Review Detail

I must have been having a mental breakdown of some kind when I first picked up Miss Smithers, because I didnt realize right away that it was Susan Jubys sequel to Alice, I Think until I was a chapter or so in. I was sitting there thinking, Wow, this reminds me of that other great book I read a year or so ago, what was it again? when I took another look at the cover and realized what was going on.

I really liked Alice the first time I read about her, and I like her even more now. Shes still just as zany and out there as before, though no longer quite as socially isolated as she was. After all, shes got a boyfriend (Goose) and a friend (George, who happens to be a girl, thank you very much), and has been entered by one of her parents strange friends into the Miss Smithers pageant.

The best part about the pageant is the $400 dollar clothing allowance, but I wont tell you what Alice spends it on. Or exactly how it is that she alienates both Goose and George, finds herself mixed up with some devout churchgoers, or how she drags her brother off to eat at a steak restaurant (not so stunning until you realize that theyve been vegetarians for quite some time).

Im not sure if its a sign that Im as quirky as Alice or not, but we do listen to the same music, though Ive never worn a pair of leather pants. Come to think of it, Ive never had my zine prematurely published either, though I have taken martial arts classes. Just goes to show you that theres a bit of oddness in all of us.

I recommend this book for teens 14 and up, and especially for those girls out there (you know who you are) that are dancing to a different tune than the rest of the world.