Runt

by Nora Raleigh Baskin

An insightful exploration of middle school bullying from multiple perspectives, by the award-winning author of Anything But Typical.

Elizabeth Moon grew up around dogs. Her mom runs a boarding kennel out of their home, so she’s seen how dogs behave to determine pack order. Her experience in middle school is uncomfortably similar.

Maggie hates how Elizabeth acts so much better than everyone else. Besides, she’s always covered in dog hair. And she smells. So Maggie creates a fake profile on a popular social networking site to teach Elizabeth a lesson.

What makes a bully, and what makes a victim? It’s all in the perspective, and the dynamics shift. From sibling rivalries to mean girl antics, the varying points of view in this illuminating novel from the award-winning author of Anything But Typical show the many shades of gray—because middle school is anything but black and white.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Dogs, Juvenile, Childrens, Fiction, Animals

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I am seriously an open book. I've been writing semi-autiobiographical fiction since I was in 6th grade (1972) then, in 2001, Little, Brown published my first middle grade novel, about my life in 6th grade! titled "What Every Girl (except me) Knows." Twenty years and fifteen books later, that still, pretty much sums things up.

Reviews

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many voices tell the story of a middle school with a bullying problem. Baskin is a strong writer, but this story didn't come together to make a cohesive whole.

Most of the bullying in this is fairly typical (Facebook-type bullying, mild physical violence, mean nicknames, cliques) and includes both boys and girl. The most interesting part is the comparison to the animal kingdom by way of a pack of dogs and monkeys at the zoo. A Saint Bernard is even one of the narrators.

I agree with other reviewers who've said that this book could've been stronger with fewer points of view. That way we could've gotten to know our main characters better.

One piece of praise I have to lay on this book is that the villains have souls and we get to see a bit of why they bully other kids. One is lonely because her parents are rarely around. One is angry because his older sister is disabled. It made me think of a quote I saw on Pinterest:

[Kristin McDonough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This realistic fiction novel tackles the issue of bullying from multiple perspectives told through several middle school age characters. It gives the reader an inside look at both how it feels to be bullied as well as the thoughts and feelings of the bullies. Great reminder that you don't always know everyone's story. This book would resonate with middle school age readers well.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the animal kingdom/human kingdom behavioral connections that Nora Baskin uses throughout Runt. It is a simple and strong way to really capture the Middle School environment without being preachy.
Runt is a sophisticated book despite its brevity. You have to read slowly or you will feel a bit lost in the early adolescent cacophony. This book makes me wish I was teaching again. It offers the opportunity for great discussions about voice, writing techniques, capturing the perspective of animals--what is that dog thinking?, teachers, and parents. Runt should be required reading in every classroom from the middle grades up because Baskin understands what makes these characters tick and they are so very real. Students will recognize themselves and be drawn to the parallel universe with animals. This book will prompt strong discussions about bullying and standing up for yourself without compromising your integrity. It is a crowded story just like the hallways of middle and high schools.
(Nora Baskin's son Ben wrote a chapter,"The Trouble with Urinals". You will hold your breath as you read because it rings so true. I read in an interview that Baskin said she couldn't truly know what it was like to be in that situation, so she called on her son who is also a writer. Just an extra touch of cool and real in this truly wonderful book.)

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

See my full review here: http://misstiffreads.blogspot.com/201...

The trials and tribulations of middle school are told from the points of view of many students, and some dogs, in this sometimes convoluted but heartbreaking story. It's the first year of middle school and even though everyone was friends just a short year ago, that is no longer the case. Elizabeth is mocked for boarding dogs in her house. Frieda is an outcast now even though she was once queen bee, Maggie's best friend. Stewart talks a big game, but he has a disabled sister that is his hero. Matthew just did what needed to be done, but he gets expelled for it. Ethan just took a picture, but that picture caused a lot of trouble. And on and on. This book suffers from over ambition with too many narrators, plot points, and too much drama. If only the relationships between Stewart and Matthew and Elizabeth and Maggie would have been included, Runt would have been full enough, but it is bursting and suffering for it.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't rate books by authors I know personally, but Nora's recent offering, RUNT is really really good. One of the best stories of middle school life I've read in a long time. I wrote her a few minutes after finishing: "It's strong and complex, real and engaging."

It's coming out in July 2013 -- so plan on it. Lucky me got an arc to enjoy.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow, in Runt, author Nora Raleigh Baskin gets inside the head of members of a sixth grade class, kids who two years prior invited everyone to their parties. The reader follows the ongoing individual stories of these students and their intersecting lives. In this novel Baskin draws parallels between sixth grade behaviors and the behaviors of dogs, specifically the dogs boarded by one of the students, Elizabeth. This is not a story with an ending but an ongoing saga that plays itself out in middle schools across the country. As Freida concludes in her report on crimes and punishments in ancient times, “And in modern times, of course, there are all sorts of safe and creative punishments for people who try to step out of their ascribed social standing. No one, however—not Moses, not Hammurabi—could have predicted middle school.” (15)

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education defined bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated or has a high likelihood of repetition. According to stopbullying.gov, a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are two modes of bullying: direct and indirect (spreading rumors), and there are four types of bullying: physical, verbal, relational, and damage to property. The newest type of bullying is electronic bullying or cyberbullying. According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, 28% of U.S. students in grades 6–12 experienced bullying. In surveys, 30% of young people admit to bullying others. It is imperative that students, especially middle grade students, read novels about bullying to open conversations about this important topic and to discuss bullies, victims, bystanders, and upstanders, and the ongoing shifts among these roles.

As the students novel’s middle school bully, are aghast or sometimes proud of their attempts, become bullies and are bullied, they each deal with bullies and the effects of bullying. Elizabeth ruminates on the effect of her unintended bullying of a scared little dog who now shakes at her approach, “There are some kids of hurt that are just too much to feel.” (95) But middle school bullying as outlined above takes many forms; in general boys are more physical and girls employ relationship bullying, exclusion. In both genders, bullies seek out the weak. “In the wild mountain lions have been known to attack their own leader when he appears weak and unable to protect his pride.” (171) Apparently no one is safe. [Merriam-Webster Dictionary: runt—the smallest and weakest animal of a group born at the same time to the same mother; informal, a small or weak person]

As the dog who narrates the Afterword says, “I want to know where I belong.” (194). These characters and their stories will help generate discussions that may help readers clarify not only where they belong but where they want to belong, how they want to be treated and how they want to treat others.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I teach middle school, and I felt that Ms. Baskin did an excellent job creating these middle school characters. (Truth be told... I remember having similar thoughts and feelings when I was in middle school, which was long ago.) I also enjoyed the way Ms. Baskin incorporates the animal kingdom and their rankings as a metaphor of what is going on in the book. I also think that people who love dogs will enjoy this book as dogs play an important role in the main character's life.

There are a lot of characters in the book, but each character plays an important role and adds to the topic of bullying. You might want to keep a "cast of characters" sheet to avoid getting confused with who is talking as the book is told in alternating points of view. I didn't have trouble, but I could see a few of my students getting confused.

All in all, I am happy I read RUNT. This is a timely book about bullying that should be read. Thank you, Nora Raleigh Baskin for a great book.

[Pernia · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers glimpses into the first year of middle school from several different students' perspectives. I liked that no one was all good or all bad - there was always something more going on under the surface than it initially appeared. But unfortunately there were way too many points of view for me to keep straight, to the point where I wasn't really invested in the characters because I didn't remember who they were.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. It was often hard to tell which kid was narrating the story and overall it just felt shallow.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great, just the only thing was that it kind of confused me in the middle, but then it made sense.

[Brianne Huber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wanted to really like this story but couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. Too much jumping around and while I like different points of view, it’s too hard to follow and connect with.

[Janice Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to stop reading because the disjointed and unconnected chapters were making me crazy. Got to page 60 and packed it

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit like Nothing But the Truth with many perspectives.

[Zach Popplewell]

Amaz Book

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tired.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting story of middle school bullying. This book does a good job of sharing the internal thoughts of students in a middle school environment. I liked the poetic ending.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Animal abuse
Animal death
Animal injury
Bullying

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book that I picked up because I have liked past books by the author, and I'm always looking for good books about bullying, but I'll be honest - I forced myself to finish, hoping something would redeem it. I found it very hard to follow the characters and didn't come away liking anyone. I just didn't seem to understand where the author was going with the book. There are dogs in the story, because one of the main character's mother borders dogs, and so she talked about how male dogs will battle for dominance and then settle, never to have a dispute again, but female dogs will keep fighting more and more. This is then supposed to translate to the story line of some 6th grade students, some bullies, some not.

One boy, Stewart, is the "alpha male" in the group and has used intimidation and humiliation to get all the other boys to do what he wants them to do. This of course comes to a head, wrong boy gets blamed, teachers and administrators are made out to be blind, ridiculous and uncaring, and no one comes to the defense of the wronged boy except through a further act of bullying. Oh, and there's also a scene thrown in in which you learn a little about Stewart and how he has an older disabled sister who has always been treated special and gets her way, and he doesn't, so I think the author was trying to say - bullies have a story behind why they are the way they are, but it was really ineffective.

Another story is of a girl, Elizabeth, who gets bullied with a cyber-page called Smelly-Girl in which her picture is used. Everyone, including the school, knows about it, and most know who is responsible for the page (Maggie) but nothing is done about it because the victim decides to take matters into her own hand. Although she has the means to embarrass Maggie, when given the opportunity Elizabeth backs down, but confronts Maggiel privately instead. Maggie all nicey-nice, gets the incriminating evidence and then, you guessed it - turns on Elizabeth once again. Oh, and like Maggie, there are scenes at home where Maggie is being raised more by housekeepers than her mom, so we are supposed to feel sorry for her.

If I've confused you with all of this - that's exactly how you will feel while reading the book. With the narrators changing every chapter, and one of them even being a flashback of the teacher to ten years ago, which I didn't get until looking back later, it's hard to follow who is speaking half the time, not to mention that there are other side stories going on including a boy somewhat infatuated with the girl bully, an ex-best friend of the girl bully, and another girl who seems even more manipulative and dangerous than the female bully, who isn't afraid to be mean to Elizabeth's face, but then quickly turns on the girl bully when she takes down the cyber page.

If you're looking for a book about bullying - this isn't really the answer. I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I'd say pass on this one.

[Matthew Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jill]

In the wild, animals fight to show dominance and establish rank within the pack. In this book, Baskin illustrates the uncomfortably similar way that middle school students war for social rank. This novel takes an unflinching look at the conflict through the eyes of both bully and bullied, as each student tries to carve out a place for themselves in the wild of their sixth-grade year. The book showcases the many different forms that bullying can take, and does an especially nice job depicting an instance of cyberbullying via a popular social network.

This would be a tough book to recommend to students, as the story is told through a multitude of perspectives, and it is not always easy to identify which student is the focus of each new chapter. Sometimes chapters are in first-person, sometimes in third. Occasionally the chapters consist of a chat conversation or imaginary letter. Older tweens would have an easier time following the characters, but the story is about sixth-graders, and older tweens may not want to read about characters younger than themselves. On the other hand, it is a powerful look through the eyes of both bullies and victims, and could be a life-changing book in the hands of a reader who could truly connect with the experiences.

This would be a great book to complement a discussion about cyberbullying, or perhaps to read aloud to a middle-school class that is struggling to see how much they have in common with one another. A bullied student who can persist through the complexity of this book’s structure may take comfort in the shared experience of the characters, and be glad to know that he or she is not alone in the wild that is middle school. This would also be a good example for a writing lesson on storytelling from multiple perspectives, or showing the reader which character is speaking without explicitly telling them.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through multiple voices, even those of dogs, the author describes the goings on in a typical middle school. Some of the reasons behind the various bullying, teasing, and abuse occurring in the classroom are provided as well as insight into the bullies and those being bullied or standing along the sidelines. Innocent acts become part of the cruel plots of others, and as the story moves toward its conclusions, readers can easily see that all of these characters have a great deal in common. Part of the story takes place during a hurricane, which allows for poisonous online messages to seep through the air for days. Because the electricity and Internet access are affected, Maggie, the girl who created the fake webpage denigrating Smelly-Girl, can't take down the page until the power is restored even after she has second thoughts about what she has done. No one is perfect in this book, and it's interesting to read about Elizabeth (dubbed Smelly-Girl since her mother boards dogs and some of her classmates tease her about smelling like them) and her own trials with her forgetful mother, her own arrogance, and her displaced cruelty to the dogs under her care. While the use of several voices allows readers to gain multiple perspectives on a complex issue and have insight into human behavior from the behavior of dogs and cats, it was sometimes hard to distinguish each speaker or to come to know all the characters as well as might be desired. The problems faces by some characters seem barely examined and left dangling by the end of the book. There is much to consider here, though, despite the possible challenges of sorting all the characters' behaviors and motivations.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was less a novel than a series of vignettes showing a group of middle school kids coping with the jungle that is middle school.

We have Elizabeth whose mother is a dog boarder and who always is covered in dog hair. She is also a talented writer.

We have Stewart who acts like the typical bully and big basketball star but who has a handicapped older sister that he really loves.

We have Matthew who is talented at basketball but doesn't quite fit in with the other kids. He's suspended from school for punching Stewart in the nose despite the fact that Stewart urinated on his shoes first.

We have Maggie who decides to put up a fake web page making fun of Elizabeth and then can't take it down before others see it because a hurricane knocks out the power for a week.

We have Freida who is a talented artist and self-conscious about her braces and weight and who dresses in her own unique style despite her older sister's urging to be more normal.

All of these kids, and a few other two, bounce off each other as their paths cross during the course of time in a typical middle school.

It was an interesting story. I did feel that the adults were mostly ineffectual and clueless about what was going on among the students though.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing worse than being unpopular in sixth grade.

True or not, certainly few things feel worse when you're in the moment. This book is an accurate depiction of that torturous struggle for sixth grade popularity shared from the alternating perspectives many characters, those willing to pay the price of not liking themselves so that others will, those who are the butt of every joke, those who attempt to abstain, and more. Ultimately, everyone suffers the insecurity of unpopularity; just each individual reacts differently in response to those feelings.

I was most impressed by the variety of voices Baskin has created for her different characters, they ways they think, talk, and approach the issue. Each person actually comes across as a different person.

The book won me over very quickly with its first few chapters, and I was ready to rave about it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm mellowed the further I read as the novelty wore off and the hints of didacticism crept in. In some ways, it felt like the more chance it had to develop, the less complex it became.

Still, there's hardly shame in slipping from five stars to four, and this is a book worthy of many readers. Young book clubs and classrooms, especially, should find it fertile ground for discussion.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth hangs on the fringes of middle school society. She helps her mom run a kennel business, and smelling like dogs all the time doesn't exactly help popularity. When Maggie gets bored one day, she decides to create a fake person2person account with Elizabeth's picture called SmellyGirl. She regrets her decision pretty quickly, but before she can take the page down, she loses electricity due to a storm.

Stewart has always been the big man on campus. Finally he pushes Matthew too far. Matthew and his other basketball friends devise a scheme to get back at him. But will it work?

This book takes a look at bullying and middle school culture from multiple perspectives. But I felt like there were almost too many perspectives. Two to four would have been better. It felt like almost every chapter was someone different, and the chapters weren't labeled as to who it was about, so it was hard to follow. It also seemed like the story spread itself too thin and kept from developing characters very well. Most character development was shallow at best. Focusing on fewer characters would have made it a stronger book.

[Ann Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure about this one...very hard to get into any serious flow...you are midway thru the book before you even know who is who...the story comes at you - from the title - as one about bullying...yes it is about bullying but - it is written as seen thru the eyes of several sixth graders...both the bullies and the bullied...but then - okay the one girls mother takes in other peoples pets "dogs" when they go out of town or whatever...so it is compared throughout as a bullying behavior synopsis...like the whole dog pack thing...and this was not so bad as it was the one place where you could set your sites and figure everything else out...like the buoy in the book...but then BAM - the author wants you to see things thru the dogs eyes....what???...that totally stole my life preserver...why did we switch from a sixth grade student to a dog? This did not work for me and actually took away any progress I had made...I get it though...I get the whole bullying subject and have no qualms about the subject being driven home...for me though I like more of a story and less of a report

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes! I was SO hopeful for this book since the author wrote my favorite book I read in 2015...Anything but Typical. What can I say? This book CONFUSED me...I don't understand who the characters were...each chapter would just start babbling about something and I would be 3 pages in before I knew who was talking. Chapters and characters did not come together at all. There was one early chapter with 2 characters-Allison and Henry-that literally had nothing to do with anything! I even went back after I finished the book to see if I had missed some connection...the characters did not grow at all. They came off more mature than 6th graders. They were all slightly awful so it was had to sympathize with any of them! Some had some iffy home situations but that was never explored or never acknowledged that anyone at school knew about other situations at home for any of the characters. I finished last night and am still not at all sure what in fact the author was trying to say...so sad as I loved her GREAT book-Anything But Typical...

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who is this book about? I thought it was about Elizabeth who is dealing with middle school troubles AND the dogs and cats that are boarded at her house. Her mother runs a business out of the house and that business leads to some bothersome problems at school. There are many, many more problems and we learn about those and many other characters.

I was disappointed in this book because of the viewpoints. I have read Baskin before and loved "Anything but Typical." This book though is too confusing. The whole premise was misrepresented in the synopsis and that set me up to think in one way. I tried changing my perspective, but there were too many perspectives presented in the book. I just wasn't ever sure where this story was coming from, and so it never settled well as it unfolded. I really wanted to like this one, but just did not.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.