The Ghost in Allie's Pool [Paperback]

Sari Bodi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

YOUNG GHOST VS. COOL KIDS

Middle School is never a piece of cake, but it's even harder when you lose your best friend to the "cool kids". You know the cool kids with belly-button rings, tattoos, packs of cigarettes in their stylish tiny purses and the mean personality.

Allie is smart, cute, not too fat, not too thin, and just not one of the cool kids. Her best friend Marissa is... and eighth grade is about to begin.

When Marissa abandons her, Allie angrily flings her friendship necklace into the backyard pool. To her astonishment, the ghost of Dorothy May, a Mayflower ancestor, appears, maybe to help her with 8th grade problems. Dorothy May's 17th century Puritan perspective gives Allie a new take on friendship, happiness, and even the 8th grade.

The Ghost in Allie's Pool pulls in the reader from the first paragraph. In Allie's authentic voice, author Sari Bodi addresses bullying, peer pressure and conformity. It is a book that teens will want to read and their mothers and teachers will want to talk about.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Eighth grade goes from fun to disaster when Allie's best friend, Marissa, dumps her for the popular kids. Suddenly, Allie finds herself sitting alone in the middle-school cafteria with no one to call on her new cell phone. Angry and frustrated, Allie flings Marissa'ls friendship necklace into her pool, and to her astonishment, the ghost of Dorothy May--the ancestor who sailed on the Mayflower and whom she's researching for English class--appears, maybe to offer a little help. But if Marissa and her new friends find out Allie's talking to a ghost, Allie will sit alone in the cafeteria for the rest of her life. But can Dorothy May's different point of view about stuff Allie takes for granted--baths, bikinis, computers, friendship--be just what Allie needs to navigate social life in the 8th grade?

"Just wait until you meet Allie and her mysterious friend in this imaginative, satisfying story. Heart stopping and unusual, I couldn't put it down. You won't be able to either." Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor Book author of "Lily's Crossing" and "Pictures of Hollis Woods."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I'm sitting on the curb in front of Bristol Pizza with my best friend Marissa waiting for the cool kids to show up. Marissa says we need to be more popular before we get to high school. I don't see why; we have each other.

I really shouldn't be here. My paper on "digging up the roots of your family tree" is due in Mr. Sampson's English class tomorrow. Mr. Sampson says it's important for us to know who we are by where we came from. "And I don't just mean writing down the name of your parents," he said. "You already did that in kindergarten."

"Hey, Allie. Do what I'm going to do," Marissa says, slurping the last of her diet soda through a straw. "Tell Mr. Sampson your mother had a nervous breakdown and you had to go to the hospital with her."

"Yeah, that would really work since she's the school psychologist," I say, chewing on the warm crust of my second piece of sausage pizza.

"Why not? Tell him your mom couldn't deal with the kids anymore so she went crazy." Marissa smiles at me like she just came up with the greatest idea.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Brown Barn Books (May 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976812665
• ISBN-13: 978-0976812661
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,951,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, June 5, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ghost in Allie's Pool (Paperback)

I love the plot and the way it's written. I read it once and couldn't stop reading the last few chapters again and again. And now I find myself reading the whole book again!!!!!! Trust me, once you start reading this book, you won't want to stop! I rate this book 5 stars and if I could I'd rate it much more.

5.0 out of 5 stars couldn't put it down--and I'm 42!, February 12, 2008

By 

Constant Reader (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost in Allie's Pool (Paperback)

I just previewed this book for my kids and absolutely loved it! Sari Bodi has done so many wonderful things at once--the dead-on dialogue, the graceful history lessons, the humor. As a parent I enjoyed the appearance of moms, dads, & teachers who--in most cases--are affectionate and actually helpful, unlike so many adults in kids' novels. And I love having a book for my son and daughter that features a strong girl and an openminded boy and a not-preachy blueprint for standing up to bullies (also rare in kid lit).

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 8, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost in Allie's Pool (Paperback)

Allie is not enjoying 8th grade. Ever since her best friend, Marissa, started preferring the "cool" kids to her oldest friend, Allie feels like everything has gone wrong. Allie can only imagine how much worse it would be if Marissa and her new friends knew about the ghost.

Somehow a ghost has appeared in Allie's pool. Not just any ghost, but the ghost of Dorothy May, Allie's ancestor who came over on the Mayflower! To make things even stranger, Dorothy is far from confined to the pool. She regularly appears in Allie's room, she can change her clothes and hair, and Allie can even touch her!

Dorothy and Allie seem to have quite a bit more in common than genetics, though their outlooks on the world are considerably different. Maybe, just maybe, Dorothy can help Allie with more than her English report. It's even possible that Allie might have something to offer Dorothy in return. As interesting as it is to hang out with Dorothy, Allie does wish that she had some visible, living friends. Otherwise, Allie's not sure she'll make it through 8th grade, much less to high school.

Let's be honest, middle school stinks for a lot of people. Kids are mean, people you thought you knew change out of nowhere, and everything feels very unstable. Allie is a perfect example of all of this. Her story is extremely realistic, and sadly common, except for the ghost part. Boy, do I wish I'd had a Dorothy May to help me!

While this is a good, sweet, positive growing up kind of story, it doesn't stop there. There is some history, of course. A look at the differences, and similarities, between life now and life way back when. Mostly, though, it's about appreciating yourself, and other people, for who they really are.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman