Customer Reviews

I Almost Love You, Eddie Clegg

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This is a delightfully funny and charming story of a young girl's growing up and trying to fit in. She is also dealing with an alcoholic step-father with whom she is trying to develop a father-daughter relationship. The story has an important, positive message that is a must read for young teens dealing with these difficult issues. The book is well-structured and Supplee masterfully intermingles the more serious messages in the book with lots of very funny situations. The book ends on a positive note. You'll love these characters and be begging for more novels featuring them.

This engaging story of a 13-year-old seeking popularity at school and harmony at home had me rooting for the main character--Asa Marie-from the first page. Asa's approach to popular fads, including some embarrassing and funny missteps, captures the identity struggle of adolescence in a lighthearted way. Asa's efforts to grow closer to her alcoholic step-dad, Eddie Clegg, are poignant and insightful. A "romance" with a boy next door and some gentle befriending of Asa by another girl at school add sweetness to the story. I liked how the author wrote in first person from Asa's perspective. Many interesting plot twists kept me turning the pages with anticipation. Asa seemed like a real person to me, not just a character in a book. I delighted in Asa's growth and look forward to more books about her adventures.

Asa wants to be popular, and she wants it bad. Readers get to see what happens when a lively, likable girl tries too hard to fit in with the popular crowd with some very embarrassing results. Asa's life is further complicated by her stepfather, the Eddie Clegg of the title, a nice guy who has a drinking problem. With a light touch, the author shows how both Asa and Eddie are drawn into one another's lies: how easily Eddie asks Asa to lie for him and how she does it, albeit reluctantly, to get what she wants. This is a terrific book for any child who lives in a household with an alcoholic and for any adult who has ever asked a child to shade the truth. While the story is never preachy, both Asa and Eddie come to see that honesty really is the best policy.