Pine Heights Elementary School has a new student, and nobody is happier than Allie Finkle. In her mind, the arrival of Cheyenne from Canada means that she will no longer be the fourth-grade class dolt. That bright prospect fades, however, when Cheyenne suddenly becomes the dismissive standard setter for Allie's closest friend. What is a girl to do? A solid series about real-world problems.
School Library Journal
Gr 3–5—Allie Finkle is anxious to return to school after a rather boring winter break. Her spirits perk up when she hears about a new girl from Canada who will be joining their fourth grade class. However, Cheyenne is not what Allie and her best friends expected: she's a bully and thinks all the girls are immature. Cheyenne forms a new clique and institutes a new game which involves chasing boys on the playground and kissing them when caught. She orders all girls to "go with" a boy, even though most of Allie's classmates don't have a clue what they means. In this third book (Scholastic, 2009) in Meg Cabot's series, Allie decides she's not quite ready to be a grown-up and wants to enjoy life as a kid, no matter what Cheyenne tells her. Narrator Tara Sands perfectly voices the naïve but charming nine-year-old, expressing Allie's rollercoaster of emotions. She easily transitions from incredulous Allie and strong willed Cheyenne to sweet but authoritative Miss Hunter. The pacing is faultless and the production quality is first-rate. An excellent choice for individual or classroom listening.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
Kirkus Reviews
Friendship and loyalty carry the day in this spirited third title of Cabot's Rules-for-Girls series (The New Girl, 2008, etc.). Nine-year-old Allie Finkle and her troupe of four best friends (all with nicely distinctive personalities) at Pine Heights Elementary are appalled by the bossiness of a new girl from Toronto, Canada, who arrives after the winter break in much-coveted high-heeled suede boots and a T-shirt that declares "TNT: Talent Not Talk." Cheyenne O'Malley doesn't have time for the recess games that Allie and her pals delight in playing, but instead engineers a class-wide kissing game that demonstrates her superior maturity and throws Allie for a loop. Why would anyone want to kiss the back-of-the-class boys they all know are creepy, or even "go" with them somewhere? The irony is hilarious and touching, and the author addresses preteen agony by rendering boys and girls alike in a three-dimensional light, even Allie's pesky younger brothers and her quirky young Uncle Jay, who suffers from a broken heart. A pleaser. (Fiction. 8-12)
From the Publisher
Praise for Allie Finkle:"In Cabot's first foray into novels for kids who are still in single digits, her trademark frank humor makes for compulsive reading...Allie is funny, believable, and plucky." -Publishers Weekly, starred review"Your new rule? This book must be read...now!" -Discovery Girls"Meet the most likable heroine since Pippi Longstocking..." -Copley News Service"Allie will appeal to children who enjoyed reading about Ramona, Amber Brown, Junie B., and the other feisty girls found in beginning chapter books. This novel proves that the master of young adult popular fare is able to adapt her breezy style for a younger audience." -School Library Journal"Offering a new series for preteens, Meg Cabot brings her signature ear for dialogue to a younger group, and she gets 4th grade right." -Chicago Tribune "Cabot's winning tone and characterizations will make Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls a surefire hit with its target audience as well as parents who care to provide their children with role models you can't find in other media created for this age group. Long live Allie Finkle!" -Kidsreads.com"Using Allie's fresh voice and believable fourth-grade perspective, Cabot gets across her ‘let children be children' message in a waythat will make sense to other kidssympathetically portrays the broad emotional range of fourth graders." - Booklist
JUNE 2009 - AudioFile
Tara Sands’s perky, youthful voice is a perfect match for Cabot's preteen drama about dealing with bullies, the third installment in her Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series. Listeners are caught up in the excitement as Allie anticipates the arrival of a new student from Canada, who is joining her fourth-grade classroom. Allie and her four best friends enjoy playing make-believe. Cheyenne, the new girl, tells them they’re immature and demands that boys and girls pair up and "go steady." Sands expertly conveys each classmate's distinctive personality, as well as those of Allie's younger brothers and her Uncle Jay. Sands’s delivery totally registers Allie's confusion and growing resentment towards Cheyenne and their eventual confrontation. A thoroughly enjoyable audio experience. L.A.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
