Out of Control [Paperback]

Norma Fox Mazer (Author), Ellen Thompson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1994

It starts as an ordinary school day. Just the same asany other. Until Valerie Michon gets up and leaves theauditorium. And three boys decide to follow her.

She heads for the stairs and the boys run after her.They are fast, they are quiet. They don't talk about it.They just do it. It's a game. Fun. On the third floorthey catch up with her.

It happens fast, so fast. It's like a dream. She yells, andtwists and turns trying to get free, but they have her...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mazer's story about high school sexual harassment is "thought-provoking" and "powerful," said PW . Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Perhaps it wasn't exactly a rape, but Valerie knows that those few moments when she was cornered in the school corridor have changed her forever. The nightmares may fade, but she'll never regain her trust in a safe world. With great skill and compassion, Mazer endows the cast of this familiar drama with real individuality. Two of the boys are school leaders with home problems to fuel the anger they act out in mean-spirited pranks; the third--oversize, relatively nice Rollo (whose point of view prevails)--is a follower, thoughtlessly caught up in the excitement of his friends' misdeeds. The student grapevine is swift, adding embarrassment to Valerie's pain; and she gets little sympathy from a principal who thinks first of ``damage control.'' In time, she and some other girls begin to exchange similar experiences, helping her make the decision to write a letter, describing her trauma, to a local paper. Meanwhile, though the other boys persist in thinking the incident was ``no big deal,'' Rollo worries and tries to open communication with Valerie. Still, when she challenges him to imagine himself in her position, he simply doesn't get it--somehow, he persists, he would have been strong enough to escape. Accessible, but far from simplistic, Mazer's balanced depiction of both sides is a powerful demonstration of the evils of harassment and how its victims can assert themselves; it may even help harassers see the other side. (Fiction. 12-17) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380713470
• ISBN-13: 978-0380713479
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,237,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NORMA FOX MAZER is the award-winning author of many novels for young people. She has been honored with the Christopher Award, a Newbery Honor, the Edgar Allen Poe Award, and a National Book Award nomination. She and her husband, novelist Harry Mazer, divide their time between Jamesville, New York, and New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written, Thought-Provoking, June 4, 2002

By 

Allyn "pianogirl" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Out of Control (Paperback)

Valerie Michon is just an ordinary highschool girl. And "Rollo", "Brigg" and "Candy" are just ordinary highschool guys. Until the day that the guys decide that Valerie's a little annoying and that they might have some "harmless" fun teasing her. But the guys don't know how one thoughtless moment can change their lives, and Valerie could never know how her sense of security and optimism could be altered in the blink of an eye. This novel about sexual assualt is well-written, thought-provoking, and hard-hitting. Norma Fox Mazer keeps it suspenseful and realistic and knows just how to develop the characters. It is written in a way that makes you realize that sexual assault isn't a simple issue and we are challenged to think of the the boys as "normal", not just as monsters. In particular, "Rollo" is shown to have just "jumped on the bandwagon" and lived to regret his actions. Valerie is also portrayed well...struggling with humiliation, anger, and shame. Minor characters also add interesting and contrasting viewpoints and perspectives. To close...a well-done book on a difficult subject. Any teen should read this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We All Now These Things Happen, But. . ., May 2, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Out of Control (Hardcover)

This book is fantastic and I recommend it to anyone who loves emotion, realistic books. This book is mainly about sexual assult and everthing that follows. There is one phrase in the book that is used over and over that has struck me and I believe I'll never forget. "We all know these things happen, but somehow we think they're happening somewhere else to someone else. We read about things in the papers, see them on T.V. Not here, we think. Not us. Not me. That's what I thought. Well, I was wrong. It was me." I've realized how true that is. It's not something you want to think about, but you need to think about what you'd do in that situation. This book is hardhitting, realistic, it makes you think, and it will never leave you. You'll never think the same way after you read this book. "Put fear behind you and do what's right." Not many of us can do that, but those of us who can are truely blessed. Thanks for reading my review.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Out of Control, September 18, 2004

By 

Audrey Mae (Corvallis, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Control (Paperback)

I've read other books by this author and normally I'm impressed, but after working for over a year with anger management teens, I can tell you that this author left out a lot of holes in her plot. Teens do not suddenly snap into violence, there is a reason behind. If this book was written more from Brig's point of view, showing the reason to why he got to this point rather then just saying he didn't like her, it would be much better. Rollo and Candy followed their friend without thinking of the consequences, Brig had the actual reason. She did a good job showing Valerie's emotions, but other then that, there were too many holes for me to enjoy this book or actually say it was an accurate description of teen anger. Because Rollo wasn't the one with the anger - Brig was.