First Impressions [Hardcover]

Marilyn Sachs (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

" I read on. And then it happens. On page 89. Mary is humiliated, and I know I have to step in. There she is, in an ill-fitting, wine-colored gown that doesn't do anything for her mousy complexion, gathering up her music, when I pass by, and spill my glass of punch right on her dress. I turn, and there is Kevin, dressed in a scarlet coat and all the rest of the uniform of a British Soldier, circa 1811. 'What are you doing here?' I ask. 'Well, this is the part I'm up to in the book.'"

The smart middle child in a blue-collar family identifies with Mary, the middle child in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. When Alice enters Mary's world and makes changes in both their lives, she learns that first impressions aren't always right.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8–When straight-A student Alice, 15 and the middle child in a family of five, gets a C+ for misinterpreting Pride and Prejudice as a tragedy (based on the plight of middle-child Mary Bennett), her teacher allows her to redo the paper over Christmas break. As Alice rereads the book, she begins to see Mary and herself more clearly and starts to make some much-needed changes to her paper and her life. Sachs summarizes Pride and Prejudice for an audience who wouldnt be familiar with it by having Alice imagine herself and her new boyfriend in key scenes. This creates some awkwardness as the device repeatedly disturbs the flow of the main story. Stilted dialogue and pedestrian prose make it seem that the characters are going through the motions, never really coming to life.–Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. First impressions are not always right, Alice discovers as she rereads ride and Prejudice for her school essay, enjoys her first date, and tries to escape her noisy, crowded, scrappy family. Rereading the book changes her life, and especially her view of herself. She used to identify with Mary in the Austen novel, the dull sister everyone ignores, but Alice comes to realize that Mary is a pompous nerd, whereas smart, plain Alice can be an active, lively young woman. Alice occasionally enters the world of the novel, and Austen fans will enjoy the commentary. But what readers will like most is the lighthearted contemporary story about the joy and stress of family, friendship, reading, and love. When Kevin asks Alice out on a date, her glamorous older sister warns her about kissing ("Some boys. . . get spit all over you"), and Alice wonders about birth control in Austen's time. Alice and Kevin look like nerds, but "it's a mistake to judge a person by first impressions." Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596431172
• ISBN-13: 978-1596431171
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,526,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars first impressions, September 25, 2006

By 

Beautiful (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Impressions (Hardcover)

This author must have ADD. I kept turning pages back because she doesn't finish one thought before she starts another. My head was spinning trying to keep up.
Basically the whole book is about how great Pride and Prejudice is. So instead of wasting your time reading this one, read Pride and Pejudice. Trust me, don't read this book

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for younger teens, March 19, 2006

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Impressions (Hardcover)

Alice, the middle child in a family of 5, understands what it's like to be forgotten. When reading Pride and Prejudice, she immediately connects with Mary, the forgotten sister and bases her opinion of the novel on her character's impact on the story. When she receives a C on her book report, she is given the chance to reread the novel and write a new report for a better grade. As she reads Pride and Prejudice again, she sees things in a different light. First, she begins by trying to rewrite the story by changing Mary's personality. Then, her life begins to change. She gets her first boyfriend, she learns about true friendship, and her relationship with her parents and siblings change. Slowly, she learns about her purpose in life, as well as the importance of leaving Mary's character the way she is.

I thought that First Impressions was a cute book. It was clever how the author incorporated Pride and Prejudice into this story. I have not read Pride and Prejudice before, and reading this made me want to read the classic. I would recommend this for younger teens, as the main character is younger, but anyone can relate to Alice's problems. This is definitely a book that should not be overlooked.

Reviewed by Flamingnet Book Reviews.
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations.

4.0 out of 5 stars Sprinkled With Austen Fairy Dust, June 11, 2006

By 

Joyes Burris "[e-mail]" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Impressions (Hardcover)

Alice's teacher gave her a "C" for her book report on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a story Alice thoroughly disliked. The teacher believes Alice has misjudged the story and offers her an opportunity to reread the book and submit another report. While she is rereading Pride and Prejudice, magical shifts occur in Alice's relationships with her family and friends. Alice is a strong protagonist -- intelligent, observant and refreshingly assertive. What I really like about Alice is that her self-reflection is so brutally honest. Alice does not hedge.

Though I have a grandson the same age as Alice (thus telling my own age), I never felt frustrated by the youth and inexperience of the young characters in this story. The pacing of the plotlines held my interest in the story and I was a little sorry when the book ended, as I liked the young people and the few adults in this story.