The Bulletin:
of the Center for Children’s Books
Rising Star – Kristen Randle
A genius boy who hasn’t spoken since he was two years old. A girl who must act as wife to her stepfather in order for him to pay for her retarded brother’s care. A cult of kids who manage to stay silent in public, and keep their motives for staying silent a secret, for twelve years. This is the stuff of melodrama, no? Yes, it is.
But in spite of the fact that one must suspend some disbelief, reading the novels of Kristen Randle is well worth the efforts involved in such suspension. It’s like watching a pond skater go crashing through the ice, only to pull herself out, shake off the cold, and do a perfect triple axel.
When Randle nails something, she really nails it, and you forgive any slips along the way.
Randle’s gift is for taking ordinary teens with ordinary problems, pairing them up with fringe teens with serious problems, and letting things unfold. While the fringe teens are sometimes a bit too fringe in terms of the plot, the characters ring true–all of the kids, both ordinary and odd, are vulnerable and real. In The Only Alien on the Planet, Smitty, a victim of extreme abuse, is drawn out of his shell by Ginny, a normal kid with a close knit family. In Breaking Rank, Baby, a member of a mysterious Clan of kids who don’t speak in school, is paired with Casey, a pretty, popular girl. In Slumming, Sam, who prides himself on his Mormon ideals and whose biggest conflict is getting in trouble for not taking out the trash, gets his world rocked by Tia, a punk girl with an abusive stepfather.
It may sound overdone, but what works in all of these novels is the way the characters, particularly the “normal” ones, deal with their new friends. They are cautious, scared; they take one step forward and then two back. The ordinary kids don’t save their peers; rather, they are in many ways saved by them, as they take emotional risks and open themselves up in new ways. They move from a sense of superiority to the recognition that every person has strengths and vulnerabilities. Basically, they grow up. Young adult readers will appreciate the way boundaries are crossed, and they will respect Randle’s refusal to simplify or stereotype characters. These novels are all about unraveling stereotypes (of both “good” and “bad” kids) and revealing the unique human beings underneath them.
Kristen Randle is a writer to watch out for–definitely a Rising Star. It’s rare for a writer to portray the emotional life of teens as well as she does–hitting that mix of bravado and fear, confidence and self-doubt. As she continues to write and to grow as a writer, her fiction will only get richer.
–Carolyn LaMontagne
Bibliography:
. The Only Alien on the Planet. Scholastic, March 1995. (BCCB 3/95)
. Breaking Rank. Harper Collins, May 1999. (BCCB 6/99)
. Slumming. HarperTempest, July 2003. (BCCB 9/03)
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb/1103focus.html
Reviews and awards: The Only Alien on the Planet
An ALA Best Book for 1995, also an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for reluctant readers.
Michigan Library Association’s Best Book of the Year for 1996. California Young Readers’ Medal.
This book is included on the list of New York Public Libraries’ Prestigious Books for Young Adults, the Texas Lone Star reading list, the Nebraska Golden Sower and Corn Huskers’ lists, and has been among the nominees for the Dorothy Canfield Fischer Award of Vermont, the Utah Children’s Choice Award, the New Jersey Garden State Teen Book award, the Rebecca Caudill Award (Ill), the Volunteer State Award (Tenn) and the Iowa Teen Award.
Kirkus Reviews
NewYork
The thick wall an abused teenager builds between himself and the world is penetrated at last by an extraordinary pair of friends.
. . . Smitty’s slow, agonizing recovery is convincingly handled . . . but the real strength of this book lies in the complex, sensitively drawn relationships, when Ginny marvels at the intricate, seemingly effortless way she and her family (and a rare and marvelous family it is, too) and friends interact, readers will certainly marvel with her—and will be left with a better appreciation for the richness of their own social and emotional landscapes.
A strong book with healing at the end, memorable for its spirited friendships and unpreachy soul-searching. (Fiction, 12^-)
The Bulletin
The Center for Children’s Books
RANDLE, KRISTEN D. The Only Alien on the Planet. Scholastic, 1995 ISBN 0-590-46309-8 $14.95 Reviewed from galleys
A Recommended Book:
This intelligently . . .handled tale should appeal to readers who bask in the heat of a good emotional crisis. EB
Booklist
. . . the overall impact of this psychological novel is so powerful. –Anne O’Malley
Publishers Weekly:
. . . well-crafted novel . . . Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Midwest Book Review
Randle creates a sensitive, believable story of sibling abuse. Camelot Jane Yolen, Editor Philomel
Slumming
AML YA lit award 2003. Buckeye Award list, Children’s Literature Choice award 2004 – other school and library reader lists, including accelerated reader recommendations.
7/8 2003
The Horn Book
“There’s something bout traveling to another country: you can never see your own home quite the same way again.” Nikki provides this neat metaphor for the “project” she and her two best friends take on at the end of senior year.
The first person narratives are skillfully interwoven, and the interchange is especially taut when all three relate the events of a single scene, jumping from one perspective to the next. The variety of view points supports the book’s theme, succinctly put by Nikki’s mother: “There are a lot of…normals out there.” Such wisdom is undidactically and smoothly integrated into this fresh, energetic novel. L.A.
Voice of Youth Advocates
3Q . 4P. J. S
The three teens tell their own stories and recount their adventures on the project, detailing not only the lives of those they have chosen, but also their own. Families are not always what they seem to outsiders.
Moral choices appear throughout the book for both the teens and their parents and the fact that all three narrators and their families are active Mormons is a major plot element. The seemingly innocent pact between friends leads to some really intense and frightening scenes to which teens can easily relate. This fine story deals with contemporary issues but focuses on the good and hopeful outcomes of apparent tragedies—Rosemary Moran.
School Library Journal
The alternating narratives personalize the story and show individual character growth. The premise of trying to impose one’s ideals and values on other without knowing their circumstances is a life lesson that gives teens much to think about without ever letting the message dominate the story-telling.— Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK.
ALA Booklist
In the last several weeks of their senior year, three friends, the only Mormon students in their class, launch an ill-advised project that leads each to a better, if painful, understanding of the world. The plan is for each to befriend a fellow student—someone who seems to need a friend—and then ask that person to the prom. Alicia, Nikki and Sam choose differently, with different results. Each student narrates short sections within each chapter, creating a distinct personality through voice and thought. The results of Alicia’s efforts are a bit too predictable, and her character isn’t as strong as that of her friends, but Sam convincingly deals with difficult ethical and emotional issues and Nikki discovers new aspects of herself in an entertaining way. The fact that these friends are drawn together by religion, which is an integral part of their lives, is particularly refreshing. —Kathleen Odean
Kirkus
In this Pygmalion story with a twist, three provincial high-school seniors, all Mormons with conventional values, bet that each can befriend a classmate with untapped potential, change him or her for the better, then take that person to the prom. But the chosen students, who have their own agendas, are more resistant than flattered, and it’s the triad of heroes—two girls and a guy—who end up having their eyes opened. Alternately narrated in the first person by the three protagonists, there are a lot of characters and stories to keep track of and it takes a while to key into their various situations. The tales, one that involves the long-term sexual abuse of a minor, one that ends in an ugly hazing and humiliation, and one about a self-centered geek, don’t entirely fit together. Still, a thoughtful work about the nature of doing good.
http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/randle_slumming.htm
What happens when good kids go Slumming?
SUBJECTS: Self-perception — Fiction.
Interpersonal relations — Fiction.
Family problems — Fiction.
Mormons — Fiction.
Best friends — Fiction.
Friendship — Fiction.
SLUMMING by Kristen D. Randle (HarperCollins, 2003).
. . . the Pygmalion game begins, full of heartache and deception and fun and love and laughter, leaving you holding your breath (and your sides) to the last page. Ages 12-up. Review by Frances Hill .
Richie’s Picks Home
Please email BudNotBuddy@aol.com
22 February 2003 SLUMMING by Kristen D. Randle, Harper Tempest, July 2003,
Mix It Up. . . a network for youth activists who are challenging social boundaries in schools and communities. Last November they sponsored a national Mix It Up At Lunch day , which encouraged kids to consciously leave the confines of their own cliques and go sit instead with somebody they would ordinarily look right through. (There are some great stories on the Tolerance site from kids who are involved in this movement.)
SLUMMING is a tale in which three friends take paths that meander somewhere between Professor Henry Higgins’ arrogant assumption that he can remake Eliza into his ideal woman and the Mix It Up philosophy that you need to throw off your assumptions, prejudices, and feelings of superiority in regards to those outside your own group.
“…you got to look outside your eyes
you got to think outside your brain
you got to walk outside your life
to where the neighborhood changes…
–Ani Difranco, Willing to Fight
Nikki:
” ‘People always talk about how rude the French are,’ my mother told me once. ‘But that’s because so many Americans think the world starts and stops with them. America isn’t normal. It’s just America. There are a lot of wonderful normals out there–hang on to yours too hard, and you’ll miss a lot.’
As happened with the characters in Kristen Randle’s previous YA novel, BREAKING RANK, there are some intense reactions and unexpected consequences in SLUMMING . . .
Breaking Rank—
An ALA Best Book (2000). A Booklist – Top Ten pick of the year for a ripping good romantic novel. (October 1999) Also included on numerous state and library award and recommended lists.
Booklist (Starred review)
May 1999 The alternating points of view and Randle’s taut, poetic prose provide remarkable character depth and complexity. Thomas, in particular, is a fascinating character, whose conversations embody the joy of learning and incorporate the works of classic philosophers and writers in ways that may show readers the relevance and rewards of learning the masters. Gritty, smart, and realistic, the novel perceptively explores issues of religion, sex and sexual abstinence, peer pressure, and integrity with grace and compassion. Despite some religious overtones, there is no preaching here, only a well-communicated respect for making comfortable personal life choices, and allowing others the opportunity to do the same. A story of morality without judgment, this will encourage teens to look beyond appearances and deep within their own hearts. –Shelle Rosenfeld
From The School Library Journal:
Grade 9 Up- Reminiscent of The Outsiders and West Side Story, Randle’s novel is compelling reading. Romance, gang in-fighting, and high school classroom and social scenes are realistically detailed. . . powerful writing and a suspenseful, action-driven story will grab teen readers.
Gail Richmond, San Diego Unified Schools, CA Cpyrt: 1999 Reed Business Information
Horn Book—March
April 1999 Randle draws us in through her realistic portrayal of the pressures the two feel from within and without, as well as the attraction they begin to feel toward each other. . . these two likable, well-developed characters and the dangerous conflict that surrounds them will keep readers engaged. A sensitively told story that resonates with loss and, in the end, hope.–Kitty Flynn
Kirkus
April 1999 In a Romeo and juliet story with a new twist and a happier ending, Randle compassionately explores the duel feelings of exhilaration and anguish that come from disassociating one’s self from an all-encompassing, powerful peer group. . . Randle has written an enthralling story that leaves readers with much to contemplate.
Publishers Weekly
May 17, 1999. Randle (The Only Alien on the Planet) is adept at conveying ingrained prejudices as well as the frustration and alienation that lead some youths to forsake the “straight” world for a more friendly and accepting one of their own making. A vivid, resonant contemporary tale.