In the Company of Crazies

Nora Raleigh Baskin's latest book dances around the subject of what it means for a child to be "troubled" compared to other kids, and how sometimes shuffling them off to boarding school so that other adults can "fix" them isn't always the best --- or most effective --- solution. After a classmate dies in a "freak car accident," affecting everyone at school, and Mia's shoplifting habit begins to spiral out of control (as in, she actually gets caught), Mia's parents start discussing her options. After many late-night arguments over the issue, they decide to enroll her at Mountain Laurel School for Alternative Education, formally a program reserved for emotionally disturbed adolescent boys. According to Mia, "going to Mountain Laurel was my choice. That's what they told me. They. The collective they. My therapist. My school counselor. The entire-middle school guidance department. My dad. And my mom, who was the one who found the place to begin with." Clearly, Mia wasn't looking forward to the change. When she arrives at the farmhouse boarding school in the middle of nowhere, Mia immediately feels like she doesn't belong there, and, of course, she doesn't. Most, if not all of the boys there --- Mia is the only girl --- have actual emotional, developmental or physical problems, whereas Mia, despite having just experienced a classmate's death, is just suffering from her own version of haughty preteen angst. Thus the storyline of IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is just that --- a young girl's tale of her short time spent in the company of these "crazies" before her parents realize the error of their ways and come to retrieve her. Baskin's rendering of this pseudo ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST narrative, albeit a tamer, cleaner and not-as-nutty version for the younger crowd, is fairly what you'd expect. The requisite overbearing headmaster runs the school with an iron fist much like the infamous Nurse Ratched would, and Mia --- like McMurphy --- doesn't fit in with the rest of the crazies. At times, some readers might wish that the day-to-day goings on at the school (and the other boys' quirks) would feel a little more over-the-top in contrast so that Mia's sanity wouldn't seem so in question and the circumstances in which she finds herself so ill-fitting. Baskin makes up for this shortcoming, however, in her delicate yet genuine approach when describing Debbie Sanders's sudden death and its far-reaching effect on her classmates. IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is an interesting read that could spark much-needed conversations between parents and children about the appropriate and healthy ways to process grief and how "acting out" may be more trouble than it's worth. --- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

When Mia Singer's life gets to be a little too much too handle after a volleyball teammate dies, it changes drastically. When she's caught shoplifting, her family has had enough, and she is shipped off to an "alternative" boarding school, Mountain Laurel. Mountain Laurel is home to the "crazies" mentioned in the title, and it's nothing like any school Mia has ever attended. Much of their time at Mountain Laurel is devoted to journal writing, and the snippets from Mia's journal included in the text make an interesting addition to this book. The characters in the story, Mia included, are wonderful, and the idea of the story is interesting enough, yet much of the book lacks the "spark" that would make it fabulous. However, Mountain Laurel is a very interesting setting, and the issues addressed in the book make it smart and thought-provoking, as well as a good read. IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is a very well-written book, enough so that I'd consider reading other books by Nora Raleigh Baskin, but not so much that I'd spend much time actively seeking them out. Still, though, it's certainly worth reading! Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce