Bel Air Bambi and the Mall Rats [Hardcover]

Richard Peck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

When her TV producer father goes bankrupt, Bambi Babcock must move from posh Bel-Air to Hickory Fork, a small town that is also the home of the Mall Rats, a down-home teenage gang run by scary Tanya.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Neither Southern California brats nor ornery hicks escape the malice of this rather mean-hearted slapstick novel. When Buffie Babcock's TV producer father goes broke, he and his family say "good-bye to all we knew and the total California experience" and hightail it to Hickory Fork, where Mr. Babcock grew up. Smack-dab in an unenlightened (and unnamed) part of Middle America, this formerly bucolic hamlet is now in the thrall of a thuggish group of high school students. Outraged, Buffie's older sister Bambi--a quintessential Valley Girl with eternally perfect hair--takes charge. In a convoluted plot (involving a ghost story, a fixed football game and a brand-new TV pilot directed by Buffie's father) justice is restored, the local economy receives a much-needed boost and Mr. Babcock makes enough money to buy a Range Rover and return his kids to their rightful home. Even at its most snide ("After Pinetree Trace, which they hated the most, the football team would be playing Toad Suck, Oil Trough, Possum Trot, Natural Steps, Viny Grove, and Booger Holler"), the narrative manages to be snappy, moving at a rackety gallop. But it's slick and compassionless, comparing poorly with such Peck titles as Unfinished Portrait of Jessica . Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A merry spoof of everything from L.A. and TV pilots to beauty salons: Buffie explains how she and the rest of the Babcock family find themselves run out of Hollywood and on their way to the place that has inspired their father's increasingly alarming bouts of nostalgia--his hometown, where his fond memories and the bombed-out look of Hickory Fork don't mesh. Citizens are fearful of a teenage gang (``the Mall Rats'') that's trashed the local shopping center, runs the school, and regularly shakes down other students. Buffie's older sister Bambi, not impressed, seeks to strip the M.R.'s of their status. The Babcocks put on a show worthy of Andy Hardy, get Hickory Fork back on the straight and narrow, then return to the top of the TV heap. Meeting characters with names like Tanya Hyde and Bob Wire, readers won't mistake Peck's pack for one where realism reigns. A honey of a funny ride through small-town America gone horribly awry, in a place where family values means Grandma totes a shotgun in the name of a good night's sleep. The sendup of Tinseltown is just as comic; the whole story's a tonic. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038530823X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385308236
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,017,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries...Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. Dial Books for Young Readers is honored to welcome Richard Peck to its list with Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel The Great Interactive Dream Machine...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! Amazingly good!!!, November 15, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: BEL-AIR BAMBI AND THE MALL RATS (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Paperback)

This book is wonderful--I absolutly loved it!!! It is hilarious, fun, and in some parts very suspensful!!! I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly good!, November 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: BEL-AIR BAMBI AND THE MALL RATS (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Paperback)

A quirky, funny, uplifting book -- Which I did *NOT* expect; I only picked it up because I'd liked other books by the author. _Highly_ recommended!

3.0 out of 5 stars Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats: A Worthy Story, June 1, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats (Turtleback)

Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats: A Worthy Story

When the father of the Babcock clan goes bankrupt, the Babcocks have to get out of Bel-Air, and they have to get out now. Bambi, Buffie, and Brick, along with Mr. and Mrs. Babcock load up in a big white truck and book it to Hickory Fork, Mr. B's hometown.

When they arrive at dear old grandma's, they find the refrigerator blocking the door, and a shotgun in Granny's hands. Things only get worse. A gang of nasty teenagers called the Mall Rats have taken over- in the words of a certain character: "The Mall Rats run this town." They've trashed the mall, and are moving in on the school. Bambi, Buffie, and little Brick decide to stop the Mall Rats if it's the last thing they do.

Richard Peck has created a wonderful story, with humor mixed in with suspense. Kids ages 7-11 will love this book!