Chloris and the Creeps

Chloris #1

by Kin Platt

After her parents' divorce and father's suicide, an eleven-year-old causes misery in the family by her hostile reaction to her mother's new husband.

Genres: Young Adult

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Pseudonyms: Kirby Carr, Guy West, Alan West, Guy York & Wesley Simon York

Kin Platt (1911–2003) was the author of the perennially popular I Can Read Book Big Max, as well as several outstanding young-adult novels and the Max Roper mystery series for adults. Mr. Platt was also a noted cartoonist.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_Platt

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A definite 4.5 rounded up.

[David Kiersh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The creep in this story is actually 11 year old Chloris. The story is told in the first person, from Chloris' Sister's perspective. The two siblings have had it a bit rough because their father left their mother when they were very young. Then he killed himself. Jenny was too young to remember many details about her father. Chloris has turned her father into a hero, even though it is very clear that he was far from it.

The story begins as the girl's mother starts dating. Chloris calls all of her boyfriends Creeps. Jenny does not agree, but she feels a certain loyalty to her older sister. Finally, their mother settles down and marries Fidel Mancha, a kind-hearted artist.

Jenny likes Fidel very much but has trouble admitting it because Chloris still considers him to be a creep. Fidel does everything he can to try and win the affection of Chloris. It is almost to no avail. Chloris is simply awful to him and eventually sets fire to his artwork.

Even though the subject matter is dark, Kin Platt has the gift of telling this story with humor. You wouldn't think that this type of realistic material would be appropriate for a ten year old audience, but it actually is in the hands of a skilled writer.

If you liked The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear, also by Platt, I think you will enjoy this book too. It is also a psychological children's story that focuses on the effects that lousy parenting can have on a child. This one is far gentler than Disappear though and the setting is Los Angeles, rather than New York City. It also feels very 1970's with talk of women's lib and Chicano rights.

While this is not one of Platt's best books, it is still amazing. Followed by the sequels Chloris and the Weirdos and Chloris and the Freaks. Read them all. ROTSA RUCK!!!

[Wayne Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleven year old Chloris Carpenter lives with her mother, who works at Bontel’s Department Store selling cosmetics, and eight year old sister Jenny, who narrates the story, in sunny Southern California. Their father, Lawrence or Larry, divorced their mother several years before and had subsequent relationships with a number of women, such as Sandra, Lila, and Jackie. He eventually married his secretary Cindy, got her pregnant, then left her for a new girl before the baby was born, and finally committed suicide. The girls’ mom has also had quite a few boyfriends, like Mr. Lunn, Mr. Hart, Mr. Swanson, Mr. Sherry, and Mr. Shepherd who was technically still married to his wife at the time. However, Chloris is fanatically devoted to the idealized memory of her dead father and considers all the men who date her mother as nothing but a bunch of creeps.

Then, Chloris and Jenny’s mother marries one of the creeps, a Mexican artist named Fidel Mancha. What kind of step-father will he be? How do the girls react to him? And what will happen to them? This book is probably intended as a true to life, realistic portrayal of a child's anger at her father's suicide and mother's remarriage which results in her facing a less-than-ideal family situation. I assume that we are supposed to feel sorry for Chloris because of all the baggage that she has to deal with. However, this is hard to do as the girl mouths off, punches her sister, pounds the rug, yells, throws puzzle pieces across the room, slams doors, calls people dumbbell, and engages in other rude behavior. It is even implied that Chloris may have set fire to her step-father’s studio, a possibility which is never really resolved. Several reader reviewers referred to the “bratty younger sister,” but Chloris is truly the brat, the real “creep.” Some people also noted that the story is not politically correct because the “mean” mother slaps Chloris, but while I would never condone genuine child abuse, Chloris is exactly the kind of child that a parent would naturally want to slap into the middle of next week.

However, in the last two or three chapters, all the difficulties suddenly seem to get solved in a short period of time and everything looks as if it is going to come out hunky-dory, without a whole lot of explanation. While the plot might mirror some children’s circumstances, it provides a horrible picture of the family and would have almost no relevance or benefit to youngsters being raised in godly homes. Nearly every adult in it is divorced, some happily and others unhappily. As to language, a few common euphemisms (such as darn and “gy” which is explained as being used like gee, gosh, and golly) are used. There are references to striking a blow for women’s lib, smoking pipes, and drinking a Bloody Mary and a glass of wine. Chloris and the Creeps might illustrate the heartache of broken homes, the problems of blended families, and the pain of losing a parent, but I agree with the reviewer who said, “This book is a real downer.” Apparently, there are at least two other books in the Chloris series, Chloris and the Weirdos and Chloris and the Freaks.

[elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't remember anything about this, except that I liked it and wanted my kids to read it.

[Leisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading books from my childhood collection. Book #25. Rating based on my past affection for the book and warm fuzziness of memory.