Alice I Think (Mass Market Paperback)

I have no knowledge of or experience with home schooled children and teens but I know that this is considered offensive to them. I imagine that they simply have parents who would rather shield them from the harsh reality of the violent, depressing world around us. I am jealous of them; I mean they end up as smart without dealing with all the trouble of high and middle school.

I honestly despised Alice and her personality in all aspects. The book completely lacked a plot and plotline. Her boyfriend that she picked up was a sickening character. There was no rising action, climax, or falling action. It was honestly one long line of a book.

Nevertheless I didn't put the book down from beginning to end... I kept expecting something to happen but I was completely disappointed, and, at the end, I was angry at myself for wasting two and a half hours of my life.

Still, it was some form of entertainment and I would recommend it to those of you who are sick of the typical teenager book that tells the strory of girls who end up happy ever after with perfect friends and boyfriends which completely deviate from the truth of teenagerhood.

Having lived in a small town very much like Smithers, having visited there several times before and who's mother grew up in Terrace, a few hours away from Smithers, I can confidently say that, yes, this book shows exactly what Smithers is like. It's small, tight-knit, and, at times, just plain weird. Along with this, I can also affirm that the plot pieces, as they are told, may be slightly exaggerated, but actually do happen in rural British Columbia.

Also, since I am fifteen myself, and was homeschooled for a good portion of my life, I can say with confidence two things. First, Alice is realistic as a homeschooled teenager, acting like I have at times. I laugh at adults who read this book and say that it was an innacurate account of a teenager growing up. How would they know? I, a teenager myself, found it startlingly accurate. Second, this book is not making fun of or laughing at homeschooled children - it is laughing with them. Many people who have been homeschooled know that it does tend to leave one a little sheltered and shy, causing all sorts of humorous incidents.

I leave with these words - before making comments about any book at all, consider how you know them to be true. Sometimes, unless you have been in certain situations, you cannot accurately judge the authenticity of the author's account.

-Stephanie Van Dyk
British Columbia, Canada