Freaks Like Us by Susan Vaught

Reviewed by Lori
Freaks Like Us
Title: Freaks Like Us

Author: Susan Vaught

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 79417

Desription:  A mentally ill teenager who rides the "short bus" to school investigates the sudden disappearance of his best friend.

Rubric Rating: Level 2 - Like It

Why I Read It: I must admit it was the title and cover that made me pick up this book.  (A short bus flipped upside-down)

Lori's Notes:  Freak hears voices.  He has since he was eight-years-old.  He calls his voices Bastard, Whiner, and the No-Names.  They ramble continually in his head.  Now that he's in high school he's in a special class with Drip, who has ADHD, and Sunshine, who has selective-mutism.  Freak has schizophrenia.  They've grown accustomed to their lives as "alphabets" as they call themselves.  But when Sunshine disappears all eyes turn toward Freak and Drip.  But no one ever listens to the alphabets and when the FBI is called in even Freak isn't sure that he didn't hurt Sunshine.  Trying the best they can to find their best friend, Freak and Drip search for Sunshine, but find only more heartache and pain after they are attacked and beaten up by two of the bullies from school.  Even the boy's parents aren't sure if they are to blame for her disappearance.  But when confronted by Agent Mercer of the FBI it is up to Freak to sort out the real from the unreal and the voices in his head, and to see if he alone can find out what happened to Sunshine.  An interesting read but a slow starter for me.  I found myself setting the book down several times in favour of other reads.  The voices were fairly easy to keep sorted as they were italicized within the text.  And because Freak's inner voices are included you do get the dizzying sense of what is going on in his mind.  The quest to find Sunshine is not cut and dry given the characters in the novel, but enough is given away early enough in the novel to make you suspect what happened.

Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and up.  If you have someone who liked "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" this book would be a good recommendation.

Themes: Mental Illness, Schizophrenia, Selective-Mutism, ADHD, Abuse, Disappearance, Mystery, Relationships, Friendship, Bullying, Siblings, Trust.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Movie: A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Music: Voices Inside My Head performed by The Police
Websearch: Understanding Schizophrenia
Websearch: ADHD and Selective Mutism

Post-Reading Discussion Questions and Activities:

  • Research one of the "alphabet" disorders in the book or any other mental illness that may affect teens.  What are the symptoms, what are the causes, how is it treated, who is affected.  Create a poster about your chosen subject.
  • Would you believe Freak if you were Agent Mercer?  (Mercer/Mercy - any connection?)
  • Why does Freak's father not completely support him?  Why is Freak surprised by his mother?
  • Why do the teens refer to themselves as "the alphabets?"
  • Why do you think Sunshine has selective-mutism?  Who does she choose to speak to and why?
  • What happens to Sunshine?  What clues does she leave for Freak?  
  • How does society tend to treat people with mental illness?  



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