book_nut's review against another edition
3.0
It was kind of 13 Reasons Why for middle school with dogs, but not quite as good.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
This is a powerful story about bullying and how it affects an entire community of students. I liked that Baskin shows so many different perspectives because I think bullying affects different kids in different ways, however I wonder if the story would have been stronger if told from fewer points of view. The point of view switches very often and it often took me a couple of paragraphs to figure out who was speaking. With SO MANY narrators, it was difficult to pick out the individual voices.
I think this would be a strong choice for kids who are facing bullying, especially at the elementary-school level since these kids are 6th graders and the bullying is kept at a PG level. It might also make a good community read or book club choice due to the content.
I think this would be a strong choice for kids who are facing bullying, especially at the elementary-school level since these kids are 6th graders and the bullying is kept at a PG level. It might also make a good community read or book club choice due to the content.
raynasdad's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. The characters and their motivations seemed realistic to me. I liked seeing the story unfold from many different viewpoints, though it was sometimes a bit confusing.
readitall199's review against another edition
3.0
The book follows Elizabeth and her dogs (her mom boards and cares for dogs). It moves back and forth though the POVs of students in Mrs. Robinson’s 6th grade class. There are several bullies: Steward and Maggie. There are many more bystanders. And there are examples of people fighting back and Elizabeth almost fighting back but not. One message is that hurting others isn’t what you should do, neither is telling, having a bystander stand up to the bully. It was very disappointing from that perspective. There are many examples and parallels of alpha dog behavior and animal behavior- implying that this is the root of some of the clique and other problematic behavior at middle school.
jillcd's review against another edition
2.0
The character development was superficial. It was also confusing at times as who was talking. It just didn't have flow for me.
annieliz's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Anything But Typical, so I was really excited to hear that she'd written another book for a slightly younger crowd crowd. Honestly, thought, I was disappointed. I thought there was too much jammed into this book - too many POVs, the dogs, the storm... it was a little hard to follow the plot and put the pieces together. It's more like a series of vignettes rather than a novel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I almost wonder if the main characters should have been just a year or two older. I don't know that my sixth graders will have the patience for this one.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth, Stewart, Matthew, Maggie, and Freida are all students at the same middle school, and each one has had a different experience with bullying. In this novel, author Nora Raleigh Baskin shifts between each of these characters’ points of view to convey the complicated nature of bullying and victimization, and to compare it to the aggressions displayed in the animal kingdom.
As I was reading, I reacted to this book on two different levels. First, I noticed how much I liked the writing. I like the way Baskin identifies each speaker by a unique style of writing rather than simply labeling each chapter with a character’s name. I like that there is a chapter devoted to a teacher’s own childhood experience with bullying. I also like that much of the book is very subtle, so that the reader has to draw his or her own conclusions about the author’s message. From a literary standpoint, this is a beautifully written, rich novel, with lots of strong images related to the subject of bullying.
My other reaction to this book, though, was from the standpoint of someone who works with kids and regularly recommends books to them. When I look at the book from that perspective, I find it harder to appreciate. While subtlety is artistic and interesting, I think many young readers would find that the story lacks direction. Since the characters are not named at the start of each chapter, they are harder to keep track of, and I could see kids giving up on the book simply because they couldn’t remember who was who, or what each character’s overall story arc was about. I also thought the connections between tween bullying and aggression among dogs felt forced and contrived. Particularly cheesy is the last bit of the book, which shares a dog’s thoughts on how we all treat each other. There is definitely a lot of value in this book, especially for kids who have been victimized by bullies, but for most readers, I think the almost experimental writing style would be off-putting, or at the very least would somewhat obscure the message Baskin tries to get across.
Runt is well-written, but strange, and I think I would be more likely to suggest a more accessbile title, such as The Misfits by James Howe or The Bully Book by Eric Gale to kids looking for bullying books. Fetching by Kiera Stewart and Boys Are Dogs by Leslie Margolis are two more great titles that address the parallels between dogs and middle schoolers in a more straightforward and humorous way.
As I was reading, I reacted to this book on two different levels. First, I noticed how much I liked the writing. I like the way Baskin identifies each speaker by a unique style of writing rather than simply labeling each chapter with a character’s name. I like that there is a chapter devoted to a teacher’s own childhood experience with bullying. I also like that much of the book is very subtle, so that the reader has to draw his or her own conclusions about the author’s message. From a literary standpoint, this is a beautifully written, rich novel, with lots of strong images related to the subject of bullying.
My other reaction to this book, though, was from the standpoint of someone who works with kids and regularly recommends books to them. When I look at the book from that perspective, I find it harder to appreciate. While subtlety is artistic and interesting, I think many young readers would find that the story lacks direction. Since the characters are not named at the start of each chapter, they are harder to keep track of, and I could see kids giving up on the book simply because they couldn’t remember who was who, or what each character’s overall story arc was about. I also thought the connections between tween bullying and aggression among dogs felt forced and contrived. Particularly cheesy is the last bit of the book, which shares a dog’s thoughts on how we all treat each other. There is definitely a lot of value in this book, especially for kids who have been victimized by bullies, but for most readers, I think the almost experimental writing style would be off-putting, or at the very least would somewhat obscure the message Baskin tries to get across.
Runt is well-written, but strange, and I think I would be more likely to suggest a more accessbile title, such as The Misfits by James Howe or The Bully Book by Eric Gale to kids looking for bullying books. Fetching by Kiera Stewart and Boys Are Dogs by Leslie Margolis are two more great titles that address the parallels between dogs and middle schoolers in a more straightforward and humorous way.
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