to which he eventually returns. Run-down, poorly equipped, and overpopulated, he comes to experience the school as a comparatively negative place when compared to the Academy for Scholastic Distinction.

Academy for Scholastic Distinction (ASD)

Donovan is sent to this school for the academically gifted by mistake. Described in narration as being technically of-the-moment, completely environmentally friendly, and full of very intelligent students, it becomes a catalyst for the journeys of transformation of Donovan and several of his Academy classmates.

The Robotics Meet

This is the annual competition for robotics clubs that Donovan and his Academy team/classmates are desperate to both compete in and win. It is the setting for the novel’s climax, when the Academy’s entry (Tin Man) comes into conflict with an entry from the Academy’s rival school, Cold Spring Harbor.