Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that in the title character in Allie Finkle's Rule for Girls: Moving Day is innocently fascinated with the gory details of a boy who got run over by a car, reflecting on his "splattered brains." Allie also enjoys horror movies and refers to certain scenes that may make a young reader's skin crawl. A group of kids are cruel to a cat, swinging it around in a suitcase, but are punished later. Kids may want to check out other books in the series, including Allie Finkle's Rule for Girls: The New Girl, and the series' website.
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What's the Story?
Allie Finkle doesn't realize how much she likes her old school and old friends until her parents announce the family is moving into a dark and creepy house straight out of a ghost story. As Allie tries to decide if her parents are crazy, she creates a secret book of rules for herself that's full of reminders like \"Treat your friends the way you would want them to treat you\" and \"Don't get a pet that poops in your hand.\" Allie's complete list of rules is included in the back of the book -- kids shouldn't read them until they're done or it might spoil some surprises.
Is It Any Good?
Younger fans of Meg Cabot's other bestsellers -- like The Princess Diaries series -- will be eager to meet Allie Finkle, the heroine of Cabot's first series especially for tweens. Allie's not very likable at first. For instance, she complains bitterly about her best friend, Mary Kay, calling her a cry baby when she's the one that often brings her friend to tears. When Allie realizes that her own behavior could use some improvement, she creates a book of rules to remind her of simple and rather offbeat things to keep herself in line, such as: "Don't stick a spatula down your best friend's throat."
Allie becomes more likable and relatable as her family's moving day approaches. Kids who have been there will feel for her. She hates the house (saying it was probably rejected from the TV show My House is Really Old. Won't Someone Fix It, Please?) and wants to foil her parents' plan but knows she has no real control over it. But Allie will get over it and kids looking for engaging, light reading with a quirky heroine will be looking forward to Allie's next adventure and her next set of offbeat rules.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it's like to move. Are there any good things about moving and changing schools?
What other books about third-graders have you read? How does this one compare with those?
Peer pressure is an issue in Allie Finkle's Rule for Girls: Moving Day. Was there a time you had to stand up to a friend? If you saw someone hurting an animal, what would you do?
Book Details
- Author: Meg Cabot
- Genre: Friendship
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Press
- Publication date: March 1, 2008
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
- Number of pages: 232
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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