Module 6-Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Best Friends and Drama Queens

Book Info:
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Best Friends and Drama Queens by Meg Cabot. Scholastic, Inc., 2009.

Summary:
When Allie and her friends learn that a new girl is moving to their town from Canada, they are very excited to have someone so interesting and foreign entering their class. However, the new girl, Cheyenne, is not as fun and exciting as they thought she would be, especially when she starts ordering everyone in their fourth grade class around. If they don't do what she says, she deems them "babies" and bullies them relentlessly until they buckle. The only girls to resist Cheyenne are Allie and Rosemary (though everyone's too intimidated by tom-boy Rosemary), and Allie is constantly picked on for not "going" with a boy until their teacher realizes what's going on and puts a stop to Cheyenne's bullying.
My Take:
Though I was a bit rankled by how most of the girls treated Rosemary oddly because she's a tom-boy and not "girlie," I really ended up liking these books. At first I was also annoyed with the very juvenile writing style…but then I remembered finding one of my elementary school diaries at my mom's house a few years ago and realized that my writing style had sounded remarkably like Allie's at that age. All in all, it was a very funny book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Allie and her friends, even though I really just wanted to punch the bullying Cheyenne at times. I especially liked Allie's uncle who helped Allie deal with her problems without being too parenty or over-bearing.
Reviews:
School Library Journal ( July 01, 2009 ; 0-545-03968-1 )
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 naive 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 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Suggestions:
This book would be fun for a book talk with older elementary school or junior high girls, especially ones who might be dealing with bullies and peer-pressure.