Alice, I Think (Paperback)

by Susan Juby (Author) "I blame it all on The Hobbit..." (more)
Key Phrases: butt page, ass ponys, fish show, Death Lord, Life Goals, Prince George (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Ever since Alice arrived at first grade dressed as a hobbit and endured a week of increasingly violent peer rejection, she has been home schooled by her hippie mom and indifferent dad, leaving her with what her therapist calls "a shocking poverty of age-appropriate real-life experience." Now Alice’s inept new therapist, Death Lord Bob, has cornered her into agreeing to go to the public high school. Actually, this fits right in with Alice’s career aspirations to become a cultural critic, and her eighties style statement would be working out pretty much all right (especially after she gets a great haircut somewhat by accident) if it weren’t for her old nemesis Linda, now grown seriously homicidal, and her two head banger henchmen. Alice’s sensible observations are a rich source of humor in this very funny first novel, as she tries to get her life together in spite of the peculiar aberrations of the "normal" teen and adult population of Smithers, a small ingrown town in British Columbia where entertainment opportunities are limited to excuse-to-drink events like the Northern Saddle Sores’ Family Trail Ride. Her mother is the kind of tie-dye clad woman who holds a sage-burning ceremony for safety before starting out on a back-to-school shopping trip, and her friends include bookstore owner Corinne, who is allergic to books. Her romance-writing father’s poker cronies are equally colorful: gay but style-challenged Finn and taxi-owning Marcus, who has a succession of twenty-years-younger girlfriends who need a ride. When Alice’s sullen girl cousin Frank arrives, a parents’ nightmare with her bizarre outfits and stuffed-animal backpack filled with bottles and baggies, Alice observes the resulting hullabaloo with amused satisfaction, and after a hilarious, precarious car trip to a Fish Show and Drum Workshop, she finds herself well on the way to acquiring a friend and a boyfriend. Older teens will enjoy the story and the many descriptions of wacky clothes if they can get past the misguided cover, a picture of five-year-old Alice's chubby hobbit-clad legs. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Goethals does a superb turn as Alice, the alienated teen possessed of a biting sarcasm who stars in Juby's frequently hilarious novel. Providing the perfect air of intelligence tinged with teen angst, Goethals gives Alice's journal about her various travails an undercurrent of energy. Alice, who feels like a true misfit, has been home-schooled for years and will soon enter a public high school. Whether she's keenly critiquing her hippie mother's feminist friends (of the armpit-hair-growing, patchouli-wearing ilk), her father's slacker pals or her generally inept teachers and counselors, Alice offers a unique view of common teenage scenarios and complaints. She suffers at the hands of bullies, feels awkward around boys and longs to create a special "look" for herself, just like most kids her age. Her ever-present family is a source of love and comfort as well as embarrassment. But what makes this tale unusual is Alice's ability to see her everyday dramas in the context of a bigger picture of her life. Particularly entertaining are Goethals's spot-on mocking imitations of the overly caring or just plain daffy authority figures in Alice's life. Teens-and adults who remember their own teen years well-will find much to like here, including plenty of pop-culture references. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060515457
• ISBN-13: 978-0060515454
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #288,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent book, July 16, 2004

By	Shi-chan "Shi-chan" (USA) - See all my reviews

Anyone who wasn't satisfied with Alice, I Think should re-read it. I found it quite...odd at first, and would have given it 2 or 3 stars after the first read. However, after re-reading it twice, and reading its sequel, Miss Smithers, I enjoyed it far more. I think it is a book that you need to get used to. The author's style is really something that's an acquired taste.
However, I think that whoever thought the mention of Internet porn was awful...all I have to say is welcome to reality. I am a teenager, and my friend who is younger than I am has read this book without issue. I have seen much worse things in books, and it's simply ridiculous that it wouldn't be appropriate for 16 year olds. (Besides, it WASN'T in great detail!) And anyway, it's a _journal_. I'm aware Alice is fictional, but if that happened, you know, it happened. I keep a journal myself, and I'm sure it's extremely boring at times. I mean, please. This is hardly the height of inappropriate literature. I think this is a grossly misguided idea.
Anyway, sorry for snarkiness. This was a pretty good book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating, humorous, albeit wandering plot, April 14, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Alice, I Think (Library Binding)

I greatly enjoyed Susan Juby's debut novel "Alice, I Think". I did not put it down from start to finish. Having been home schooled myself by a relatable "hippie" mother for a short period during my elementary years; I found many of the issues to be whole and humorous truths. The plot line was not exactly firm, but as Juby was aiming to portray the diaried life of a teenage girl, we cannot entirely expect her to provide one. The form in which Alice scribed her life was hilarious; the dry humor could be lost on some. The characters were eclectic, and provided much spice to the story. I enjoyed Alice's attempts to become "alternative", trying the replicate her cousin franks hair cut (with disastrous-and then fufilling- consequences), "thrifting", and trying hard to become immune to pop culture, while inadvertently submitting herself to the worst form.
All in all, this was a well-rounded read, with laughs, life lessons, and much more. It is to be avoided if you lack the talent to pick up on dry humor, subtle sarcasm, and a strong sense of reading between the lines for humor not plainly stated. The book is a plain farce, and should be taken as so.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious book!, February 14, 2005

By	Atalanta (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice, I Think (Hardcover)

I picked up this book thinking it wouldn't be so good, but it is really good!

Alice is the daughter of crazy hippie parents and sister to MacGregor, a genius who breeds fish. Alice has been homeschooled all her life after a somewhat traumatic incident between some other girls in kindergarten. When Alice is 15, she decides to go back to public school.

Alice has a list of things that she wants to do in her life, which leads to her doing and saying things that made me laugh, even if I was in public. Alice's narrative of her day-to-day life is hilarious and perpetually interesting. Many of the things she says, I couldn't help quoting at times. This book is happy and would make for a good, light summer read. I would definitely recommend this book.

~Atalanta