Alt Ed

by Catherine Atkins

Susan Calloway, bullied and overweight, faces daily humiliation at the hands of her classmates - and she's had enough. With her anger about to reach the boiling point, Susan lands in an alternative education class, a sort of group therapy for the nearly expelled.

School is bad enough, but facing off with five peers, including her cruelest tormentor, is worse. Now Susan is being forced to do something she's always avoided - talk about herself and listen to what other people have to say about her. She has two choices: find her voice, or be prepared to take the insults in silence. It won't be easy, but alt ed may be just the last resort Susan needs.

Carefully nuanced connections between characters plus insight into the adolescent ability to use low self-esteem as a cruel weapon catapults Atkins' novel of troubled teens well above the familiarity of its trappings. Each of Atkins' characters emerges fully formed from these pages.
-Publishers Weekly, starred review

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Banned Books, LGBT, Contemporary

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I am a writer and teacher from Northern California. My books include The File on Angelyn Stark(Knopf), Alt Ed(Putnam) and When Jeff Comes Home(Putnam).

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the theory of the book, and it was definitely a page-turner, so I liked the plot, some rather glaring annoyances keep me from rating this as better than average. First, Susan, the title character learns to BOTH accept herself as she IS and CHANGE herself to be like what everyone wants her to be. It's as though it wasn't enough for Susan just to like Susan, she still had to be changed (lose weight) to be accepted (or so she thinks). Next, the characters were pretty stock. I felt like the title character from Paula Danziger's novel (The Cat Ate My Gymsuit), minus a mom, with an older brother, got dropped in here. And like Marci, Susan had to CHANGE to be fully accepted (see the sequel There's a Bat in Bunk Five). Having grown up the fat girl in school, there was a lot of merit in the teacher's suggestion of joining activities...once I did that, I found myself and was okay with who I was, regardless of my weight. That was the story I felt like it was telling...until Susan decided to change her clothes and lose weight because other people suggested she should. If she doesn't learn to love herself, first, how is losing weight going to matter? That, I think, was a good chunk of the problem I had with the story. It was unfortunate that that part of the story seemed so "off" since I think I could have liked this a lot more had Susan been more realistic. The other characters were annoying, too, in that they were so very stock. Had the characters been fleshed out a little more (Brandon is so stereotypically the "searching gay guy" he annoyed me, too), I would have liked it more. This book felt like it was trying to be gutsy without quite pushing the envelope enough (the gang rape stuff felt thrown in to be edgy)...which really didn't help the cause. Good enough to read, not good enough to buy.

[Shelley Dunbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alt Ed is the best and most realistic representation of being fat in high school I’ve ever read. Susan is significantly less whinny than most overweight girls in books. She also realizes that she is a big part of her own problem. That she has to change because she wants to, not because that’s what others want from her. She grows and changes throughout the story. In fact all of the characters do. There is not a single flat character in the entire book. Atkins has an amazing ability to create voices. Not only is our narrator Susan a complicated person with a well-defined voice, but so is “the bully,” “the jock,” “the Jesus lover,” and “the slut.” Nobody is one dimensional, they are all more than their label. In Alt Ed Atkins creates a high school landscape that is incredibly rich and entirely realistic.

[Arpita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good, I just wish that it was longer. It really, really could've used a little more meat to it. Honestly, the book kind of felt like someone took out the highlights of a longer, more meatier book and compiled them into a different book. I appreciate the character development in ALL the characters, not just the main character. The fact that they don't do the needless "friendship fixes everything" problem solving and made sure that the obviously wrong things weren't excused was also nice.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't just that it was too juvenile for me, but it was also too short. I feel like every topic was superficially touched and the development was forced. The characters felt like even more one sided stereotypes from The Breakfast Club and there wasn't enough pay off.

[Erin Stuhlsatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most of the books I've read so far on this list, Alt Ed was interesting but a pretty light read. I KNOW I've read YA books that were significantly more feminist, so I wonder (as usual) whether it actually belonged.

More than feminism in general, Alt Ed explored bullying and victims thereof. The six main characters (the kids who are 'allowed' to join an impromptu support group instead of being expelled) are all high school kids who are somehow uncomfortable with their roles. We have a jock, a pretty girl, a 'slut', a fat girl, a cowboy, and the gay kid. Susan, the fat girl, is the narrator. Throughout the story, she does learn to stand up for herself and to be comfortable with her own body, but I don't know if it had anything to do with this support group. She manages to talk with her father, learning that he doesn't care that she's fat. My favorite transformation was the jock, Randy. We begin the book with an extra golden image of him (Susan has a HUGE crush on him), but as we learn more about him, we see how he passively supports the bullying of Brendan (the gay kid who Susan is growing closer and closer with). By the end of the book, he has decided that he can risk his social standing to stand up for the people who are being bullied.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really related to this book a lot. I wasn't bullied in high school (much) but I was the fat girl, and this book exposes some of the thoughts that girls like me face. Bullying is a major problem in high school. I often feel the need to ask my students why they are so mean to one another. They can never give me a straight answer. I think this book shows that teenagers often don't see others as real people with real feelings like themselves. They are stuck in the selfish zone of immaturity and don't notice or learn to care about others until they've done damage. Good book. If you are (or have) a teenager, have them read it.

[kimberly_rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as knock-the-breath-out-of-me unforgettable as Atkins' stunning When Jeff Comes Home (read that one years ago and still think about it!), but a solid, real, empathic story--one of the better YA books. I read this one years ago as well, and although I don't remember it as I do her a Jeff book, I do remember enjoying every moment of this girl's journey toward maturity.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A teacher pushes for a new program for kids who would otherwise be expelled. The program gets off to a rocky start as the students are apprehensive about opening up to each other. There's the fat girl who gets teased, the gay boy who is tormented, the jock, the slut, the perfect girl and the one who does all the teasing and tormenting. As the kids meet each week after school they're forced to answer questions about themselves. They begin to show who they are and little by little start to see each other in a bit of a different light. They learn a lot. They understand more. The class is tough and not fun, it makes them uneasy, causes conflicts as well as resolves some conflicts. But all in all it's working in it's own strange way.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had great insights into who Susan was and I loved her thoughts and observations and how she gradually changed over the course of the book.

I did feel a little let down with Kale - the bully. He was horrible and unpredictable, but we went on a journey with all of the characters, and his didn't feel quite as full circle as the rest.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa, North River patron, July 2019, 5 stars:

Alt Ed focuses on a counseling group made up of high school students who were given the choice of being suspended or attending the group. Through their interactions, the students learn about the impact of bullying, and they are able to develop a greater understanding of and respect for one another’s differences.

[Pyrate Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This modern version of "The Breakfast Club" features an overweight girl who has a secret crush on the jock and who is friends with the gay guy; a prim and proper; a "bad girl; and a troublemaker. They are all sent to attend an after-school program created as an alternative to expulsion.

Read-alike/see also:
One of Us is Lying/One of Us is Next- by Karen McManus

[Sunshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few reviews compared the book to the breakfast club, and that is pretty spot on. I knew the book felt familiar but couldn't figure out to what till I saw those reviews. This could have been a very great story, but it's not realistic and just ignored way too many things. Why do so many parents in books ignore their kids an the kids feelings???? Quick read, but not the greatest one

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book about teen friendship and high school. This book honestly made me want to go out and be a better person!

[Morgan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Breakfast Club-y, but sweet!

[Deborah Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the main character and watching her grow and mature and stand up for herself.

[Jolene Tiffany Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a bit confusing and hard to follow at times. And ill admit it wasnt at all what i thought when i first grabbed it. But im glad that i read it. This book is only 198 pages, and honeslty i hate reading short books. But it was a good read regardless of its length.

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Reviewing this book is a bit challenging, because while it was going on, there was really nothing wrong with it, except for what didn't happen during it. Let me explain.

As I began this book, I was instantly drawn in. I loved Susan, our protagonist, for her sweetness and because she wasn't typecast as the fat funny girl. Call this a modern take on The Breakfast Club, where, instead of detention, these kids have an entire semester of after-school meetings with the counselor because of some bad behavior they each engaged in. Each participant is developed over the course of the book, morphing into wonderful, well-developed characters. As the book unfolds, we learn why most of them are there, although most of it is saved for what turns out to be the climax, since what should have been the climax is not actually included in the book.

I feel a bit guilty for withholding praise for what is NOT in the book, but with this one, I have to. There's an agent who posts on her blog the importance of knowing where to start your story. This author seemed not to know where to end her story. Normally, if that was the case, you'd think it was because an author dragged on and on after the climax, or left you with a cliffhanger. But this one just sort of...ended. Abruptly. In the middle of nowhere, right before what had been building towards what I thought would be the climax. It wasn't the kind of ending that lets you imagine what happens next, but the kind that makes you wonder if some pages were missing from your book, or if an incomplete draft got sent to the publisher and no one noticed. So while I enjoyed the book, I didn't enjoy the not-book that was missing.

I'm not opposed to book without happily-ever-after endings. I'm not opposed to a few loose ends--I like feeling like the characters live on after the last page. But this book leaves A LOT of loose ends. In fact, pretty much every end is left hanging.

Susan and her dad started down a path to reconciliation, which was a good end for their story. But what about her and her brother? Nothing changed. What about things with Brendon? We can assume they stayed friends. What was going on with the counselor--was he sick? What happened with Randy? With Cal? Did he like Susan? Why was he such a bully? Did he ever change, or begin to change, or see that what he was doing was wrong? We never learn why he's there, or what he does when he finds out Susan and Brendon trashed his truck. In fact, we never even learn why they did it. We are told they are going to a confrontation where we will find out why he's there, and they will confess. And then the book ends.

Still, while I was reading it, I was completely captivated. It was one of those books that made me wish I'd written it. For someone who thinks the characters make the novel, this was perfect. Susan was sweet, but not too much of a pushover, and not a cliche. Amber was tough and wounded, but not a cliche either. Tracy, the perfect cheerleader who wasn't perfect, clashes with Brendon, the ostracized gay guy. Though some of the characters aren't exactly original, they all come alive enough that it doesn't matter that they are types, because here, they are real people who just happen to fall into a category. Each character is handled with compassion, realism, and care. Overall, Randy was the character who elicited the most emotion. He was the sweet jock, idolized by our protagonist but not quite as perfect as she'd like to imagine. He went along with the bullying, even when he didn't agree with it, which made him as culpable as anyone. I would have liked Susan to accept this a bit more than she did, but it didn't affect the story much. It was a nice change in today's YA landscape to read about a girl falling for the nice-guy hero. Honestly, I kept waiting for her to fall for Cal, because, well, that's how most YA girls are portrayed now--always irresistibly attracted to the asshole. Randy's character was so wonderfully drawn, someone we have all known, who goes along with his friends even when he shouldn't, easy-going and kind to everyone.

This is a wonderful book about bullying, conformity, friendship, family, stereotypes, and judging people, among other things. There are lots of books with the same message, but not many as good as this one. Would have been a 5-star if it had felt complete, or had a real ending.

[C Murton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Susan, an overweight girl who has no friends and doesn't have a very good relationship with anyone, not even her family. She gets in trouble for something she didn't do and is on the edge of expulsion but a teacher sets up a class for other kids like her, to go through in exchange for being expelled. She grows so much in this book and the way it is written makes you feel like you are part of the story. It is one of those feel good books with some letdowns that lead towards a happy ending.

[Marta Boksenbaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel follows the fairly typical plot of a teenage girl who is insecured and unliked in her high school, and her realization that she is a worthwhile person. Susan Calloway is an overweight teen who’s father is the football coach, and her brother looks away when his friends make snide comments and jokes about her weight. She meets Brendan Slater who is also bullied due to his sexuality, and she encourages him to deface the school bully’s truck which gets them both put into a group counseling session with other students from the school who have done things to get them in trouble. Throughout the conseling sessions Susan learns that her tormentors and idols are people too, and the kids in the group form a small community, in which they learn about how to treat one another and about themselves as well.
Heavily character driven, Parker focuses on Susan’s inner monologue, and how she feels about her interactions with her family and peers. She chronicles Susan’s maturity and growth, using train of thought prose to bring the reader even closer into her mind.
The mood of this book changes considerably throughout the book. It starts gloomy, telling how Susan feels uncomfortable, or describing the insults and pushes that she receives from fellow students. Throughout the book, the mood gets cheerier, while Susan starts to think more hopeful thoughts and to assert herself in social situations. This book leaves the reader on a positive note, telling them that they are all worthwhile, and to stand up for themselves.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Callaway is a high school girl who is the brunt of bullying and shunning since she is quite a bit overweight. She is accused of helping to damage a person's truck and the school requires her to attend a series of group sessions where students who have violated various rules will try to work out their problems rather than being expelled from the school.

It turns out that the boy whose truck was damaged is himself one of the members of the group. They all have their own problems and their own stories, and she must learn to speak out in her own defense, at the same time actually listening to the problems of the other students, trying to understand both herself and them better.

There's a lot of tension in the group, of course, and not everything goes smoothly. Still, it is interesting to see into the lives of the "troubled" students and how they are not really inherently "bad" people after all. It's just a shame that schools today almost never have real "counselors" who will listen to student's problems and try to help them as happened in this story. Perhaps if school psychologists were finally brought back some students who really needed help to avoid ruining their lives would receive the help they need in time rather than just being left out in the cold on their own.

A good book that raises some concerns about today's schools.

[littlemiao · Rating 3 out of 5]

[originally posted on my blog] An unlikely group of teens are thrown together by their "alternative education" class – a last chance for students facing expulsion. The six students – the preppy overachiever, the popular jock, the mean redneck, the school slut, the fat girl, and the gay kid – become mirrors for each others’ insecurities and strengths. The bullied confront their bullies, the victims realize their power, and everyone comes out with a fuller understanding of themselves. I don’t mean to sound skeptical or dismissive. I can't fault the book for its neatness (okay, maybe I can), and certainly it’s nice to end with a positive message. Contrived, yes, but perhaps it is a commentary on the contrived nature of high school itself... and beyond that, all of human society. The characters are well-formed, not just cardboard cutouts of their high school type. The protagonist, a lonely overweight girl who is dealing with the death of her mother as well as daily bullying at school, is a refreshing narrator because she isn't bogged down in self-pity. And she has a kitty. Overall, a nice read, with convincing characters and occasionally thought-provoking dialogue.

[Julia H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very interesting. The only thing I don't understand id why it was on the banned book list. It was mainly about this connseling class rhat students had to take. It was also like detention. The book shows how in the begining of the book all of the kids were rude and didn't care about anyone or anything. At the end of the class people really started opening up about their lives. The main character went to that class because she vandalized someone's car. The owner of that car was also in that class. Kale didn't know who damaged his car but he knew that he was very mad at whoever did it. The last chapter is when all of the students in the counceling classm were at a pizza party. They all were going around in a circle telling eachother why they were in that class in the first place. When the circle got to the main character, Susan, she hesitatd but she finally told Kale what she did. Before that class, if she had told Kale what she did Kale would be out to hurt her. But at the end of the class Kale was angry but he didn't seem to care as much as he should have. Overall this book was great. I couldn't put it donw and finished the book the night I started it.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story centers around Susan, she is fat, self conscious and an easy target for active and passive bullying from her high school classmates. Compounding this sad situation is her distant father and equally self conscious and suffering brother Tom, neither of whom help Susan face her grief over the death of Susan and Tom's mother.

In the course of a few weeks Susan (tubby), Branden (gay), Kale (loser bully), Randy (easy going jock), Tracee (WWJD Christian), and Amber (sexy), conveniently representing most cliques in a typical high school. All face expulsion for reasons the others don't know. Their high school counselor wants to pilot a program where these kids are all brought together once a week for the school year. If they make it through they can complete the year and and clear the expulsion. Over the course of the year the kids develop a grudging appreciation for each other and Susan works up some self confidence.

I liked the frank discussion of the different points of view and I think some kids would enjoy and learn from the story.

[Cherish]

Synopsis: A group is made at school for kids that have one last chance before they will be kicked out of school, or for doing bad things that they some how got out of getting kicked out of school for. Susan is forced to participate in this group, where she soon becomes friends with the students in the group.


Classification: This book is for an audience of any age but mostly teenagers, girls or boys. This book was wrote more for enjoyment rather than information. The setting of genre is realism. The theme of this book is idealism. The plot of this book is drama and a little bit of romance and comedy.


Criticism: To me this was a good book. The author put her characters in real world situations. The author showed not just the main character's point of view, but also the other student's point of view. This book really showed how school is in the real world, she showed lots of emotion within her characters and I think that makes this book a very good book to read.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading Alt Ed.I can understand why it was banned though. The suggestive content and the uncomfortable language would not be appropriate for any reader under the age of 14. Usually I would pass on a book like this, but Alt Ed was different. It taught morals in a very entertaining ways. Alt Ed is a very powerful book and it had me feeling a different emotion after every chapter.

My favorite character in Alt Ed is Tracey. Tracey has good morals and beliefs. She is the image of the perfect highschooler. I find her to be kind to others, respectful to people different than her and loyal to her religion. I commend her for the person she is and I strive to be more like her each day.

I would recommend Alt Ed to a reader who enjoys Drama. I would not recommend this book to any reader under 14. I believe the main audience is teens.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I like the book. I like the idea that it was based on. However, I did have some problems with it. Rather than learning to accept herself as she is, poor Susan thinks she has to change to gain approval of others. I found Tracee to the most annoying character. I felt she thought she was superior to the others. Not only that, she was a hypocrite. I actually liked Kale and Amber. Kale was like a lot of bullies I've encountered. There really isn't much of a reason behind the bullying other than opportunity and a target. I felt that Amber showed that beneath the tough girl exterior, there is a story. There's a reason she's tough and mean. This is a good book to read, but not really good enough to buy.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a "Breakfast Club" for the current generation. This one is a bit different in that the main character is Susan an overweight girl who's lost her mom to cancer and is now living with her high school football coach father and her middling athlete older brother.

She quickly makes an ally with Brendan, the kid that everyone picks on as being gay. But there's also the girl with the slutty reputation, the bible thumping popular blond, the nice guy athlete with his mysterious reason for being here and the acid tongued loser who spreads his insults wherever he goes.

In this instance familiarity doesn't breed contempt and by the end all of the "inmates" have learned a bit about each other and a certain level of acceptance is achieved.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan has always been a target for bullies - especially Kale Krasner - because of her weight. Her father, the football coach, and brother Tom even seem embarrassed by her appearance. So when she sees Brendan Slater vandalizing Krasner's car, she becomes a silent partner in the act and they both end up in Mr. Duffy's counseling group. See, Brendan is a target, too, because he's a homosexual. But what Susan can't figure out is why Randy Callahan, popular jock, and Tracee Ellison, popular religious girl, have been sentenced to the group. And then in walks Amber Hawkins - with her attitude and Kale Krasner. But through this group, Susan gains the esteem she needs to stand up for herself and make progress with her distant father.

[Librariann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poorer quality Breakfast Club, right down to the 'heartfelt' letter at the end. Six high school students (popular boy, school thug, slut, christian overachiever, fat chick, gay guy - three female, three male) who would otherwise be expelled meet in a group with the school counselor. Narrated by Susan, the 'fat' daughter of the school's football coach, who has felt ignored and slighted by her father since the death of her mother from cancer years before. As the reasons for their 'incarceration' come to light, the students begin to understand each other and change. Unflinchingly addresses the cruelty of highschool. Not a bad book overall, but rent the movie instead.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for younger readers! I wouldn't want my daughter to read this until she was at least 15 or 16, if at all...but it does bring up some good questions and discussion topics. In the end, I enjoyed it and the characters. Each one had their own problems and faults. It was not so cut and dry...(these are the bad guys, these are the good guys). They all had to accept their own part in their problems and the way others perceived and treated them. It was a good commentary on how you never know what's going on inside someone else until you really get to know them or try to walk a mile in their shoes.