Alice McLeod is not an average sixteen year old. She
has just returned to public high school after being home schooled for years,
her wardrobe is based on what she calls "sports fusion wear," and her
mother is on trial for her environmental activism. Her father is too wrapped up
in his own drama to realize his family is falling apart, and her younger
brother may have moved in with his friend’s family. Alice also may have lost
her boyfriend to a Swedish supermodel. All is not well in Alice’s world.

Her
father has informed her that she needs to find a job in order to help support
the family while her mother may be incarcerated. This proves complicated for
Alice. She believes that she has a future in screenwriting, but needs some
immediate financial support for the family. She ends up with a few employment
opportunities that lead her to possible new love interests. She is also in
therapy, and the new therapist assigned to her gives her a wake-up call about
all of her supposed trials and tribulations. She tells Alice that all of these
supposed dramas might be self-inflicted, which make Alice take a close look at
herself.

The
author provides the perfect supporting cast to compliment Alice’s
eccentricities. Some of them want to celebrate Alice’s uniqueness while others
wish she would make things easier on herself by being more like them. Alice makes
some decisions that go against her better judgment, but she is able to see in
the end that the most important thing is to stay true to yourself.

© 2005 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children