Customer Reviews

Prom

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Prom is very different from Anderson's earlier books, but it is warm and funny and very well-written. Ashley is a regular senior in high school (notice I tried not to say she's "normal"--Anderson does that enough) who couldn't care less about prom until her best friend Natalia drags her onto the prom committee at the last moment. Ashley is cynical about everything, including her boisterous family, and this attitude carries over into her school work and in particular the prom. Ashley's boyfriend TJ foresees the two of them together after her graduation in a dump of an apartment with going-nowhere futures. As the story goes on, of course Ashley begins to realize she really has more to offer than just a counter job in a store, tho she never loses her edge in expressing herself. At times this book is laugh out loud funny and at times it provokes the reader into anger but it is never boring. The sex is implied, not graphically stated, and is realistically done. I liked this book a lot and recommend it.

According to Ashley, she is an average student with average family. She could not think of going to a prom because she does not believe in one magical night. But, when Nat, her best friend, asks for help to reschedule a prom after a teacher used up most of the prom money, Ashley becomes more and more involved in prom. As she gets into the prom, her life starts to change as well. If you Expect this novel to be another `Speak,' you will be disappointed. It is funny rather than serious. This novel is written in cynical tone with funny, tough, and sometimes sweet attitude of Ashley. Anderson wrote this with teen's tone of voice and teens will find this novel as if it is their real story. Anderson takes one of the popular subjects of teens, the prom, and turns that into a real magical transition of real life. She proves that one night of magic can make your life even more magical than ever. It is very entertaining than educational but it is worth reading because everyone should believe in some kind of magic in their life.

A Cinderella story, though not quite as straightforward as the fairytale. Ash is a 'normal' kid, planning to move into a teeny-tiny apartment with boyfriend TJ after graduation rather than going to college, works a job which involves dressing up as a rat and dealing with obnoxious customers, and is going to have to attend detention every day between now and the end of term if she wants to graduate. She isn't remotely enthused about the upcoming prom and thinks it's pretty stupid but when disaster strikes and she finds herself getting involved, she might just get a magical night of her very own. This is sweet and realistic and even though it's quite different to Catalyst or Speak, still brilliant and extremely readable.

When I finished Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom, I wanted everyone in my class to know just how good it was. I could have said, "dude, this book was awesome, dude," because an opinion is valid in direct relationship to how many dude's are included. I didn't say that though. Instead I asked them, "do you know how good this book was?" They looked at me, wondering if I was going to say dude or something. I answered my own question: "I started it yesterday at four o'clock and I'm done now. Less than twenty-four hours and I read the whole thing." I just kept myself from adding dude. Simply put, without any dudes involved, Prom is an excellent book that I did not want to stop reading for even a moment.

Ashley is the "normal" girl at the heart of Prom and it's this idea of her being normal that most got me. In the book, normal is defined as not a high-flyer going to an Ivy League school and not a total loser. Ashley is not going to college, she's just barely passing school, but she's not dumb. She just isn't the school type. I know some of those high school students. I teach some of them. Ashley sounded real to me. I believed in her and felt as though I knew her. She was a real person. She could have been any number of the students I have known.

And that was the theme for me, this idea of being normal and having the problems, triumphs, worries, wants, and needs of ordinary people. Ashley has a boyfriend who treats her badly, but she stays with him. She has detentions piling up, but she's not a bad kid. She doesn't want to go to the prom, but she allows herself to get roped into organizing most of it once one of her friends needs her help. Ashley is normal in that she is saddled with the conflicts that all of the normal students have to face. She has to deal with them as best she can.

It's when it all becomes too much for her that I fall completely for Ashley. No, I'm not in love or anything. It's that she makes me believe in her and see myself in her. The moment occurs after she has worked so hard to organize the prom and then is told that she can't go. She leaves school, rides the city bus for hours, and then returns home. While doing laundry, she breaks the dryer. It's the last straw for her and in one long, frantic sentence that stretches over half a page, Anderson shows Ashley lose all control to the rage and frustration that is swallowing her. I've been there. The students I teach have been there. I'm sure that Laurie Halse Anderson has been there. It's real life and it's normal.

What isn't normal is to read a book in a day. I read a lot, but it's unusual for me to stay with a book that closely and read so fast. I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to wait to see how it would come out. I wanted to watch it unfold as it happened. It was as though I were watching her life and I could no more pause that than I can stop my own life for breaks. See, I'm normal too, just like Ashley, just like everybody, maybe even just like you. Go get Prom. And when you're done, ask everyone around you, "do you know how good this book was?" Just don't say dude.

Ashley is a girl who has a lot of things on her mind, and the prom ISN'T one of them. But when a teacher makes off with some of the money needed to have the greatest prom ever, Ashley finds herself roped into getting decorations, finding a DJ, and getting people to come!

THE GOOD
- As always with Laura Halse Anderson, the book is well-written and the dialogue is fantastic
- the characters are always real, mostly enlightening, and often entertaining
- The best part of the book was that I really grew with the character. Just like Ashley, I too hated the prom at the beginning, but my feelings slowly changed throughout the book without me realizing it. That, I think, is a sign of good writing.

THE BAD
- Though I did grow with the character, I have to say that as a whole, the plot wasn't that interesting. It got more fascinating as the book went on, especially at the end, however had I not been reading it on the subway and thus didn't have anything else to do, I probably would have put the book down a few times before finishing it
- I didn't really understand why Ashley's boyfriend was overall portrayed as a kind of jerk,because he seemed good-natured at times to me.
- Lastly, some of the family scenes were more like sitcom-ish cliches, kind of like Look-at-us-we're-having-fun scenes.

EXAMPLES: The annoying relatives who talk a little too loud and want to know everything about everyone. The father and sons tossing hot dogs to each other as if it a football in an attempt to make lunch.

Overall, this is a majorly character-driven book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in a book with very little plot, it can get a little tiresome

this isnt the worst book. some of you people are attacking it, and just because she had written deeper books, it doesnt mean that she couldnt have a shallow one once in a while. i still love this author, and i will continue to read her next books no matter what. i also suggest you read this book, just to get a different angle of her writing.
:)thannks(:

Prom is a great book to read for entertainment. I thought this book was really good and fun to read. The plot kept me reading all the time. I never wanted to put the book down! I loved the main character, Ashley Hannigan, because she seemed like a real person; not perfect.

Although this book was good, there are a few things I would change or add. I think it should have introduced and gotten to know more of the main character's classmates [the ones who were not best friends or family]. I think this would be a good idea because there were only a few main characters and you did not get to see how the other people around them acted or felt. Also, I think a nice touch would have been a "mystery man" at the dance that Ashley would have met afterwards. These would be just a few things I would have added or changed but the book was still great without these things.

I would recommend this book to almost anyone. Anyone that is at least 13 that is. I would not recommend this book to kids any younger than 13. Also, this is one of those books that would only be appealing to girls not boys. However, I would recommend this book to girls who are mature and enjoy reading funny books. One thing I really liked about this book that may be appealing to some other girls is that there were not actual chapters. Instead of chapters, there were just numbered sections. This made it really easy to read but really hard to want to stop reading. Therefore, if you are 13 or older, a girl, and enjoy reading funny books, Prom by Laurie Halse is a great book for you.

The things Ashley does may seem immoral at first, but that's the whole point of the story. She starts off as somebody who doesn't really care, somebody who can't quite stand up for the things she wants. But there is really a change in her character by the end.

Ashley goes to prom, which she worked her butt off organizing, even though the principal said she wasn't allowed to participate. It's not so much the breaking of the rules that should be looked at here, but the fact that Ashley stands up for herself.

Ashley wants condoms in the prom goodie bags because let's face it -- the kids in her school aren't all that aware of birth control. She STOPS the girl from "going down on" her boyfriend under the bleachers. She dumps her loser boyfriend. She ends up applying for a community college. She changes herself. Underneath her numerous detentions and library fines, she is a good kid.

Prom is not shallow. It's not as deep as Speak, but it's not shallow. It's a story of character evolvement, and I think Laurie Halse Anderson did a great job with it.

This book was a lot different than Speak. It is about a normal teen girl who actually seems normal. Her life isn't what the cover makes it seem like. To me, the cover shows that the teen girl whould be prissy, and popular or a lozer and then turn popular. But she actually has normal friends, a "normal" boyfriend and a hilarious but believable family. This book is really enjoyable for a funny little read.

Ashley Hannigan is an eighteen year-old girl who could care less about the prom, but all her friends are going crazy over it. The students at Ashley's high school go to school and stay out for trouble every day just so they can go to the prom until one day their crazy math teacher, Mrs. Banks, stole some of the money that was going to be used for the prom. Ashley has a best friend named Natalie who is bound determined to keep the prom up and going, since they do not have much money they are begging for prom donations. Even though Ashley could care less about the prom her friends find a way to drag her into making the prom happen. The families of the students are helping each other out so that their children will get to go even though the prom will be held in the school gym because none of the nice hotels want them since they do not have any money. They work their butts off for quite a long time for the prom and they finally thought they were going to be able to go get ready for the prom when something happens to two of the girls. Read the book to find out what happens.
I really liked this book and I thought it had great details. The only thing that I did not like was that it had some bad things in it even though they are very few of these parts, but it was still a very good book and it is well worth the time to read it. The book had some adventure and a little mystery on whether or not they would get to go to the prom.
I would recommend this book to any teenage girl who loves sort of a mystery, but more of a prom loving kind of book. Any girl or maybe even guy who likes to hear about teenagers who stick together to get what they want would also love this book.