09/08/2014
In a format akin to that of her debut, This Journal Belongs to Ratchet, Cavanaugh offers an accessible and insightful coming-of-age story told primarily through lists and letters, and embellished with doodles. Abigail and her best friends Alli and Cami are starting sixth grade with the goal of fulfilling a lifelong dream: becoming pom-pom girls. But Alli and Cami wind up in a different homeroom than Abigail, and while they both make the pom-pom squad, Abigail is named an alternate. Further compromising her social standing, Abigail is paired up with school pariah Gabby for a writing assignment. Seasoned readers may foresee Abigail's journey to choosing real friendship with Gabby over the lure of popularity, but the story holds a few unexpected turns, as well as a strong sense of the emotional, physical, psychological, and moral growth that often accompany the middle-school years. Cavanagh builds the relationship between Gabby and Abigail with a tender and knowing touch, allowing funny moments to rest alongside cringe-worthy ones. Ages 9–12. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. (Aug.)
""Written in short lists, letters, notes, and journal entries, the novel's mixed-media format will appeal to reluctant readers, and Abigail's voice rings true... The story is honest without being preachy, and many middle school readers will relate to Abigail's struggle to balance social pressures with her own moral compass."" - School Library Journal
"This kind of dilemma is very pertinent for middle school girls...[Cavanaugh] handles it with tact and sensitivity, taking her heroine on a psychological journey from superficial to thoughtful." - Kirkus
"Cavanaugh creates a layered and interesting character in Gabby, the resilient girl everyone loves to pick on. And Abigail has depths she herself hasn't considered... Just the right amount of lightness and pathos will hook readers looking for something (a) engaging and (b) just a little bit different." - Booklist
""Told in the hyper-chatty, status-obsessed voice of your secretly sweet best friend, Always, Abigail is always adorable." - Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever
" - Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever
""Brimming with honesty and heart." -- Caroline Starr Rose, award-winning author of MAY B.
" - Caroline Starr Rose, award-winning author of MAY B.
"The story is never preachy. Readers who empathize with Abigail's desire to do the right thing while holding onto her privileged status can see for themselves the consequences of failing. For kids on the cusp of young adulthood and ready to advance as quickly as possible, Always, Abigail makes a compelling case for being kind and enjoying a little more of childhood while it lasts." - BookPage
"Lists organize the story in a unique way. It is like reading a journal without becoming strict narrative, keeping us out of the "telling instead of showing" trap... Abigail has a distinct voice and very real problems. The book explores the difference between what we think will make us happy and what actually pleases us." - The One and Only Marfalfa
"Always, Abigail with its eye-catching cover and true to life story is a book that kept me and the kids entertained at reading time each night. With witty text and a realistic storyline, it was great to share this book with my children." - Little Ones Read
"A little gem... Cavanaugh works through Abigail's feelings of being left out, making friends with someone labeled a loser, and the guilt of not wanting her new friendship known, with grace and reality... The transition to middle school is tough for most and Cavanaugh conveys that journey with candor, hope and humor." - At the Library with Paula
"For those currently in the thick of it, Always, Abigail is the perfect book. Abigail's voice is so perfectly honest and real. She comes across as genuine, vulnerable, and sympathetic" - Random Musings of a Bibliophile
"Nancy has truly captured what it's like to be a middle school girl. " - Library Gals
"I absolutely loved this book! Abigail and all her lists was hilarious. The graphics made it that much more endearing." - The Reading Room
"Always, Abigail is one of those stories we all remember from middle school. No one's quite fitting in or exactly sure where he or she belongs. The book manages to depict this really, really well. " - Ink Bitten
"[Abigail is] a pitch perfect middle school voice... Cavanaugh really knows her demographic, writes effectively and convincingly, and even the format (lists) works." - Ms. Yingling Reads
"The story realistically relates the worries, concerns, and situations that face most students entering middle school... it would be a good conversation starter for girls who are having trouble adjusting to a new grade or school. This book deserves a place not only on library shelves, but also in the guidance office." - Library Media Connection
"I liked this story for several reasons. It's an example of how your goals can change when you aren't looking. It looks at who really is and isn't your friend. The story is partly written in letter form and that fascinates me. " - Journey of a Bookseller
"...the story holds a few unexpected turns, as well as a strong sense of the emotional, physical, psychological, and moral growth that often accompany the middle-school years. Cavanagh builds the relationship between Gabby and Abigail with a tender and knowing touch, allowing funny moments to rest alongside cringe-worthy ones." - Publishers Weekly
"While this exact story has been told again and again, Nancy Cavanaugh still finds a way to make it appealing. In a different twist on the popular diary format, Abigail tells her entire story in lists describing what happens to her, how she feels about it, and what her plans are. Each list is given a specific headline, and sometimes lists only contain one very short item, so this breaks up the reading into much more manageable chunks than just chapters. Many pages are also decorated with various doodles and embellishments, providing for lots of text-free space. The reader feels that the story is going by quickly based on how often she turns the pages." - Story Time Secrets
"Always Abigail: Review Haiku
Classic middle-grade about mean girls, nice girls, and doing the right thing." - Emily Reads
"This was a great book about choosing what you should do, over what you want to do... Abigail goes through a natural, yet significant, character change. As a reader, I really enjoy that in a book." - This Kid Reviews Books
07/01/2014
Gr 5–7—Abigail Walters is starting sixth grade, and this is her year. She and her lifelong best friends, Alli and Cami, have been practicing for pom-pom squad tryouts for months, and when they all become poms, it will open the doors to popularity. Unfortunately for Abigail, the year starts with a hitch when she is assigned to a different homeroom than AlliCam, as she calls them, and things go from bad to worse when she gets paired up with the school's biggest outcast, Gabby Marco, for a letter-writing project. Then, worst of all, Abigail doesn't make the squad. As the year carries on, Abigail becomes more estranged from AlliCam, and to her surprise, she starts to form a friendship with Gabby. When she has the chance to be a pom-pom girl after all, she's forced to decide which is more important: her newfound popularity or standing up for what she knows is right. Written in short lists, letters, notes, and journal entries, the novel's mixed-media format will appeal to reluctant readers, and Abigail's voice rings true. What's more, her conflicting emotions about the friendships in her life resonate. The story is honest without being preachy, and many middle school readers will relate to Abigail's struggle to balance social pressures with her own moral compass.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Abington School District, PA
2014-05-12
A sixth-grade girl has to decide between friendship and popularity.Winning a coveted place on the middle school pompom squad means popularity, cool guys and schoolwide fame. To list-loving protagonist Abigail, who narrates the story in the first person in a list format, it means the world. But, unlike Abigail's two barely differentiated best friends, Alli and Cami, Abigail only makes alternate. Worse, Gabby Marco, "the number one outcast at Crestdale Heights," is assigned to be Abigail's partner for the friendly-letter assignment. Slowly, grudgingly, Abigail comes to both like and admire Gabby, and together, the two of them volunteer to read stories to kindergarteners, which they both enjoy. But after a bit of luck secures Abigail a permanent spot as a pompom girl, she has to decide if Gabby's low position on the school totem pole makes friendship tenable. Gabby, though eccentric, is portrayed as all good, while the pompom girls don't have an ounce of kindness or compassion among them. And unrealistically, Abigail's choice is set up as a binary choice between pompom girl and everything it represents or Gabby and the kindergarteners, with no flexibility to move between worlds.Nonetheless, this kind of dilemma is very pertinent for middle school girls, and Cavanaugh largely handles it with tact and sensitivity, taking her heroine on a psychological journey from superficial to thoughtful. (Fiction. 9-13)
