Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Col
Collection
Publication
Farrar Straus & Giroux (J) (1992), Edition: Aerial edition, 1992, unabridged, 184 pages
Description
Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and disappear without a trace.
Subjects
Original publication date
1987
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User reviews
LibraryThing member librarymeg
I read this book primarily because it has been one of the most challenged books in American libraries, and I'm always interested in reading challenged and banned books. The Goats tells the story of two teens, referred to mainly as "the boy" and "the girl" through most of the book, who are the
As far as the banning/challenging is concerned, it seems to me that the likely censorship premise centers around nudity. Since both teens were stripped and abandoned, they spend a large portion of the beginning of the book nude or in makeshift clothing. In addition, their predicament leads them to become very close very quickly, often holding hands and sleeping together for warmth. The nudity and closeness are not, in my opinion, sensationalist, casual, or really all that sexual in nature. I found The Goats to be entirely appropriate for its teenage audience.
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victims of a cruel and humiliating camp prank. They are stripped and left for the night on a small island, a camp tradition that involves choosing two "goats." In a courageous move, however, they choose to make their way off of the island and disappear. I think that I would have appreciated the book more if I had read it as a teenager. The sense of isolation, hopelessness and embarrassment which I remember so well from my own adolescence were very well written, and tempered with the tentative happiness from finding a friend who understands you. The book does show its age, primarily through cultural references like breakdancing teens, but the story itself still feels relevant to me. Teens who don't mind reading older books would likely enjoy this story of two misfits searching for their place in the world.As far as the banning/challenging is concerned, it seems to me that the likely censorship premise centers around nudity. Since both teens were stripped and abandoned, they spend a large portion of the beginning of the book nude or in makeshift clothing. In addition, their predicament leads them to become very close very quickly, often holding hands and sleeping together for warmth. The nudity and closeness are not, in my opinion, sensationalist, casual, or really all that sexual in nature. I found The Goats to be entirely appropriate for its teenage audience.
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LibraryThing member wispywillow
I have learned not to underestimate “young adult” or “children’s” books. So far, almost all of them I have read so far have been amazing—many of them more poignant and thought-provoking than most “adult” novels I have come across.
This one wasn’t as deep as books such as The
This story revolves around a pair of teenagers—actually, no, I think they might be pre-teens…--who are victims of a yearly “prank” at a summer camp. They’re confused and scared and angry… and they don’t want the other campers to win. So they rely on themselves instead of waiting for help from the adults who were supposed to be watching over them.
It’s touching, seeing these kids form a relationship under such circumstances, watching them do things they normally would never do in order to feed and clothe themselves. Good story.
This one wasn’t as deep as books such as The
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Chocolate War or Fade, but it is still not one to be underestimated. It shows how some kids can be so thoughtless and cruel, with no forethought of how their actions might affect others. This story revolves around a pair of teenagers—actually, no, I think they might be pre-teens…--who are victims of a yearly “prank” at a summer camp. They’re confused and scared and angry… and they don’t want the other campers to win. So they rely on themselves instead of waiting for help from the adults who were supposed to be watching over them.
It’s touching, seeing these kids form a relationship under such circumstances, watching them do things they normally would never do in order to feed and clothe themselves. Good story.
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LibraryThing member fingerpost
At a summer camp, a unbelievably cruel prank is played on one girl and one boy. Their fellow campers, boys on one side of the camp and girls on the other, take their victim to an island near the camp, strip them both naked, and leave them abandoned there for the night. In the morning, they will go
The boy and girl find each other. Needless to say, they are not eager to return to this camp. They manage to get off the island during the night and make it shore elsewhere. They decide they don't want to be found.
What follows is part survivalist story as the boy and girl struggle to eat, find safe warm places to sleep, and avoid capture by anybody. But what made this book so superb was the quickly developing relationship between the two kids. They start out naked, then in improvised clothing, and then in stolen clothes. (I assume this book is frequently banned or challenged because of this nakedness. Neither the author nor the characters dwell on this, and at no point in the book do the kids have sex, or do anything sexual; but there are a few adult characters in the story who assume otherwise.) I was empathetic with these kids (as a child I was often the victim of bullying or at least the butt of mean jokes) and I loved the way the story played out.
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back and get them. The author doesn't tell how old the kids are, but based on a couple of sentences describing their bodies (what stage of physical puberty they were in), I imagined them to be 11 or 12 years old.The boy and girl find each other. Needless to say, they are not eager to return to this camp. They manage to get off the island during the night and make it shore elsewhere. They decide they don't want to be found.
What follows is part survivalist story as the boy and girl struggle to eat, find safe warm places to sleep, and avoid capture by anybody. But what made this book so superb was the quickly developing relationship between the two kids. They start out naked, then in improvised clothing, and then in stolen clothes. (I assume this book is frequently banned or challenged because of this nakedness. Neither the author nor the characters dwell on this, and at no point in the book do the kids have sex, or do anything sexual; but there are a few adult characters in the story who assume otherwise.) I was empathetic with these kids (as a child I was often the victim of bullying or at least the butt of mean jokes) and I loved the way the story played out.
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LibraryThing member bettyjo
This should be required reading for every kid going to summer camp or working at a summer camp. The two main characters are great characters.
LibraryThing member JRlibrary
This is an ALA recommended book, and usually I like their suggestions, but I really, really didn't like this book. I found it boring and slow, and even the font was aggravating. Not often that I give a book such a low rating, but this really, really did nothing for me, which is surprising because I
A boy and a girl are each marooned on an island as a camp prank, and they escape before their tormentors can return the next day and take them back to camp. They decide to go on the run, and cause the camp a bit of anxiety about their disappearance.
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liked the premise of the book. It just was not a good read for me. Would not recommend it to anyone. A boy and a girl are each marooned on an island as a camp prank, and they escape before their tormentors can return the next day and take them back to camp. They decide to go on the run, and cause the camp a bit of anxiety about their disappearance.
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LibraryThing member paakre
What a pleasure it is watching the shunned children get revenge on the mean kids.
LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
Two misfits help each other through the torment of summer camp. I loved this story.
LibraryThing member cougargirl1967
An awkward journey of discovery.
Pages
184