Author of Middle Grade novels about friendship, family, and figuring out where you fit in.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Middle Grade of the Past #2: A Girl Called Al

A couple of months ago, I started a new series called Middle Grade of the Past, which focuses on a children's novel from anytime between 1950 and 1985. You can check out the first post in the series here. (And if you have old books at home and would like to join in, feel free!)

Today's Middle Grade of the Past #2 is: A GIRL CALLED AL by Constance C. Greene, published in 1969.

Here's the cover of the copy I have:


Back Cover Summary:

Al is a little on the fat side, which is why I didn’t like her at first. She has a very high I.Q., she says. But she doesn’t work to capacity. She says things like that all the time, but I don’t like to let on that I don’t always know what she is talking about.

“I am a nonconformist,” she told me, like she was saying she was a television star or Elizabeth Taylor or something. Al’s mother and father are divorced. She says she doesn’t mind too much that they are divorced. She gets more presents that way.

We figured out the night before last that Al and I have known each other for exactly three weeks. It feels like forever. Some people you just feel like you have always known. That is the way it is with me and Al.


It's a bit offbeat, being told in first person. I'm guessing it's formatted that way because we never learn the main character's name. I remember staring at the cover of this book as a kid and wanting to read it, but I'd never gotten around to it. (Too much homework, probably.)

The Good: Right away, I love the main character’s voice, and I love the things that she and Al say. Fun dialogue (especially in middle grade) can promote an already good book to a very memorable one, and A GIRL CALLED AL is one that will stick with me. I’m also a big fan of kid/adult friendships that are written well, not creepy or unrealistic, and this story has a nice friendship among neighbors.

The Old: Though I’m not sure if it’s an old term or not, I hadn’t heard the phrase “dining ell” (as in, a portion of an L-shaped room reserved for dining) until reading this book. Also, when one character introduces another character, she says, “May I present [name of person]?” I’ve heard that expression before, but only in older media. From this book, I also learned the phrase, “Not on your tintype,” meaning, “Absolutely not.”

The Funny: Al matter-of-factly tells the main character that their teacher’s wife has “ball stones” in her “gladder.” I mentioned in the last Middle Grade of the Past post that I just had my gallbladder out, so I found this particularly amusing. A lot of their exchanges made me smile.

Overall: I loved this book! More than I thought I would, actually. It ended up having more depth than I expected, and even some sad scenes. A GIRL CALLED AL seems like it would appeal to the same audience as the manuscript I’m drafting now, so I read it at the perfect time. Even though this book is a little dated, I still think girls today might enjoy it.

I'm not sure how common this book was. Have any of you read it? I'm still so pleased with how much I enjoyed it. Have you read a book lately that pleasantly surprised you?

8 comments:

Tiana Smith said...

I haven't heard of this one. Looks interesting though!

Heather R. Holden said...

Don't think I've heard of this book before. I love books that focus on friendship in some way, though, and this one sounds super-fun on top of that. Will have to check it out if I ever have the opportunity!

Jemi Fraser said...

Sounds fun! I love the tintype bit! :)

Kelly Polark said...

This is such a great idea to highlight mg of the past! Crazy that you never find out the main character's name!

Kelly Hashway said...

Great review. This one is new to me. And I've never heard those older phrases before either. I'm kind of thankful you defined them. ;)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wonderful review! I had never heard of this book, but now I want to read it. :)

Anonymous said...

These old books remind me of what I see floating in my school library and various classroom libraries. This does look like an interesting read.

Shelley Sly said...

Tiana - Yeah, it was more interesting than I thought it would be!

Heather - I love friendship books, too!

Jemi - Me too, I enjoy learning new words. :)

Kelly P - I know, I kept waiting for a reference to her name, but I don't think I saw it (unless I missed it?)

Kelly H - Haha, yeah, I really enjoy finding the older phrases in an older book.

Tyrean - Yeah, I don't think it was a very popular book, but I'm glad I read it.

Medeia - Yup, I saw a lot of books like these at the school I worked at. Some of the older books can be interesting!

© Shelley Sly, AllRightsReserved.

Designed by ScreenWritersArena