Voice of Youth Advocates

3Q . 4P. J. S
The three teens tell their own stories and recount their adventures on the project, detailing not only the lives of those they have chosen, but also their own. Families are not always what they seem to outsiders.

Moral choices appear throughout the book for both the teens and their parents and the fact that all three narrators and their families are active Mormons is a major plot element. The seemingly innocent pact between friends leads to some really intense and frightening scenes to which teens can easily relate. This fine story deals with contemporary issues but focuses on the good and hopeful outcomes of apparent tragedies—Rosemary Moran.

School Library Journal

The alternating narratives personalize the story and show individual character growth. The premise of trying to impose one’s ideals and values on other without knowing their circumstances is a life lesson that gives teens much to think about without ever letting the message dominate the story-telling.— Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK.

ALA Booklist

In the last several weeks of their senior year, three friends, the only Mormon students in their class, launch an ill-advised project that leads each to a better, if painful, understanding of the world. The plan is for each to befriend a fellow student—someone who seems to need a friend—and then ask that person to the prom. Alicia, Nikki and Sam choose differently, with different results. Each student narrates short sections within each chapter, creating a distinct personality through voice and thought. The results of Alicia’s efforts are a bit too predictable, and her character isn’t as strong as that of her friends, but Sam convincingly deals with difficult ethical and emotional issues and Nikki discovers new aspects of herself in an entertaining way. The fact that these friends are drawn together by religion, which is an integral part of their lives, is particularly refreshing. —Kathleen Odean

Kirkus

In this Pygmalion story with a twist, three provincial high-school seniors, all Mormons with conventional values, bet that each can befriend a classmate with untapped potential, change him or her for the better, then take that person to the prom. But the chosen students, who have their own agendas, are more resistant than flattered, and it’s the triad of heroes—two girls and a guy—who end up having their eyes opened. Alternately narrated in the first person by the three protagonists, there are a lot of characters and stories to keep track of and it takes a while to key into their various situations. The tales, one that involves the long-term sexual abuse of a minor, one that ends in an ugly hazing and humiliation, and one about a self-centered geek, don’t entirely fit together. Still, a thoughtful work about the nature of doing good.

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/randle_slumming.htm

What happens when good kids go Slumming? SUBJECTS:     Self-perception -- Fiction.                         Interpersonal relations -- Fiction.                         Family problems -- Fiction.                         Mormons -- Fiction.                         Best friends -- Fiction.                         Friendship -- Fiction.       

SLUMMING by Kristen D. Randle (HarperCollins, 2003).

. . . the Pygmalion game begins, full of heartache and deception and fun and love and laughter, leaving you holding your breath (and your sides) to the last page. Ages 12-up. Review by Frances Hill .

Richie's Picks Home Please email BudNotBuddy@aol.com 22 February 2003 SLUMMING by Kristen D. Randle, Harper Tempest, July 2003,

Mix It Up. . . a network for youth activists who are challenging social boundaries in schools and communities. Last November they sponsored a national Mix It Up At Lunch day , which encouraged kids to consciously leave the confines of their own cliques and go sit instead with somebody they would ordinarily look right through. (There are some great stories on the Tolerance site from kids who are involved in this movement.) SLUMMING is a tale in which three friends take paths that meander somewhere between Professor Henry Higgins' arrogant assumption that he can remake Eliza into his ideal woman and the Mix It Up philosophy that you need to throw off your assumptions, prejudices, and feelings of superiority in regards to those outside your own group. "...you got to look outside your eyes you got to think outside your brain you got to walk outside your life to where the neighborhood changes... --Ani Difranco, Willing to Fight

Nikki: " 'People always talk about how rude the French are,' my mother told me once. 'But that's because so many Americans think the world starts and stops with them. America isn't normal. It's just America. There are a lot of wonderful normals out there--hang on to yours too hard, and you'll miss a lot.'

As happened with the characters in Kristen Randle's previous YA novel, BREAKING RANK, there are some intense reactions and unexpected consequences in SLUMMING . . .

Breaking Rank—

Booklist (Starred review)

The alternating points of view and Randle's taut, poetic prose provide remarkable character depth and complexity. Thomas, in particular, is a fascinating character, whose conversations embody the joy of learning and incorporate the works of classic philosophers and writers in ways that may show readers the relevance and rewards of learning the masters. Gritty, smart, and realistic, the novel perceptively explores issues of religion, sex and sexual abstinence, peer pressure, and integrity with grace and compassion. Despite some religious overtones, there is no preaching here, only a well-communicated respect for making comfortable personal life choices, and allowing others the opportunity to do the same. A story of morality without judgment, this will encourage teens to look beyond appearances and deep within their own hearts. --Shelle Rosenfeld

From The School Library Journal:

Horn Book—March

Kirkus

April 1999

Publishers Weekly