What do You think about Moving Day (2008)?
Utterly disappointing. Allie Finkle is unlikable as a main character. At least she has a redeeming quality in that, through her rules, she TRIES to be better. She also makes the very hard (and correct) decision to tell on an acquaintance who was being cruel to an animal. Otherwise, I was surprised at how flat this character was, there is no development. Her "friends" are just as bad. I know a good part of my reaction is reader bias - I have a 10 year old, a 9 year old, and a 15 year old, (all girls) and we've moved a LOT. I also grew up moving. I kept trying to relate either to Allie myself (one of my childhood moves being at 8) or relate Allie to one of my daughters, and I just couldn't. My kids aren't perfect, but if they behaved like this on a regular basis - there would be some parental intervention. The move itself is anti-climatic as well- Allie is making this big of a deal about moving across town? A half an hour tops and her world is collapsing, it just doesn't ring true. Allie's parents are upset when Allie goes to her new neighbors house without telling them, but are perfectly fine with her roaming her old neighborhood and sneaking out of the house (twice) at night. They are okay with her Kindergarten and 2nd grade brothers roaming free- the second grade brother gets to run to the new school by himself, but the parents need to walk Allie and the Kindy brother? The family is banned from Waffle House for the boys behavior, but not banned from the fanciest place in town for stealing a turtle? The lack of consistency is annoying.
—Sonya Edwards
Allie Finkle is a 4th-grader who loves animals, tolerates her little brothers, and is starting to think her best friend cries too much. Allie's not that adept at dealing with some of her other classmates, but she's started writing down rules for interacting with other people and she thinks she can work it out. But when she learns her family is planning to move across town to a rambling old fixer-upper house and she'll have to go to a new school, she fights like mad to keep it from happening. Allie is an engaging character, who tries hard. Some of the supporting characters, like her little brother who loves velvet wallpaper and dressing like a pirate, or her uncle Jay who is a perpetual grad student and the best babysitter ever, are really endearing. The "rules" gimmick doesn't work that well, in my opinion, but that's okay. The story ranges from kind of serious to very funny at times. There were some real life issues brought out about moving and making friends that my kids and I discussed. There were also scenes in a Chinese restaurant that had us giggling and gasping for breath. Overall, this is one series I'm happy to read with my kids.
—Francesca
Cute story about a girl Allie whose family is moving to a new house in a new neighborhood. The house is an old Victorian and she's afraid it's haunted so she just doesn't want to move. She loves her old house, her old best friend (sort of) and her old school. She's even been promised a new kitten if she has a good attitude about the move, but she tries lots of crafty tactics anyway to keep her family from moving.This book would have been a lot better if Allie had been a bit older. In the story she's only 9 but the writing style (in her perspective) is of an older girl. It was a bit distracting reading phrases that a 9-year-old wouldn't say. It would have worked perfectly if she had been 11 or 12.
—Annette
