The Outsmarters

Twelve-year-old Kate has lived with her grandmother since she was eight, the point when her mother dropped her off and then disappeared. The intervening years have not been easy ones. Gran, a cantankerous owner of a local junk shop, is lacking in warmth toward her granddaughter, and Kate’s feelings of rejection often end in angry meltdowns that have resulted in school suspensions on several occasions. Compounding Kate’s issues is that the lack of mental health services forces the two to consult a 1970s anger-management book as a substitute for actual therapy. Readers will applaud when several adult acquaintances (with troublesome pasts of their own) unite to help Kate look old enough to sit for the GED.

Ellis presents readers with a likeable protagonist facing seemingly impossible odds. Everywhere Kate turns, the adults around her are unsupportive or unreliable; most concerning are the secrets and lies that Gran has told, including that Kate’s real name is Krate, a birth certificate error made by Kate’s drug-addicted mom. Demonstrating amazing resilience, Kate manages to turn her life around and encourage those around her to do likewise. With memorable characters (and, unfortunately, all too believable contemporary situations) The Outsmarters is an encouraging look at how hard work can bring about second chances.