  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2017 Gr 4–6—Allie West's mom is the school principal. In fifth grade, that's more of a curse than a blessing. Allie's an outsider, and after she accidentally tattles on her best friend Chloe, the whole school thinks she's a snitch and won't talk to her or invite her anywhere. Her only friends are the Afters, kids whose parents work for the school and must stay late each day. Even though the Afters plan fun activities to do after school, they don't talk to one anther during the day. So during school hours, Allie still feels like she has no one. While trying to repair her friendship with Chloe and get some real friends, Allie doesn't realize she's abandoning the ones who have always been there for her. The pace is leisurely, with a plot twist near the end. This is a sweet story line, where characters behave a little on the juvenile side for their age but sometimes speak as if they are a generation or two older ("It's actually a riveting conversation."). Despite some of the stilted dialogue, the friendship problems and solutions are authentic, and the theme about standing up to bullies is not overdone. VERDICT Give to elementary-age readers looking for gentle realism.—Rachel Reinwald, Lake Villa District Library, IL - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 07/01/2017 Allie’s favorite part of school happens before it starts and after it ends: sharing secret snacks, games, and projects with three other kids of faculty members. Otherwise, well . . . it’s not easy being the principal’s daughter. Confide in your mother one single time and, evidently, you’re forever known as a snitch. Now that she’s in fifth grade, Allie longs to make up with Chloe, her former best friend who’s no longer speaking to her, but mending a broken relationship is not so easy. Meanwhile, her other best friend, Graham, repeatedly targeted by a bully, can’t help wishing that someone would let the principal know what’s happening. Written by a former principal’s daughter, this very readable chapter book records some of the perks and problems that go with the role. Sincere, unpretentious, and sometimes witty, Allie’s first-person narrative will have broad appeal for the many kids who feel like outsiders at school, as well as those who are navigating the sometimes choppy waters of friendship. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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