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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Fifteen-year-old Alexandria Hyatt wears Gucci and Prada, gets her hair coiffed by Mr. Henri, owns a Pomeranian pup named Sprout who serves as both companion and fashion accessory, and has her filthy-rich parents wrapped around her little finger. But when she gets caught shoplifting and ends up in front of a fed-up judge, even her high-society parents can’t pull enough strings to get her off scot-free. To avoid detention at a youth correctional centre, Alexandria must agree to volunteer in Africa with the international aid group Child Save. Walters deals with the inequities and disparity in children’s lives across the globe in this well-written and funny adventure tale. At first, Alexandria seems to be something of a stereotype: a Paris Hilton caricature whose deluded-but-witty inner dialogue during the opening courtroom chapters is wholly entertaining. But Walters adds depth to the young girl by revealing flashes of brilliance in her beyond a caustic wit and sharp tongue. So it’s not a complete stretch that when Alexandria comes face to face with poverty and injustice in Kenya, she begins a slow change. She doesn’t become a perfect individual, nor does she throw off all of her former self-indulgent passions, but she does make room for a new awareness and begins to use her access to wealth to benefit others. Through the author’s detailed descriptions of the Kenyan landscape and Maasai village life, readers will learn, along with Alexandria, a little bit about that part of the world. It may not be the same thing as traveling to Africa themselves, but young adult readers may be inspired by Alexandria’s adventures to become more aware of important global issues.
Review
Praise for Eric Walters’s We All Fall Down:
“Realistic, frightening, and heartbreaking. . . . Walters [creates] a novel that is compelling and emotionally wringing.” - Quill & Quire
“Realistic, frightening, and heartbreaking. . . . Walters [creates] a novel that is compelling and emotionally wringing.” - Quill & Quire
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A striking contrast,
By
This review is from: Alexandria of Africa (Paperback)
Alexandria of Africa grabbed my interest right from the first lines. When this spoiled rich girl is forced to leave her pampered life and spend some time confronted by the harsh realities of a world so different from anything she's ever known, her initial thoughts are only for her own comfort and convenience. Walters does a terrific job drawing a contrast between the two ways of life in this story.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Next best thing to being there,
This review is from: Alexandria of Africa (Paperback)
Alexandria, the heroine of Alexandria of Africa by Eric Walters, is a teenager who has everything she wants but downplays her intelligence and resourcefulness in favour of make-up, designer clothes and material processions, until she gets caught shoplifting and is sent to Kenya to help build a school. As Alexandria learns to live without cell phone reception or hot water, encounters Maasai warriors, a herd of elephants, and a mud hut village; she discovers an inner strength and resilience. Her adventures, woven together with descriptions of the Kenyan landscape and people, make this a compelling read. Every privileged teenager should spend time in a developing country but most won't. This book is the next best thing!
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Handle Like Hendrix reviews Alexandria of Africa,
By
This review is from: Alexandria of Africa (Paperback)
I really liked this book. It had an interesting premise and it was neat seeing a girl I could relate to(I like shopping and hard work outside scares me).Some people might find it hard to like Alexandria because she's rich and a bit clueless. But that's also how I found her funny. I also thought that she was friendly and a good-hearted person. It was also neat seeing her get along (or not) with the volunteer workers and the locals. I kept wishing that she would tell them the real reason as to why she was there. Which made me think that it would be interesting to see another person's perspective on her in this situation because it would be a mystery as to why she was there. But I loved it from Alexandra's perspective. The only thing I didn't like was Renee because I found her annoying and similar to some other people I've known in life (but I know ofcourse in every book there is probably a character you dislike). The last thing I didn't like so much was the climax. It was a bit predictable and not too exciting. This book is great though. It's not the deepest book but it does have alot of interesting information about the African culture. Which is all true because the author,Eric Walters went to Africa. Reviewed by Callie at Handle Like Hendrix
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