Alt Ed

Susan is fat, Brendan is gay. Together with four other students, they attend an afterschool class with the guidance counselor. Each student has done something that could result in expulsion unless they attend the pilot project “Alternative Education.” Susan and Brendan develop a friendship through unpleasant shared experience: they are both victims of bullying and harassment. Each week, they have to face one of their most vicious tormentors (Cale,) a perfect and popular student (Tracy) whose goals for college eclipse any notice she would normally take of such outsiders as Susan and Brendan. Then there is football star Randy (Susan has a secret and hopeless crush) and the sluttish (name is a blank. Mandy?)
This is a very plausible show more portrayal of the cruelties of adolescent “dissing”, sexual and alcohol abuse (gang rape) and of how seeking peer group approval often overrides compassion. The story explores the concept that encounter groups can be effective and helpful without entirely solving the underlying problems. Susan is also struggling with a father and brother who have yet to come to terms with the death of Susan & Tom’s mother. The story brings in the important themes of silence about loss and parental blindness to teenage problems. This could definitely be a good read for junior high students as they are at the highest risk of initially perpetrating or being victims of bullying and, as witnesses, often feel ill equipped to do anything but "run with the pack". show less

Susan is overweight, self-conscious and the butt of jokes. She is caught vandalizing a classmate's truck and ordered to participate in a weekly counseling class. Also in the class is a popular jock, a cheerleader, a gay, a punker and Susan's primary tormentor, Kale. Counselor Mr. Duffy generates discussion to get the kids to know each other and talk about things. Susan develops a friendship with gay Brendan and a tenuous but growing understanding of the others. She also is dealing with her mother's death from cancer and the distance that's grown between her, her father and brother Tom. She finds more confidence to stand up for herself in and out of the counseling class.

Susan Callaway, whose dad is a well respected football coach, gets bullied about her weight. Due to a misunderstanding involving some spray paint, she ends up in an alternative ed class with five other students, including her biggest tormentor. Susan must learn to speak up or be insulted forever. The language is more suited to a high school, and that is the target audience for this fast but engaging book for reluctant readers.

A modern day Breafast Club. This book should not have worked, but it did, due to Atkins fabulous writing and an unforgettable character.

Susan is fat and the bullies at school never miss a chance to remind her. After nearly getting expelled for something she did, Susan joins a special class for other students who are also in danger of being kicked out of school. The group includes one of the bullies, a popular guy, a popular girl, a girl with a bad reputation, and a guy she who is becoming her friend. It's rough at first, but slowly the group starts to talk and figure each other out. Great book about becoming aware of your own strengths and learning to ignore stereotypes, rumors, and bullies.

Reminded me of The Breakfast Club: a diverse group of teens learns about themselves and each other in an after-school counseling group. But less endearing and affecting, somehow.

Alt Ed is about an over weight girl who has to go to an afternoon therapy class after she was caught spray painting a students car. Only she didn't do. Her soon to be best friend does, but she takes the blame. In the afternoon class she meets different people. Her best friend is one of them. They all have problems concernig school. Like her best friend is gay. Going to the classes help her better herself and her personality towards the people around her. I like this book because it shows that everyone has problems no matter how big or small they are.