Strays Like Us [Hardcover]

Richard Peck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998 | Age Level: 10 and up

Best-selling author Richard Peck has created his richest work yet in this powerful story of a young girl starting over in a new place. After a lifetime of following her mother through one faceless city after another, Molly finds herself dumped on her great-aunt Fay. Though unwilling to believe her new home is anything more than a temporary stop, Molly is reluctantly drawn into a friendship with her next-door neighbor Will, a stray like herself. As the school year unfolds, Molly discovers the secrets behind the doors of the quiet town and comes to learn something important: The world is full of strays. Some just end up where they belong sooner than others. The author of more than twenty acclaimed novels for young people, Richard Peck will once again touch readers with his humor and compassion in a story that speaks to the stray in all of us. Richard Peck has received several awards for the body of his work, including the 1997 Empire State Award.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Peck not only understands the fragile emotions of adolescents, he also knows what kind of characters will pique their interest. In this tender novel, he paints a richly detailed portrait of Molly, a drug-addict's daughter sent at the age of 12 to live with a great-aunt she has never met. Molly soon discovers others like her in this small town full of secrets. Next door lives Will, another "stray," whose father is rumored to be in jail. At the library, she meets home-schooled Tracy, from the wealthy district across town, whose sheltered life may not be quite as comfortable as it appears. And through Aunt Fay, Molly meets Mrs. Voorhees, a hypochondriac who employs her great-aunt as a nurse. Although Molly sorely misses her mother and resists admitting that her stay with Aunt Fay is permanent, she nonetheless becomes involved with the people around her and gradually settles into her first real home. Peck cleverly employs Molly's outsider status to great effect, allowing readers to learn about the characters along with Molly, via her first-person narrative. He draws indications of her assimilation with subtlety and exquisite pacing, over the course of a year in his protagonist's life. As Molly's affection for Will and overworked Aunt Fay (whose phrases she begins to imitate) solidify, she begins to accept that her mother may never return. This sensitive heroine is one readers will want to take under their wing?and will bid her a fond farewell at the story's gratifying conclusion. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9AIn the tradition of The Great Gilly Hopkins (HarperCollins, 1978) comes the story of another child whose mother cannot stay for the long haul. A caseworker leaves Molly Moberly at the house of her great-aunt Fay, a nurse in a small town with a southern ambiance. Next door, Will has been similarly dumped on his grandparents. He reaches out to her, but the girl resists, convinced that her drug-addicted mother will be coming for her any day. The months wear on and Molly shrewdly observes the lives around her, uncovering more than one town secret. She learns that Will's father has died of AIDS, kept at home and nursed by Aunt Fay for fear of the intolerance of small-minded neighbors. She witnesses the ties of loyalty and long experience with others' foibles that can positively characterize relationships in small towns. At last, Molly comes to feel at home. This is a serious, but not unhopeful, look at a situation many young people face. Not every element of the plot is fully integrated, including an arson incident that seems uneasily tacked-on. By and large, however, the book is convincing, and Molly is especially well drawn. Peck gives her a plain-talking voice full of grit and a wonderful originality of phrasing. Many readers will root for Molly and Will as they struggle with the hands their parents have dealt them.AMiriam Lang Budin, Mt. Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803722915
• ISBN-13: 978-0803722910
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,463,560 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

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strays Like Us, June 5, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Strays Like Us (Hardcover)

Strays Like Us by Richard Peck is a fictional story about a girl name Molly Moberly. Molly is a 12-year-girl sent to live with her Aunt Fay in a small Missouri town while her mtoher is in the hospital. Aunt Fay, a distant relative, is Molly's only family. Aunt Fay works hard all over town as a home nurse. Molly waits for her mom everyday to come back. Molly is a pretty good artist but she only draws pictures of Debbie, her absent mother. She meets a boy named Will McKinney, who lives with his grandparents next door. Will tells Molly that they are two strays living with relatives. The McKinney's have a secret that will change Will's family dramatically.

School starts, and Molly has to enroll because her mom has not came back for her yet. Not making any friends, Molly meets a home-schooled girl named Tracy at the public library. Everything is so perfect. Molly thinks that it would be cool to have a girl as a friend until Tracy invites her over and Molly realizes that she is not accepted in Tracy's world. Others, including her teachers, try to take Molly out of her shell but they fail in doing that. When Molly learns the terrible truth about her mother, the dramatic experience will change her forever. This book will keep you turning the pages at the edge of your seat. Molly and Will are Strays Like Us in this unraveling five star novel recommended for everyone!!
By: Ariel, Camille, Kristen, and Stefanie
Ms. Malone's 7th grade reading class!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I think that anyone can enjoy this book., November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strays Like Us (Hardcover)

I think that a "Strays Like Us" is fantastic book. Molly's mother is in the hospital for her drug addiction. So Molly is sent to stay with her Aunt Fay. She meets a boy named Will who also is a stray without his parents. They go to school together and become close friends. I think that everyone who likes to read will like this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Strays Like Us (Hardcover)

I picked it up and couldn't put it down. The plot had stuff going at all times so there weren't any boring or slow parts. I highly reccommend it!