Children's chances: How countries can move from surviving to thriving

for examining some of these aspects of children’s and young people’s lives. Although the author begins by laying down a well-designed theoretical orientation (inspired by J. K. Gibson-Graham’s diverse economic practices), I cannot help but be left dissatisfied with the ‘missing’ treatment of certain longstanding themes in educational research. For instance, I am kept puzzled by the extent to which issues of class and privilege are features of alternative education. It also does not help that there is a lack of information on the backgrounds of families involved in homeschooling as well as Steiner andMontessori schooling. An initial expectation I had of this book was to be able to read about the diverse ways in which children and young people learn outside formal educational spaces. The book certainly showcases this to some extent. But I find it wanting of young people’s actual learning experiences. There is a significant amount of narratives about how educators and parents conceive/perceive alternative education and learning. Yet, the voices of young learners are minimal –which is something the author himself wishes had been otherwise (p. 256). This leaves me with the impression that the notion of alternative learning explored in this book largely reflects the vision of (adult) educators, practitioners, and parents. Geographies of Alternative Education makes an important contribution to geographical studies of education by foregrounding the hitherto under-examined sites of ‘alternative’ learning. Scholars, educators, and policy-makers will find this to be a valuable resource given that it is a hopeful theoretical and political project around education and learning. I have one final remark: given that most of the world’s children and young people are drawn into formal education, to what extent can these ‘alternative’ practices be usefully incorporated into mainstream educational settings? Are some of these alternative practices already being practiced in mainstream schools? I believe that these questions will be of great interest to those working to push pedagogical and learning boundaries in mainstream education.