Alt Ed

Great teaching/counseling tool for schools!

Catherine Atkins has delivered a superbly characterized window into what's happening in schools today. For every parent who doesn't think their angel could be a bully there are probably a couple more who don't know that their child is being terrorized daily...and since this sort of systematic bullying seems to lie behind alot of the suicides and school shootings in the news constantly, books like this need to find their way into the hands of students, parents, teachers and other school staff as a way of addressing the issue. We're introduced to the problem in this particular school through the eyes of Susan Calloway whose mother died slowly and painfully of cancer a few years before leaving Susan effectively isolated in her own home. Her father is a successful coach at her school who has closed himself off from his children due to the pain of losing his wife. Her brother is popular, but not the athletic success his father wishes him to be. Her father praises Susan to friends and colleagues because of her academic prowess, but doesn't seem to know that his athletes are some of her biggest tormentors because of her weight. We're never really given an accurate idea of her weight...students call her fat, but she's also described as "chubby" not that that matters; she's picked on daily so that her only refuge is her home and her cat who was rescued from bullies years before. When Susan takes the blame for an act of vandalism in which she did not participate, she is sent to an after school "therapy" session which meets every Wednesday and consists of 6 students who were facing suspension because of their actions. In this class we meet a Jock, Randy (idealized and crushed on by Susan) who's basically a good kid but who doesn't use his popularity to defend those in need; Kale, a redneck who has terrorized Susan since grade school; Tracee, the prom queen/cheerleader/future lawyer who holds everyone to impossibly high standards who snaps and slaps a teacher when that educator betrays those standards; Amber, the tough chick about whom everyone gossips, but whose real story rips the heart out; and Brendan who makes the first friendly move toward Susan in years even though he's been the most sinned against of all in a systematic homophobic campaign of terror.

In a book that mixes today's scary school headlines with the classic 80's "Breakfast Club" (but without the unlikely romances), Alt Ed gives us a view of one teacher who tries to introduce a dialogue between troubled students thereby giving them a way to really see each other as human beings rather than stereotypes, also giving them a way to deal with their own victimization in ways alternative to violence against themselves or others. Superb. If you like Chris Crutcher and Carol Plum-Ucci, give this a try.

Alt Ed gets an A+

This book was one that caught my eye becasue of the cover. I know strange, but I started reading it and I became addicted. It tells about of young woman's struggle to deal with her weight and her tormentors. The group therapy session helps to reveal how much all these people have in common. A great coming of age story.

Bullies and pay back.

This book is about a girl named Susan Callaway being bullied because she is overweight. She is tired of people always making fun of her, so she fights back. Her anonymous act of revenge lands her in an alternative education class that meets every Wednesday. She meets with five other students that are in the same shoes that she is in. The actions that these students did could have gotten them expelled from school.I didn¿t like how the book had so many chapters so close together. When the chapter I was read got good it would end and start a new chapter. I thought that the book had good description of what is happening. In some spots it felt like I was actually there. This gook is not in a series. I think that this book relates to a TV show called everyone hates Chris. I think if someone likes to sit back and read for a long time than this is the book for them because it gets confusing after awhile. When I picked this book out, I saw that it was about bulling and I just got done doing a project on it, so I thought that it would be a chouse to pick.

Book.

Alt Ed didn't catch my attention till about 100 pages into the book, then lost it again about 65 pages later. The book is full of dialog and most of it is negative it's full of conflict and the conflict really is never resolved. just put out in the open and accepted by the characters. If you've read almost every other book in B&N go to another store read those books and then read this one.

A new telling of the typical high school

This novel has an excellent grasp on the insecurities, crisis, and emotions high school students face. A bit like the 80's movie 'The Breakfast Club', their are many distinct personalities that are revealed during the course of the after school class that fills most of the book. An eye opener for many teens into the shoes of their peers. A quick read -- but well worth it!

Whoa.

I was a little wary of reading this book when I picked it up in my high school library, actually. I was dreading the possibility of a complete cliche. Needless to say, this book was the complete opposite. It was utterly amazing. I read it WEEKS ago and I still think about it all the time. It takes the idea of things not being what they seems and expands on it. I really connected with the characters, and I loved every one of them. Yes, even Kale. Though the language was a bit coarse, it was incredibly befitting. Everyone didn't talk like a sailor, but it wasn't like an episode of 7th Heaven either. It was really, really realistic. The personalities were amazing, and the situations really happen. I've already recommended this book to half the people I know!

it was good!

This book was OK. I tend to read books about teens overcoming obstacles, so this one was right up my alley. I loved the friendships between different cliques that ensued!

ALT Ed is awesome

This book was pretty kewl. I read it in like... 4 days, which is like quick 4 me, cuz i do other stuff. This book reminded me of a kid in my class. But she doesn't get picked on @ all. This girl Susan Callaway, gets picked on a lot, and showed me how bad it hurts ppl's feelings when they get picked on. Awesome Book!!!

Alt Ed is Okay for Students

Th emain character is Susan Callaway. She is a quiet girl who is overweight and called 'fat' by her peers. She dwells upon the fact that her mother died from cancer when she was only 11. Her father dies not recognize this and, in fact, the people in her house barely talk or even act as a family unit. Her father plays a minor role in this book as the head coach of the football team. Since she has recieved top grades and good remarks for her teachers, her father expects her to be a good girl and act accordingly. Another major role in this book is Mr. Duffy, who is best described as an overweight counselor who believes in doing everything possible to keep kids in school and help them as they struggle. Brendan Slater, Randy Callahan, Kale Krasner, Tracee Ellison, and Abmer Hawkins,also play a key role in this story. The story is about Susan Callaway, who is made fun of because of her weight. One day, while she is in the library, she meets a nice guy named Brendan Slater. He seems nice, but when she mentions him at home, her brother warns her to stay away from him. One day,after lunch, Susan comes back late to find Brendan vandalizing a car. While she does not help him, she does not try to stop him. They both take the rap for it, and are sent into a program headed by Mr. Duffy. When she enters this class, Susan gets to know some of the students who made fun of her. Together,they conquer their fear of people who are different, and even become friends. I think that the underlying message of this book is that hate hurts and prejudice, of any kind, is wrong. I believe that it is semi-realistic in that people are made fun of and many could benefit from just getting to know others who are different, instead of making fun. It shows how one girl is affraid to show her true feelings because she fears that people will ridicule her even more. I woukld recomend it.

Great Book

Alt Ed is a realistic and well written story about a group of high school students who attend after school sessions because of something they did. The book kept me thinking about it after I finished reading.

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