This is a pretty decent young adult book. Not great, but it has a pretty good story. ( )

The Alison Rules does not have actual rules but it's the idea that Alison has been restricting herself ever since her mom died. Restricting herself from living to the fullest. This story is about her trying to cope with everything and dealing with the new boy in town as well. It was a funny book with witty characters throughout it. And then it also became a book that made me all teary-eyed. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there you have it. That's my warning that you may find yourself feeling a little sad after reading it.
I loved it because I could connect to the grief that Alison felt and the new perspectives we may have about life afterwards. At the same time, you find yourself cheering her on because you know that she needs to move on as well, and when she makes that effort, it's definitely something that cheers you up.
Great book. Of all the Catherine Clark books I've read, I think this is the one that made me really think. Not that the others weren't great, they were, just different. ( )

From the amazing author Catherine Clark comes this incredibly moving story, The Alison Rules.

Despite what Alison's friend Laurie always says, Alison always insists she doesn't have a set of rules. However, she does follow a strange pattern of behavior. She broke up with her older, football-playing boyfriend (one of "the Gods"), she avoids her locker, and she refuses to go to Boston. And everything is getting along fine in Alison's opinion until the new guy Patrick comes along.

The main issue with Patrick is the love triangle. Laurie likes Patrick, and so does Alison though she refuses to admit it. Patrick likes Laurie as a friend, but he likes Alison more than that. Alison believes she can't be with Patrick because she would be betraying Laurie.

Alison is forced to confront her past and everything that has been bothering her on a trip to Boston. There, everything comes out. Laurie cruelly exposes Alison's weaknesses until Alison can't take it anymore. There we learn what terrible thing happened to Alison that caused her to create her rules: the death of her mother.

The Alison Rules is the basic story of a teen learning to deal with the death of someone close when they feel like there's no one who understands them. After a period of withdrawal, Alison finally learns to cope, though the event that catalyzes this is most surprising and heartbreaking.

This was one of the most moving books I have read in a very long time. I even spent the last half of the book crying; that's how sad it was. I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for a light read, but if you want something with depth and meaning, this novel and other from Catherine Clark are a good choice.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com ( )

Gr. 7-12. A year after her mother's death, high-school sophomore Alison has created a set of superstitions to help her cope. Designed so she can avoid anything she associates with "the start of everything bad,"Alison's rules range from not using her locker to refusing to date. Her wisecracking best friend, Laurie, offers primary support until Patrick, a sweet, clever new student, arrives. As the three teens form a close friendship, crushes and hidden jealousies tear down Alison's careful coping mechanisms and force her to widen her view beyond her own heartache. Despite some funny lines, Clark's latest novel lacks the lighthearted momentum and wit of her previous title. She waits too long to reveal the facts of Alison's mother's death, creating unnecessary vagueness, and the abrupt, devastating ending feels patched on. Despite that, Clark nicely captures the myopic, paralyzing ache of grief and the enormous strength required to survive great loss, and many teens will recognize both the love and the simmering rivalry between best friends.

From Publishers Weekly:
High school sophomore Alison is withdrawing: She broke up with her senior football quarterback boyfriend, avoids hanging out with her dad and younger brother, and has removed most of the photographs from her bedroom bulletin board. Her life revolves around her mouthy best friend Laurie and the news stories she writes for the school paper. When Patrick transfers into school, they become an offbeat group (Laurie tells Alison she likes him, and while Alison develops a crush on him, too, she thinks, "I couldn't let down my defenses"). Alison's first-person narrative plants clues along the way that something tragic happened to her mother, but the fight scene between Alison and Laurie that finally divulges the details feels scripted. Readers may also have a hard time believing in the book's final tragic turn. The real strength here lies in Clark's (Truth or Dairy) ability to create a very real world through vivid details: Alison's dad takes the kids to Salvage City warehouse, where's he's obsessed with products like Mister Fizzee "which almost never lived up to its name" and the local kids hang out drinking beer at the river's boat launch. The author also realistically presents grief as a slow and difficult process, and readers will admire Alison's ultimate realization that "rules hadn't saved me from anything." Ages 14-up.