About this item
Highlights
- What can you do when the adult world lets you down?
- 248 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes
Description
About the Book
"Eleven-year-old Kate lives with her grandmother, who runs a junk shop in a big old house on the outskirts of town. It sometimes feels sad to be in the business of collecting other people's leftover stuff, but Kate knows sad. She's a bit lonely, and she doesn't remember her mother, who left long ago. Still, Kate dreams that one day her mother will return, and when she does, she'll need money. So Kate sets out to make some, just in case. At first she wants to offer psychiatric advice, like Lucy in the Peanuts cartoon. Gran squashes that idea: "You are not a psychiatrist. You'll just get sued." But what about a philosopher, who Gran says is just someone who thinks deeply about important things. "I do that all the time," Kate says, and soon she opens up a Philosophy Booth to provide answers to life's big and small questions for $2 a pop. But who can answer Kate's questions? Where does her grandmother go in her truck at night? And why won't she talk about Kate's mother? These are hard questions to answer, and Kate gets help from two kids who come into her life. Myndeelee, who moves into the house behind Gran's, and Brandon, who Gran seems to hate, though Kate can't figure out why."--Book Synopsis
What can you do when the adult world lets you down?
Suspended from school and prone to rages, twelve-year-old Kate finds her own way to get on with her life, despite the messed-up adults around her. Her gran, for one, is stubborn and aloof -- not unlike Kate herself, who has no friends, and who's been expelled for "behavioral issues," like the meltdowns she has had ever since her mom dumped her with her grandmother three years ago. Kate dreams that one day her mother will return for her. When that happens, they'll need money, so Kate sets out to make some.
Gran nixes her idea to sell psychiatric advice like Lucy in Peanuts ("You're not a psychiatrist. You'll get sued."), so Kate decides to open a philosophy booth to provide answers to life's big and small questions. She soon learns that adults have plenty of problems and secrets of their own, including Gran. When she finds that her grandmother has been lying to her about her mother, the two have a huge fight, and Gran says she can't wait for Kate to finish high school so she'll be rid of her at last. Kate decides to take matters into her own hands and discovers that to get what she wants, she may have to reach out to some unexpected people, and find a way to lay down her own anger.
Key Text Features
quotations
dialogue
literary references
signs
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
Review Quotes
Told from Kate's point of view, this is a powerful and evocative story about finding one's strength and surviving against the odds. But this isn't an individual-against-the-world story; part of the beauty of Ellis' novel is Kate's slow-growing ability to engage with the people around her.
-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database"A hard-hitting story that also shows how young people can make a difference.
-- "Globe and Mail"A compelling read that will leave readers feeling hopeful and with a better understanding of kids with tough home lives.
-- "Youth Services Book Review"Heartfelt ... With engaging dialogue and realistic issues surrounding drug addiction, broken families, and bullying, The Outsmarters is a must-read for coming-of-age readers.
-- "Canadian Children's Book News"Deborah Ellis has written another first-class story with a memorable main character in The Outsmarters.
-- "Winnipeg Free Press"Ellis's storytelling is immersive, her writing precise and wise, with moments of cataclysmic heartbreak and fragments of hope mixing together to bring readers a potent emotional experience. Deftly written, with brilliantly layered and memorable heroines in Kate and Gran, The Outsmarters is a standout. STARRED REVIEW
-- "Quill & Quire"The subject matter here is heavy, ranging from child abuse to the opioid crisis, and the adults aren't particularly reassuring, having all let Kate down at some point ... but the burgeoning relationships she's formed will give readers hope that even if everything isn't going perfectly for Kate, she will be okay.
-- "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Issue-filled but not issue-driven, well-paced, and not too modern to feel stuck in time, Ellis' tale of the families left behind by addiction will resonate with readers ... who seek strong-willed female protagonists that stick in your heart.
-- "Booklist"The Outsmarters is an encouraging look at how hard work can bring about second chances.
-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"Ellis offers an emotional, inspirational, and relatable story ... A compelling and poignant book that celebrates a courageous young girl's journey toward growing up. STARRED REVIEW
-- "School Library Journal"An absorbing, smartly paced novel ... Narrated in Kate's tough yet sympathetic voice and replete with complex characters navigating difficult issues, this hard-hitting, hopeful story also holds warmhearted moments of friendship and community, which are even more powerful for being hard-won. STARRED REVIEW
-- "Publishers Weekly"Kate's first-person narration allows her quirky, perceptive, and wryly funny worldview to shine ... An insightful young person makes a powerful difference in this emotionally astute work.
-- "Kirkus Reviews"