The Alison Rules ANNOTATION
Alison tries to deal with the pain of her mother's death by sticking to rules until charming Patrick moves to town, and then she learns that no matter what, life still happens to you.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
What is It About Alison?
For one thing, she has rules: When stealing a rowboat, ALWAYS check that the oars are the same length, so you don't go in circles.
In reference to your best friend's crush, KEEP your feelings to yourself.
NEVER use your locker if that's where you were standing when told the very worst news of all.
But rules — like hearts — are meant to be broken.
From Catherine Clark, author of Frozen Rodeo, comes a profound story of friendship, love, and loss.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
High school sophomore Alison is withdrawing: She broke up with her senior football quarterback boyfriend, avoids hanging out with her dad and younger brother, and has removed most of the photographs from her bedroom bulletin board. Her life revolves around her mouthy best friend Laurie and the news stories she writes for the school paper. When Patrick transfers into school, they become an offbeat group (Laurie tells Alison she likes him, and while Alison develops a crush on him, too, she thinks, "I couldn't let down my defenses"). Alison's first-person narrative plants clues along the way that something tragic happened to her mother, but the fight scene between Alison and Laurie that finally divulges the details feels scripted. Readers may also have a hard time believing in the book's final tragic turn. The real strength here lies in Clark's (Truth or Dairy) ability to create a very real world through vivid details: Alison's dad takes the kids to Salvage City warehouse, where's he's obsessed with products like Mister Fizzee "which almost never lived up to its name" and the local kids hang out drinking beer at the river's boat launch. The author also realistically presents grief as a slow and difficult process, and readers will admire Alison's ultimate realization that "rules hadn't saved me from anything." Ages 14-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Kathryn Erskine
Alison has retreated into her shell after a mysterious and devastating event, which the reader learns later in the book is her mother's death from breast cancer. Alison's kooky friend, Laurie, tries to bring Alison out by providing her with fun and a social life, but Alison is barely keeping herself together. She can't connect with her father and brother, and spurns attempts by school officials who try to help her. When a new boy starts school, a love triangle develops, eventually ripping Alison and Laurie apart. Clark accurately captures the angst and awkwardness of high school relationships, as well as the sarcasm and repartee enjoyed by young people. Everything about her characters, both young and old, is believable. Her depiction of what it is like to deal with daily life while coping with the loss of a loved one is truly authentic. The surprise ending seems unnecessarily dark, given that a message of hope is trying to poke through. 2004, Harper Tempest/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 12 up.
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-High school sophomore Alison makes plenty of "rules" for herself-don't get involved, especially with cute new classmate Patrick; don't go to Boston ever again; don't laugh too loudly or have too much fun. Her friend Laurie tries to bring her out of her shell, but to no avail. Most readers will quickly guess that something terrible has happened to Alison's mother, though they don't find out that she died from breast cancer until the last third of the book. Although it has a few funny moments, this novel is much more serious than the author's Truth or Dairy (2000) and Frozen Rodeo (2003, both HarperCollins). It is a moving story, especially when Alison's repressed emotions do explode, but some readers may find the buildup to that release excessively long. A love triangle involving Alison, Laurie, and Patrick adds interest, however, and a tragedy that occurs in the last few chapters is shocking, unexpected, and heartbreaking. Teens looking for books about daughters grieving their mothers might prefer Karin Cook's What Girls Learn (Pantheon, 1997) or Joan Abelove's Saying It Out Loud (Puffin, 2001), but this is also a solid choice.-Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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