Alice, I Think

I loved Alice, I Think and Alice the character. This book is about a teen girl, home schooled until she was 15. At that age, she decides she's like to go to "normal" school. Alice's parents are hippies who don't seem capable of parenting her. They are a strange blend of over-protective and laissez faire.

The book deals with tough issues, such as addiction, teen violence, parental incompetence. At times, however, it is laugh-out-loud funny because we are told the story through Alice's eyes as she writes in her journal. She is smart, but lacks social skills and knowledge about how the world works. But she has her own style and a unique perspective that make the book fascinating.

I've ordered the sequel already!

“This book is hilarious. You don't have to care about teen age girls with post hippie dysfunctional parents in rural BC. Alice's take on her life is just laugh out loud funny. She calls her social worker Death Lord Bob. Trust me, have a good laugh, read Alice, I Think. If the humor works for you (not every reviewer has liked it) you may irritate those around you with your laughter.

When Alice was four, she was a Hobbit. Okay, I can identify -- I think at that age I was convinced I could BE a pony if I wanted to enough.

The first 3/4 of the book I was laughing so hard in places I almost fell off the couch. (And my husband was really not thrilled to have sections of it read aloud to him -- guess it lost something, what with the laughing and snorting garbling the words....)

Alice's unique perspective on being an outcast is refreshing, entertaining, and grounded in her own type of reality. But in the last few entries -- say from Frank's reappearance and the tail end of the trail ride on, the book disappointed me.

I guess I was expecting some sort of resolution for Alice at school or regarding psychotic Linda, perhaps show more a realization that Frank was not actually someone to be idolized, or maybe something would have come of the Jack's whispered confession. Instead, the book closes with Alice's decision (and the fallout) to enter the "women's tent" with a complete stranger at a combined fish fair and drumming convention. Alice never connects with her parents, and the stabilizing presence of her brother seems farther away than ever.

Alice is a likable charming character, and I really enjoyed her. I'm not sure I'd want my daughter making the same decisions Alice ends up making -- but maybe that's the point. show less

Seriously, one of the funniest books I've ever read. I was doubled over in my eye doctor's waiting room cackling. Alice is a socially retarded homeschooled small town girl with big dreams of popularity. But her clueless hippie parents don't help her out much. A riot from beginning to end!

A Confederacy of Dunces for the YA set. A homeschooled teenager writes about trying to integrate into society. Fortunately for the reader, she is as self-absorbed, selfish and out-of-touch with reality as could be hoped. Very amusing.

This is quite possibly the funniest book I have ever read. It is definitely the funniest teen novel I've read. Alice Macleod, a homeschooled teen living in Smithers, British Columbia, entertains from the first two sentences: "I blame it all on 'The Hobbit.' That, and my supportive homelife."

VOYA - Nina Lindsay
Alice does not exactly fit in. On her first day of school, she dressed like a hobbit, and that was about the end of regular school for her. Her overprotective parents have homeschooled her since then, and through her diary-an assignment from her cute "Teens in Transition" counselor-readers learn about her Life Goals List, from #1. Decide on a unique and innovative career path. (To get helping professionals off my back.)" to #7. Develop a new look. (Like career choice, must reflect uniqueness.)" She starts off with a bang-Career: Cultural Critic. Look: Plaid stretch pants, orange muscle shirt, and green down vest from the thrift shop-but somewhere in her exaggerated enthusiasm to impress her counselor, Alice indicates show more that she would also like to go back to "regular" school. Nevertheless, Alice plows ahead with abandon and a kind of odd grace: "I don't think the whole properly applied makeup thing is going to work for me-I'll either apply it badly or not at all." She stumbles through a terrifying first boyfriend experience-"I think I love Aubrey. I know I love my hair. I may even be a girl. The rituals of humans are very odd."-and lands... somewhere. At least somewhere, she can say, "Well, actually, my life isn't really that bad at the moment." Over the top but oddly realistic, with a narrator who is wandering and unreliable yet strangely articulate, this novel is strictly for self-proclaimed weirdos, who ought to enjoy it immensely. PLB show less