<i>Alice-Miranda at School</i> (review)
2011; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 64; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2011.0426
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: Alice-Miranda at School Kate Quealy-Gainer Harvey, Jacqueline . Alice-Miranda at School; illus. by J. Yi Delacorte, 2011. [272p]. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-385-90811-5 $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-385-73993-1 $14.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-375-89858-7 $14.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-6. At just seven-and-a-half years old, Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones feels she's quite ready for boarding school and therefore gets herself enrolled at the prestigious Winchesterfield-Downsfordale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. Although her parents are saddened to see their darling daughter go, they are certain that the intrepid lass will be just fine, an assumption that proves correct as Alice-Miranda befriends the Academy's cook, gardener, secretary, and resident tantrum-thrower, all on her first day. The only people unswayed by her charms are Miss Grimm, the school's grumpy hermit of a headmistress, and Alethea Goldsworthy, its meanest and most spoiled bully. Alice-Miranda, however, is relentless in bringing good cheer to all, and even when Miss Grimm assigns her a series of formidable tasks in the hopes of crushing the girl's spirit, Alice-Miranda meets each with great success, with the bonus side effect of soundly beating Alethea at her own game. Even in Australian author Harvey's somewhat satirical conception, a plucky protagonist is hard not to like, and although Alice-Miranda is impressively generous at times, it's clear she's not simply a delusional bundle of goodwill but rather a wise optimist who insists on believing the best of people. Unfortunately, even the cheerful benevolence of our heroine can't prevent the plot from suffering from a severe lack of focus, especially as a host of quirky but essentially interchangeable supporting characters keep popping up with distracting, tangential storylines. The ending is [End Page 471] a bit too cloying in its contrived resolution, but readers in need of a good dose of undiluted happiness will find plenty to smile about in this series opener. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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