Alt Ed

I loved the book, ALT ED by Catherine Atkins, because the characters were really people I could relate to from people I've known in my life. All her life, Susan has struggled with her weight and with getting acceptance. It's been especially hard because her mother is dead and her father doesn't understand her very well (He is her school's athletic coach and really into that). She doesn't feel like she can talk to him. She has a big crush on this nice guy at school, but this other guy, Kale, always picks on her. When Brendan, a fellow outcast, trashes Kale's truck, Susan gets blamed for it and is almost glad that people thought she struck back. She, Brendan, and Kale are all ordered to attend an after-school detention program, along with Susan's crush and two girls -- one, a popular cheerleader, and the other, a girl with a reputation (Amber, who was my favorite character). Although the six have little in common, they eventually develop some grudging friendships or at least a little bit of understanding. I thought the plot unfolded realistically and the characters were true to themselves too. Everything didn't end up perfect in the end, because that wouldn't really have happened with these people. Most of them still had prejudices, but at least they'd made some steps in the right direction. Fans of the classic movie, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, or other "group therapy" type books like Chris Crutcher's IRONMAN or STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES or Alex Flinn's BREATHING UNDERWATER will really like this book!

Just when you think you know all you need to know about the school life of teenagers, along comes Catherine Atkins' novel Alt Ed to show us another aspect of it. Atkins' teens are neither urban nor suburban. They live in the rural town of Wayne where options are few and daily lives are lived in pods -- Balkanized by town tradition -- and the threat of the Other rules the day. This is particularly true among the youth at Wayne High. Atkins does a great job of bringing individual students out of their pods and into a room at the school where they must interact. Over the course of a semester, each of the Others spend time attacking, defending, moralizing, venting, and some of them even learning to see the flesh and bone beneath the armor each of them wear. What I particularly like about Alt Ed is that there are no stereotypes in it. No one is perfect and some of them don't even want to be. Some of the characters seem clueless, but even those (Dad, Kale) end up on the plus side. Maybe they only finish up with a 51 or 52 out of 100, but still. . . there is some forward progress in their thinking. Teen life in small town America can be every bit as gritty as it is in places with greater pizazz. Read Alt Ed -- or better yet hear it on audio as you read it --if you want a looksee at the milieu in which Susan Calloway, Kale Krasner, Randy Callahan, Tracee Ellison and Amber Hawkins operate. It's an eye opener, and it will make you a Catherine Atkins fan, as I am.

The fat girl, gay guy, cheerleader, jock-all in a class that is the alternative to expulsion from high school...think of this book as a modern day Breakfast Club, because it's all about people who think they have nothing in common discovering that (some of them, at least) can actually be friends, and really talk to each other. Susan Callaway, the self-described fat girl, is an engaging and interesting narrator who is struggling with her mother's death and her alienation at school, and trying to mend her relationships with her father and brother. If you liked The Misfits by James Howe, and pretty much anything by Chris Crutcher, then check this book out.

Six high school kids. Six problems. None of them like each other. And for twelve Wednesday afternoons they have to sit and talk. Or get expelled. Cathy Atkins holds our attention with great characters and keeps us guessing about what brought these kids into this room in the first place. And will they leave with anything useful?I taught for twenty years. These kids are real. Their problems are real and Ms. Atkins has them nailed. ALT ED is a wonderful read. In one of these kids, you'll find a shadow of yourself and the shadow of the person that makes your high school days miserable. And maybe a glimpse of hope.And you'll meet Amber.

Alt Ed is a well written book about six very different high school students who have to pay a price for their mistake. They have to attend after school sessions. As the story progresses, the students get to know and understand each other. This is a story about relationships--not issues. Each character is unique, flawed, and wonderful in their own way. I loved the book and kept thinking about the characters long after I finished reading.