Amalee

redheadperson22 - Amalee's dad has a group of eccentric friends. When he gets sick, all of his friends help take care of Amalee What I thought of it: Amalee was kind of annoying. When she thought none of the girls liked her, she pretty much decided to stop trying to make friends. I think that was just plain stupid. Why not try to make friends with some of the guys? The writing was kind of sloppy. The author seemed like an amateur. And apparently, she's not that good at math either because Amalee is 10 or 11 (I don't remember), her dad is apparently 42 (they said in the beginning of the book that everyone besides Amalee is 42), but yet it is also stated that her dad was in his 20's when she was born. It doesn't make any sense. And even though they said that everyone besides Amalee was 42, it's stated that one of her dad's friends just turned 40. Also, all of her dad's friends (besides 1) are women. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that, but it isn't very realistic. I had high hopes for this book, but it was a real disappointment. Overall, it wasn't that good.

July 26, 2004
Singer-songwriter Williams makes her children's book debut with a novel that unfortunately seems to share some of the awkward growing pains of its tween protagonist. Eleven-year-old Amalee has grown used to her unusual extended family—the four tighter-than-siblings college friends of her father, David. Since Amalee's mother died when she was just a baby, David and "the gang" have rallied, each armed with their own special skill, to give Amalee a fully rounded life. But things aren't going according to plan as Amalee starts middle school with nary a friend her own age in sight. And when her father falls seriously ill, Amalee feels like unraveling, too, until she grows to appreciate her father's pals for who they really are and how much they love her. Williams's premise is ripe with dramatic opportunity. However, she spends so much time creating a cast of slightly quirky players that the emotional undercurrent gets a bit diluted. As a result, readers may be taken with some of Amalee's quiet yet keen observations about her father and his friends, and then feel disappointed at the end when they realize that they have learned surprisingly little about Amalee herself. A couple of subplots devolve into clichés and, in what many readers may find frustrating, David's diagnosis/illness is never revealed or explained, other than to tell Amalee he has "something like the flu, but it's in his spine." Williams's fans will likely want to explore this departure, but will find that it lacks the storytelling flair of her songs. Ages 9-14.