Module Seven: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: The New Girl by Meg Cabot
Bibliography
Cabot, M. (2008). Allie Finkle's rules for girls: The new girl. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.Summary
Allie Finkle's first day as a fourth-grader at Pine Heights Elementary goes less than stellar. Her daring decision to wear a skirt with jeans falls flat, her little brother insists on wearing a pirate costume to school, and a girl named Rosemary hates her already. On the plus side, she has three good friends, her teacher, Mrs. Hunter, is really nice, and she is getting a kitten from the litter of Lady Serena Archibald -- a purebred, long-haired blue colorpoint Persian. Life isn't all bad, even if you're the new girl. But when Rosemary threatens to beat her up, Allie's first reaction of fear transforms into surprise when she learns the true reason behind the bully's animosity.
My Impressions
Plucky Allie endears herself to readers through her self-deprecating sense of humor and enthusiasm. In a conversation with her Uncle Jay, during which she seeks advice on handling Rosemary's threats, he encourages her to call Rosemary's bluff by threatening her back, Allie responds with her signature humor: "Actually, I think what she'll probably do is punch me in the face" (p. 157). In addition, Allie's commitment to mothering her premature kitten is especially engaging. She wakes up every few hours in the night, feeding it a special formula in a sterilized bottle. She explains, "When it's your kitten, you don't mind being tired" (pp. 191-192). I especially liked how Cabot handles the bullying situation with Rosemary. She explains why Rosemary acts the way she does toward Allie. Once the readers understands this, Rosemary's disdain for Allie makes sense. The New Girl tackles the problems of a fourth-grade girl with humor and heart.
Review
"Allie Finkle recently moved into a big old house with her parents and two brothers and is beginning fourth grade. On her first day as the new girl at Pine Heights Elementary School, she has to eat popcorn for breakfast, is embarrassed by her little brother who insists he's a pirate, wears the wrong outfit for making a good first impression, and makes an enemy of the class bully. On top of all that, she soon discovers that Lady Serena Archibald, a show cat pregnant with Allie's promised kitten, is ill and may lose all her babies. How can this girl handle all these complications? Narrator Tara Sands breezes through Meg Cabot's second entry (Scholastic, 2008) in the series with an enthusiastic, youthful voice for Allie as she deftly voices more than a dozen supporting characters. This enjoyable story about the plucky youngster's struggles to deal with her family, friends, enemies, and the tricky situations life throws at her is an audio treat for girls who will easily relate to this realistic character."
Use in Library
This could be used to prompt a discussion about bullying among elementary school children, both boys and girls. Various (age appropriate) forms bullying could be discussed with adults explaining that both verbal and physical bullying is hurtful. Children would be asked to share their experiences with bullying, either as the bullier (although I doubt they would admit this in a group setting) or the bullied. Possible ways to deal with bullying would be discussed and resources shared.Grade school children would be invited to make their own lists, just as Allie does. They will then be invited to share points from their list with the group.
Verbrugge, J. (2009). The new girl: Allie Finkle's rules for girls, book 2. [Review for the audiobook The New Girl: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls]. School Library Journal, 55(4), 60.
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