Secrets of the Shopping Mall

by Richard Peck

Trying to escape the vicious King Kobra gang and  troubled life at home, eighth graders Barnie and  Teresa flee the city. With only four dollars  between them, they hop a bus, hoping to find a new life  at the end of the line. Paradise  Park. But Paradise Park turns out to be a  cement-covered suburban shopping mall--not quite the paradise  they had hoped for.



With no money  and no home to retum to, they are forced to stay.  And paradise park takes them in--in more ways than  one. Barnie and Teresa spend their days and nights  in the climate-controlled consumer paradise of a  large department store. And just when they think  they can live there unnoticed forever, Teresa and  Barnie find that even Paradise Park has its secrets.  Even in the dead of night, they are far from  alone....


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Fantasy, Contemporary, Mystery

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Richard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother and I were always allowed to choose our own reading.....a nosy neighbor who used to look after us in the evenings got her hands on this. Took it to my mom and tried to get me in trouble for reading books "inappropriate" for my age. (I think I was about 11 or 12). Story is about two pre-teen kids who escape their inner city lives and leave their gang ridden school to go and live in the mall. I guess neighbor lady felt they weren't good role models, being drop-outs and all. This was a GREAT story, and my brother and I both loved it and re-read it over & over.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh man, another random jogged memory. what's great is that i read the description of this book and it didn't ring a bell at all. maybe because i don't remember how they got to the mall, but i remember them at the mall. and the mannequins. and the mannequin war with the skater punks. crazy. not as artsy as the mixed up files, but hey, who didn't wander around a store or mall when they were little and figure out how they could live there. no? when you walked into banks did you take note of the security cameras and people and figure out how you would rob it at night (if you were that kind of person)? no? just me?

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was an obsession of mine in middle school. It had everything I dreamed of, thrills, chills, glamour, teenage rebellion. I must have read it dozens of times and talked my sibling and cousins into playing games based on it. After all, we spent a lot of time hanging out in malls and I expected to and ultimately ended up up working a few mall jobs as a young adult.
After a recent random reminder, I located a copy to read it again. Would it disappoint? No, it did not. The plot and pacing are exciting. The setting is both comforting and creepy. Malls are becoming an anachronism these days, but maybe that lends an extra spooky vibe to the tale, like those dead mall YouTube videos.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took a YA writing class recently, and one of the other students mentioned that this had been her favorite book as a teen. Maybe that got my hopes up too high, but I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

I love the premise of two kids running away from home to live in a shopping mall (I think every kid has dreamed of doing that at some point), and the cover image on my old paperback copy (two grayish mannequins about to pounce on unsuspecting kids) is wonderfully creepy, but the story itself was kind of a letdown.

After reading it, I kept wondering... how had the other runaway kids developed the ability to turn into mannequins? I wish that had been explained a bit better. I loved how things ended for the two main characters, but the stuff with the mannequins just didn't work for me.

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

These unloved kids run away to live in a shopping mall (apparently before they used wire grates to cover the individual stores at night and before security cameras. And guards...apparently). Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like? Turns out really cool, but not what you'd expect. Also, you're not alone.

[David Veith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just an overall fun read. Older book, which is always fun to see how things have changed. Malls were such a big thing! When I was younger I honestly thought of this same thing. Living in a mall and sneaking around it at night. I guess maybe today you could try this in an Amazon warehouse haha.

[Inas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book lying around my house a few months ago and I thought I'd make it less lonely and add it to my bookshelf keeping in mind that I would eventually get to it in the future but still it didn't seem like it fitted with the type of books that I usually read and enjoy and also the synopsis didn't really strike me as very interesting and so I never thought about picking it up.
However, recently, I made a TBR jar of all the books that I have on my bookshelf and that I haven't read yet and I made it one of my goals to pick one book randomly out of the jar each month and try my best to read and finish it within that month, and guess what book was picked for this month?
Yep you guessed it, it was Secrets of the Shopping Mall!!
Now this book was a surprise to me on many levels considering I didn't really fully get the premise of it when I read the back cover and so I went into technically blindly. But it really did not disappoint!
First of all, it was a fairly short book and also pretty fast-paced with a really clear, simple and easy-to-follow writing style which made reading it very enjoyable and fun. The characters were developed pretty well for such a short book but they felt weird and unrealistic at times (or maybe it's just me losing touch of how fourteen year olds act). I really liked the dynamic between the two main characters and how they constantly helped each other out and completed each other in a way. Concerning the other characters, I disliked them at first but then I felt bad for them because at the end they were just kids, no more or less. When it came to the setting of the story, I thought that the shopping mall was a very interesting and vast setting with so many possibilities of exploration and also very creepy at times which I loved. I liked the symbolism of how the "rich kids" kind of mirrored the upper classes of modern society and also governmental powers.
All in all it was a very enjoyable book and like nothing I've ever read before but unfortunately it was also very unrealistic at times and gave the right and wrong message at the end which was the reason why it didn't deserve a 5/5 stars for me.
This book was weird and creepy and funny and and sad and heartbreaking and interesting and just all around awesome! Would recommend giving it a try!

[Kat!e Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really sure about this book. It's sort of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler but with a mix of Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Everybody in it kinda sucks and there's a level of realism in the ridiculous story that's hard to take. But it is a fun story and it's got some real depth to it. I'm glad I read it, but I didn't enjoy seeing the world the way this book shows it.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Richard Peck book, but a great concept. Two runaway teens make a home for themselves in the shopping mall, blending in with the shoppers by day and hiding out from the security guards at night. Then they discover that they're not the only ones. . .

As I said, it's not my favorite Richard Peck, but there's a delicious Luna-like character in it!

[Emily On A Whim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my mother's favourite books when she was growing up. It was a really good middle-grade story, but I think knowing that my mother "walked" these pages before me - falling in love with the adventure and the characters - that's the reason I liked it so much. I got to experience a part of her childhood, and that is now a new favourite thing of mine to do.

[Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book in the house. It probably belonged to one of my now adult children.
I don't know if they read it. Maybe it came from the school book sale.
Anyway, I was disappointed and didn't find any good reason for reading this (as a child).
Mildly entertaining.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not even certain what I just read but I didn't like it. It began well and when the two kids began to find a home in the department store there were even moments that brought to mind one of my favorite books, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but that soon disappeared into something bizarre. I have loved most of Mr. Peck's works that I have read but this one is no good. I would suggest avoiding this one at all costs.

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a favorite of mine as a child, and I just reread it for probably the fourth or fifth time. The story is about two loners, Teresa and Barnie, who forge an unlikely friendship when they find themselves the target of a bully's rage. Afraid of retribution, they hop on a bus and run away, only to end up at a local shopping mall. The two decide to hide in a fancy department store after the mall closes and spend the night sneaking around, eating out of the deli area, and avoiding the night watchman.

The next day, they hang out at the store, blending in with the crowds, changing clothes for new outfits off the racks, and just basically coming to terms with the thought of living in the store for the rest of their foreseeable futures. Unfortunately, they aren't alone.

Other kids, either runaways like Teresa and Barnie or lost children who wound up at the store, live there as well, pretending to be display mannequins to avoid suspicion. They think Teresa and Barnie are members of a rival gang called Mouth-Breathers, who live in the parking lot outside the mall and constantly try to infiltrate the store. When the Mouth-Breathers break in the night Teresa and Barnie are captured by the others, the timing couldn't be more wrong.

While rereading this story, I remembered why I loved it so much as a child. The thought of being self-sufficient without guidance appeals to preteens eager to be out from under their parents' yokes, but living on the streets is scary and dangerous. Sneaking away to hide in a mall sounds perfect, particularly for kids who are at the age where they prefer to hang out with their friends at the stores rather than stay at home. A department store has everything you'd ever want or need ~ food, clothes, a bed to sleep on, books to read, games to play ... It's a wonderful alternative to running away to be completely on your own.

I enjoyed the idea of the mannequins not so much "coming to life" but rather being more than they seem at first glance. The story is well-written and fast paced, and at the end I found I couldn't put the book down. Despite the fact this was originally published in 1979, it still reads as fresh and relevant today as it did when I first picked it up years and YEARS ago.

[✨silver.✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, and those .5 are only because of the location.
Boring beginning, weak motive to run away from their lives (some preteen bullies, really?), but got interesting later on. I can't resist a mall setting! A US mall in 1979, what's not to love? I first became interested in the concept of living in one after watching the movie Where the Heart Is a long time ago, actually. And to this day, it's still a fantasy of mine.
I was expecting a sci-fi/fantasy about dummies who become alive at night but it wasn't that. Just human kids. It's admittedly confusing, but even if at first it seems like they can turn into mannequins (because they lived too long in that place and were 'assimilated'), I think they're just really good at pretending they are. Okay, now I'm getting doubts; Mr Peck is very vague and cryptic about it. Magical realism?
A story like this would be impossible today. They'd be discovered in no time... Bummer.
My favorite character is Rosemary, the romance reader (edit: clearly named after Rosemary Rogers omg I'm so slow sometimes). She's kinda the 'out of touch with the real world' stereotype, which is both outdated and false (reading romance ≠ being brainwashed). But she's got the best lines. And at least she actually has tastes and a personality.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a loose, funky vibe that is very specific to late 70s-early 80s YA novels and TV series (After School Specials, Eight is Enough, etc), which often works to its favor. And I appreciated the specific mentions of pop culture icons and movies of the time - like Shaun Cassidy and The Warriors.

As satire and social commentary, it's only moderately successful -- often because the characters and their voices are strange and off-putting. And I can't say the ending is very satisfying, because as a reader, I didn't really know what the two protagonists wanted. Still, the novel is worth a look if you're curious.

[Kerith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the authors I've met, Richard Peck is the only one I personally disliked. I remember reading this book as a kid. Two middle schoolers run away and live at the shopping mall -- a fairly interesting scenario I guess -- some of the pop culture references date it (Battlestar Galactica is mentioned, and it's not the recent version!) and it is not a hopeful story. Reading it as an adult I can see Richard Peck's lovely attitudes toward schools and the people who work for them shining through, ha.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child, my favorite genre was Kids Getting Up To Mischief In Places Where Kids Probably Should Not Be: children in museums/libraries/shopping malls overnight, runnin' around and causin' trouble, occasionally encountering easily-solved mysteries. (See also: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library.)

[Trina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best Peck book, but with a title like that, I was interested. I think it was an extension of a short story he wrote, in which a short boy and a tall girl make friends and run away from home to get away from a gang, only to live in a shopping mall where an uptown gang lives indoors and a no-as-uptown gang lives outside the mall and they come to a clash.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book over & over because the story is so vivid yet unrealistic. I had it until probably 2006, when I sold 3/4ths of my books. Ultimate urban fantasy with great characters. Good for kids 4th grade plus. Crystal was my favorite secondary character.

[Michael Lawing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the cover of the 1979 Dell printing and had to read it. It looked campy, and didn't reflect the real plot.

The book is definitely not the greatest plot, but presents a unique take on both the survival-in-a-mall and kids-as-adults genres.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from my early teen years.
I still imagine scenes from it most times I'm in the mall.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peck is amusing and strange as ever, with a little thought-provokingness included, but not too much to make this more than a light read. The middle was a bit surreal.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this as a kid. Still think the idea is interesting.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two lonely, abandoned inner city kids flee their homes. Two dollars gets them as far as Paradise Park, an upscale shopping mall. They try to live in the mall at night, but soon find they aren't alone.

The book is odd. It's not much of a spoiler to say that the supernatural element you'd think exists doesn't. However that makes the book even more unrealistic than you think, especially as it winds to a conclusion. That tonal inconsistence is the main reason I only give it two stars...it's very nicely written and very sad in parts. The opening scenes are surprisingly brutal, set in a lawless school and with a couple of harrowing scenes of cruelty. There's also a sad thread of unwanted children throughout the book, at all ends of the societal spectrum. It's just the oddness of the book softens those parts.

Also a minor problem is that this is really only Teresa's story, Barnie's is barely told after the first part. The ending is kind of eh, too. This story absolutely cried out for an afterschool special though; as a book it was a fun read but the "real" explanation of the story made it a bit sillier than poignant.

[A.D. Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was expecting to read with this one… but the author once said he believed a book should be a question, not an answer.

This format is my absolutely favourite though; I love these old vintage paperbacks so much and this cover is wonderful!

So this isn’t exactly Crime and Punishment. It’s a little YA feeling adventure that If I had read when I was 12, would have become my entire personality.
While I don’t feel YA books engage me properly(no shade, i’m not a young adult 🤷🏻‍♂️), this was actually a really nice little read. There was a definite nostalgia for reading these sorts of books when I was younger, but also it just read well in general.

I could 100% visualise every moment of this one and I think the idea of being in a mall after hours probably appeals to all of us. Add in the extra elements of this book and it made for a swift, but enjoyable reading experience.
I did feel like the ending was rushed and it sort of went in a tangent that I wasn’t really expecting; felt a little like Peck changed his mind on where it was going as he was writing.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this in a paperback book missing the cover. Probably picked it up at a firehouse book sale. They had a strange mix for sale. Loads of harlequin romances, educational, some scholastic book club choices, readers digest condensed books and other stuff. Everything was a dime. Good books were a dime. Crap books were a dime. I often grabbed just a huge pile not even caring what they were. For me, it was important to have some book close by for comfort or to read myself to sleep.

This was one of the better ones that sort of lingered in my mind. When I saw it available at my local library I decided I was ready for another go round with it. So as I remembered, I was reading what appeared to be a story about two loner kids hiding out at the mall. Then boom! A mannequin acts up and the whole story becomes something else. I loved it! I was glad to read it this time with older eyes and to find I still enjoyed it.

[John Stanifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Besides, everybody's a little bit weird. It's only normal."
~Agnes, Ch. 17

I happened on this late '70s gem while browsing a vendor selling vintage books at a comic con last year, and in my craze for anything mall-related, I knew I had to buy it.

Given this came out in 1979, the year after Dawn of the Dead, and both are set in a shopping mall, you might be tempted to assume this is a horror story and there are going to be zombies.

But this is less Dawn of the Dead and more "The Outsiders."

Describing the plot would require quite a few spoilers, given not much is revealed by the official plot description on the back of the book.

This is just ridiculous enough that it would make an entertaining movie or Netflix series if given an update or two. It would be worth it just to watch two gangs of teenagers having the melee to end all melees in the middle of a multi-story mall department store.

[ThundertheKilljoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

[SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!]
Positives:
-Made me think about what it would be like to stay in a mall after closing time
-Ended happily
Negatives:
-A cult-like group?! They did weird activities, did not use their real names, used secret acronyms, and punished prisoners...who didn't actually do anything?!
-Decided to run away for virtually no reason.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is like a paperwork novel from a book order…forgettable. I’m not even sure Peck wrote this. If he did, maybe it was at the very beginning and it was published later. This book absolutely did not age well…a large department store let alone mall won’t make sense to kids nowadays. The allusion to Czechoslovaka and World Trade Center made me smile though.

[treva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only remembered a few vague details from when I read this as a kid, and I was stoked to find a copy at this year's library book sale. But now I just have a lot of questions, the foremost being, will casual identify theft solve ALL of my problems FOREVER?