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In the Company of Crazies
When things take a turn for the worst after the death of a classmate, shoplifting Mia Singer is sent away by her parents to an alternative school where, with the space and distance from friends and family, she actually gets to evaluate past events and honestly meet herself for the very first time in her life.
170 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Nora Raleigh Baskin
27 books304 followersI 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.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 18, 2020
Rating IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is extremely difficult. I loved Mia, the main character, and the writing style, but the story is dreadful and I wouldn’t recommend anyone read it.
Following the death of a classmate, Mia’s behavior changes and she’s sent to a therapeutic boarding school, which lacked both therapy and schooling. It’s a boys’ program that started admitting girls and she’s the only girl for her month long stay.
Boarding schools and therapy programs need to be licensed and regulated. Staff needs education and degrees. As best as I could tell none of this mattered IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES. Did Mia grow? She seemed less angry and bothered, but who knows. Better books on mental health and grief exist.
Following the death of a classmate, Mia’s behavior changes and she’s sent to a therapeutic boarding school, which lacked both therapy and schooling. It’s a boys’ program that started admitting girls and she’s the only girl for her month long stay.
Boarding schools and therapy programs need to be licensed and regulated. Staff needs education and degrees. As best as I could tell none of this mattered IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES. Did Mia grow? She seemed less angry and bothered, but who knows. Better books on mental health and grief exist.
November 5, 2012
Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com
When Mia Singer's life gets to be a little too much too handle after a volleyball teammate dies, it changes drastically. When she's caught shoplifting, her family has had enough, and she is shipped off to an "alternative" boarding school, Mountain Laurel. Mountain Laurel is home to the "crazies" mentioned in the title, and it's nothing like any school Mia has ever attended.
Much of their time at Mountain Laurel is devoted to journal writing, and the snippets from Mia's journal included in the text make an interesting addition to this book. The characters in the story, Mia included, are wonderful, and the idea of the story is interesting enough, yet much of the book lacks the "spark" that would make it fabulous. However, Mountain Laurel is a very interesting setting, and the issues addressed in the book make it smart and thought-provoking, as well as a good read.
IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is a very well-written book, enough so that I'd consider reading other books by Nora Raleigh Baskin, but not so much that I'd spend much time actively seeking them out. Still, though, it's certainly worth reading!
When Mia Singer's life gets to be a little too much too handle after a volleyball teammate dies, it changes drastically. When she's caught shoplifting, her family has had enough, and she is shipped off to an "alternative" boarding school, Mountain Laurel. Mountain Laurel is home to the "crazies" mentioned in the title, and it's nothing like any school Mia has ever attended.
Much of their time at Mountain Laurel is devoted to journal writing, and the snippets from Mia's journal included in the text make an interesting addition to this book. The characters in the story, Mia included, are wonderful, and the idea of the story is interesting enough, yet much of the book lacks the "spark" that would make it fabulous. However, Mountain Laurel is a very interesting setting, and the issues addressed in the book make it smart and thought-provoking, as well as a good read.
IN THE COMPANY OF CRAZIES is a very well-written book, enough so that I'd consider reading other books by Nora Raleigh Baskin, but not so much that I'd spend much time actively seeking them out. Still, though, it's certainly worth reading!
October 13, 2021
This was such a nice and short book! It had middle grade writing with some YA topics, that's pretty much the only reason why I gave it a 4, because of the writing. I was expecting YA writing (if you know what I mean) but I felt like I was reading a middle grade book. Good think I love middle grade!!
April 9, 2024
Quick read about growing up, making mistakes, and learning about oneself.
November 12, 2007
Mia hasn’t been coping very well since the tragic car accident death of a classmate, a year ago. She has been slipping into depression, shoplifting for no reason, and finally, she calls in to the principal’s office to report that “Mia Singer cannot attend school today because she is dead.”
That’s the final straw for her parents, who decide that the best course of action is to ship Mia off to an alternative school where she can focus better on healing herself. And so off Mia goes, to Mountain Laurel, an alternative school for boys that just recently opened its doors to girls. And at Mountain Laurel, surrounded by crazy people who are as normal as she is, Mia has to rediscover herself, and learn all over again how to cope with the world.
I really wanted to like this novel, but I felt like it copped out in a few places. It just wasn’t strong enough, or brave enough to go as far as it needed to go. It felt timid, a little bit. And it seemed to imply that Mia had experienced some tremendous growth, but it’s hard to really see any in her. I like a book that shows instead of tells, especially when the telling is so unreliable.
That’s the final straw for her parents, who decide that the best course of action is to ship Mia off to an alternative school where she can focus better on healing herself. And so off Mia goes, to Mountain Laurel, an alternative school for boys that just recently opened its doors to girls. And at Mountain Laurel, surrounded by crazy people who are as normal as she is, Mia has to rediscover herself, and learn all over again how to cope with the world.
I really wanted to like this novel, but I felt like it copped out in a few places. It just wasn’t strong enough, or brave enough to go as far as it needed to go. It felt timid, a little bit. And it seemed to imply that Mia had experienced some tremendous growth, but it’s hard to really see any in her. I like a book that shows instead of tells, especially when the telling is so unreliable.
August 18, 2011
Thirteen year old Mia Singer leads a pretty normal life, that is until, she hits 7th grade. All of a sudden her grades begin to slip, her behavior becomes less than acceptable (she is caught shoplifting at Kohl’s) and her relationship with her parents becomes distant and cold. Because they don’t know what else to do, her parents send Mia to an alternative boarding school. Set deep in the woods with nothing but trees surrounding, Mountain Laurel is currently housing disturbed boys…just boys. Mia immediately feels threatened, scared, lonely, confused, mostly scared. She hates it there and can’t wait to go back home. She is all packed after her first week, but to her dismay, finds out new students can’t go home on weekends until they’ve been there one month. One month seems like an eternity to Mia. She gets to know the boys there, the teachers and while trying to figure them all out, inevitably discovers all about herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2013
Mia Singer is a young 13-year old has been caught stealing something from a store and she is sent to a camp far away called Mountain Laurel. She finds that the rest of the kids have disabilities but Mia calls them "crazy". She meets new friends at the camp and learns a lot more abut life than she thought she would have. She has a lot of fun and watches as other kids get into trouble and she learns from their mistakes.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it very interesting to see Mia's perspective of the camp and the people in it. This book is part of a series of books similar to this one but with different characters and problems.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it very interesting to see Mia's perspective of the camp and the people in it. This book is part of a series of books similar to this one but with different characters and problems.
June 15, 2009
Interesting book, I guess. There was some nice psychology mentioned, which I thought was cool, and a lot of self-reflection. That was probably the best part of the book, and luckily, there was plenty of it. The flashbacks were placed well and it was clearly explained. Very thought provoking. I dig it.
September 18, 2011
It was... good but really not great. There was a lack of climax for the whole thing. It was one of those books that you read because it's so short but don't really care to much about.
August 24, 2012
Bad grammar, bad language, good concept though.
January 20, 2009
VERY, VERY, good book. I loved it! It kept me awake til' late under the covers for lots of nights!
October 30, 2017
I did not mean to read back-to-back books (spoiler alert) about death and boarding school, but here we are. John Green's was better. This is for a younger audience, I think, and it wasn't nearly well developed enough.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews