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Courtesy of Teens Read Too Feb 5, 2008 (9 of 10 found this helpful)
Allie Finkle, a precocious, adventurous, and outspoken nine-year-old, is on a mission. A mission to keep her parents from making the worst decision of their lives and moving her and her brothers out of their perfectly fine suburban home and into a creaky, dark, and gloomy Victorian house.
Even such incentives as a new best friend, a new school, and a kitten all her own aren't enough to convince Allie that moving may actually be fun. Because Allie has a rule for everything...and one of them is: You can't let your family move into a haunted house!
For any Meg Cabot fan in training, MOVING DAY, the first installment in the ALLIE FINKLE'S RULES FOR GIRLS series, is a must read. Working the charm that won over the teenage set, Cabot expertly brings Allie to life in this laugh-out-loud story.
A lively narrator, Allie will keep you entertained with her many exploits and her stark honesty. This is a book that Cabot readers, new and old, young and not-so-young, will all enjoy. Meg Cabot is on the fast track to the top of kids lit, with the promise of many more stories to come.
Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader
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FINALLY Feb 12, 2008 (6 of 7 found this helpful)
I have been trying to find a book that my 9 year old daughter would love.
Finally I found it!! She loves the rules!! She can relate to Allie alot trying to get along with her friends is hard sometimes. I love the dust cover she can write her own rules. Which should be interesting to see what she comes up with.
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Allie Finkle is the funniest fourth grader in children's lit! Feb 27, 2008 (5 of 6 found this helpful)
Nine-year-old Allie Finkle is seriously contemplating dumping her current best friend, Mary Kay, after an incident involving sticking a spatula down the crybaby Mary Kay's throat - on accident - occurs. Instead, she decides to create a book full of rules that she'd like to find a way to abide by in her life. But just a few rules in, Allie finds out that she's moving away, and realizes that everything is going to change - and not for the better.
Allie Finkle's life is absolutely perfect. Sure, she doesn't have her own pet, and must share the family dog with four other people; but sharing is better than nothing. Besides, she has the best fourth grade teacher in the entire world - Ms. Myers - and even though she's forced to put up with Scott Stamphley, crybaby Mary Kay, and bat thrower Brittany Hauser on a daily basis, the mere presence of Ms. Myers sets her mind at ease. That is, until the day she learns that she's moving to a spooky old Victorian, forcing her to leave her current classroom - and bedroom - and take up residence in the haunted fixer upper. At this point, Allie is quite positive that her parents have lost their minds. Just because her family suddenly has more money - thanks to her mom's new job and her father's new promotion - doesn't mean that you should be forced to pick up your stuff and relocate - even if it's just a few blocks away. Besides, by doing so she's allowing her family to break one of her cardinal rules - "you can't let your family move into a haunted house." The new house does have it's positives, living right around the corner from Dairy Queen being one of them; having a cool girl named Erica living right next door another; and getting a kitten of your very own just the perfect way to finish off the list. But the fact that she's forced to get rid of her geode collection is enough to burst anyone's bubble. Allie is convinced that she'll find a way to change her parent's minds before it's too late. But if she's not careful, she may just cause Ms. Myers' entire fourth grade class, and the annoying real estate agent, to hate her with a blood-boiling passion in the process.
Over the years, I have begun to look to Meg Cabot as a close, personal friend in the literature world. Her characters are always so relatable, and manage to get a reader through the toughest times in life. Now, after spending so much time in the young adult and adult genres, however, Cabot has set her sights on conquering the middle reader division, and proves that she's fully capable of doing so. Allie Finkle is your typical girl-next-door, with a little spunk mixed in. Her fiery passion for animal rights and liberation is humorous; while her honesty is downright respectable. The fact that she doesn't let anyone keep her, or her ideas, caged is empowering - as is her strong voice. From page one Allie's personality draws you in, and refuses to release you until the last page is turned. Much like Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume before her, Cabot has taken over the middle reader genre with a vengeance, leaving you craving more. Allie Finkle is the funniest fourth grader in children's lit!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
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Katie from Lake Tapps says, "This book is great!" Mar 20, 2008 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
It doesn't count if it doesn't hurt, If someone is yelling from excitement, the polite thing to do is to yell back. These rules are some of them are just an example of the many others that Allie Finkle, age 9, wrote in her rule book for girls.
This book is about a spirited girl named Allie Finkle and her book of rules. When her family moves into a scary "haunted house," she is not convinced that she wants to move. (One of her rules is "don't let your family move into a haunted house." Moving would mean that she would have to toss out her geode collection, say goodbye to her "best friend" Mary Kay, and go to a different school. But she cold get a kitten of her very own and would be living a block away from a Dairy Queen. She was thinking that life would be pretty nice until she saw her new house. . . .
The part of the book that I liked the most was when Allie makes a daring attempt to try and save a turtle at the Lung Chung restaurant so he wouldn't be made into turtle soup. Her family had gone to this restaurant to celebrate the big move. Allie had always wanted to rescue the turtle, but never got the chance to so she takes a chance and who knows? She might succeed.
I liked this part because it had a lot of hilarious action in it. It kept me turning the pages. It was almost like an energy boost to get you to the end of the book.
Some of the characters I loved in this book are Allie Finkle and Mary Kay Shiner. Allie is interesting o me in a funny way because she makes up all these crazy rules and actually follows them! Mary Kay Shiner is amusing because she is a crybaby, and will cry over almost anything.
Allie is a likable character because she has her own opinion about most things. She also (sometimes) has an upbeat and spunky attitude.
I would recommend this book to any girl or boy who loves to read a funny book and loves to laugh. This book is a good book for people about ages 10 and up. If you choose to read this book, I hope you will love it as much as I did!
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Ashley from Lake Tapps says, "This book is the best book ever!" Mar 20, 2008 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
Don't stick a spatula down your best friend's throat. You also can't let your guests starve. Those are two of the rules featured in Meg Cabot's wonderful book, Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day.
This book is about a forth grade girl named Allie Finkle, who just found out she might be moving into a creepy looking, old fashioned, Victorian house that could be haunted. Who would want to live in a haunted house? Allie is positive that her parents are making the biggest mistake of their lives. Just to move into a house like that is enough. Allie also has to give up her geode collection and be a new kid at a school that looks as old as the house. But is moving worth getting an adorable kitten, living right across the street from Dairy Queen, and possibly getting a non- crying best friend? Will Allie Finkle make the move?
I enjoyed every part of this book, but my favorite part was when Allie "accidentally" started a food fight. How Allie made this huge mess, was by shoving a cupcake in bat thrower, Brittany Hauser's, face. But the class took this the wrong way and everybody started throwing cupcakes. I really liked this part because it was unexpected and it was one of the many laugh out loud parts in this book.
From secret telling Scott Stamphley all the way to cry baby Mary Kay, all the characters in Meg Cabot's book came alive. For example, the main character Allie Finkle is outgoing, loves animals, is funny, and ALWAYS keeps the book interesting. She also makes hilarious schemes throughout the book to do stuff like rescue turtles. She makes the book so much fun to read. One part of the book that made me laugh was when Allie rescued the turtle at the Lung Chung restaurant. When the hostess wasn't looking she grabbed the turtle from the pond and headed for the door, until the hostess and her Uncle Jay came back. She hurried herself up, and darted for the door with everyone following her. This concludes her next rule "When tour setting a turtle free and people are chasing you, the best thing to do is hide".
I would recommend this book to anyone in forth grade through eighth grade. It is funny and well written. All readers will fall in love with it!