Runt by Nora Raleigh Baskin (review)

[Correction]

This multivocal narrative follows several sixth-graders (and an adjacent dog) as they struggle with the pack order in middle school. Elizabeth, living in a house run by her depressed mother and devoted to the family's dog-sitting business, is being bullied by Maggie, who eventually posts a webpage featuring Elizabeth as "Smelly-Girl"; Matthew is the latest victim of Stewart, who urinates on Matthew's shoes in the boy's room and gets his nose punched in return, leading to Matthew's suspension. As events progress and the season heads toward the spring dance, the victims deal with their plight—and contemplate their revenge. Baskin, author of Anything but Normal (BCCB 4/09), retains her smooth and accessible style, and she brings raw authenticity to the politics of middle school. The shifting narration is confusing, however, since individual speakers aren't well identified, and characterization doesn't develop much beyond the functionary; the plot trajectories lack momentum, and there's therefore not much payoff when revenge isn't forthcoming. Kristen Tracy's upcoming Too Cool for This School is a much more perceptive look at the dynamics of middle-school bullying, but kids who are finding too many similarities between their school and The Lord of the Flies may be reassured by this acknowledgment of their struggle.