Last Mall Rat

by Erik E. Esckilsen

Book Overview

Mitch Grant just wanted a job, and maybe a little respect, but at fifteen, he found both just beyond his reach. Too young to be legally employed, he knew that the only cash likely to come his way would have to pass "under the table"--through some discreet, off-the-books business arrangement. And that meant talking to the Chair, a shoe salesman at the mall famous for his skill in getting customers from "just looking" to the cash register. The Chair...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618608966
• ISBN13: 9780618608966
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Outstanding young adult literature

I bought this book as a birthday present for a friend's teenage son, but I ended up letting my 11-year-old daughter read it too, because I found it so moving and thoughtful. Esckilsen has a wonderful feeling for the inner life of kids who are making the slow transition from youth to adulthood, with all the challenges and the responsibilities that entails. Above all this is a very moral book, and in that sense it really works as literature, because its lessons are never shouted but come to the reader naturally as the plot unfolds.

A Star Is Born

Anyone who has ever spent their teenage years working in a mall can relate to this book. I loved it.

The Last Mall Rat by E.E. Esckilsen

An easy joy ride of a read in one afternoon you will be transport to a place and a time when fifteen is an age you wish you were again. Esckilsen is insightful and introspectively brilliant! Read-it!

Engaging and Intelligent

...one of the reasons I admire this book so much is precisely for its ending, which I think speaks to the power of people of disparate race, class, gender, and age working together to tend to both the individual's and the community's needs--but without suggesting that there's anything easy about that task. The book in no way promises that all will be well in the end, but it does suggest the possibility of such an ending. And on a similar note, I also appreciate Esckilsen's ability to draw distinct characters with certain symbolic functions, but without ever resorting to stereotype or condescension. The characters and their predicaments feel extremely authentic to me, thanks in part to exceptionally precise detail and the author's very clever wit. I truly enjoyed reading this book.

I could not put it down!!!!

"Caveat Emptor". If you do not know what this means and even if you do, this book is for you. The book captures your attention from the very first chapter in the same way the "Usual Suspects" would. As you follow the main character, Mitch Grant, in his quest for extra cash, the writer has the ability to capture your attention through his subtle sense of humor and you want to know what will happen to Mitch and his "mall Mafia". You quickly build sympathetic feelings towards Mitch Grant and his friends, even the most mischievous ones. Anyone who has worked in a mall will relate to this story while others will now better understand what "customer service" is all about. This book is for readers of all ages, in particular for those who have worked in malls or have spent a lot of time in malls. I highly recommend it. The end will very positively surprise you.