By: Liz Gallagher Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Wendy Lamb Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 160 Publication Date: January 08, 2008 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: January 08, 2008
Product Description: Alice and Jewel have been best friends since grade school. Together, they don’t need anyone else, and together they blend into the background of high school. Invisible. To Alice, Jewel is the opposite of invisible. Jewel is her best friend who goes to Indie concerts and art shows with her. Jewel scoffs at school dances with her. Alice is so comfortable around Jewel that she can talk to him about almost anything. But she can’t tell him that she likes the cool, popular Simon. And then Simon asks her to the school dance the same day that Jewel kisses her for the first time. Still, she can’t say no to Simon. He seems like the easy choice, the one she’s attracted to, the one she’s ready for. But will it mean losing Jewel? In a bright debut novel set against the lively backdrop of Seattle, Alice must learn the difference between love and a crush, and what it means to be yourself when you’re not sure who that is yet.
A Charming Little Book This is a slim, but charming book. Alice is comfortable in the background, and she's really pretty happy with her life, she lives in Seattle (which she loves!), has great parents, and has her best friend, Jewel (a boy), who she can talk to about anything, and she has Dove Girl, her Picasso print. But she really wants a boyfriend, just someone to hold hands with and go to the school dance. Then Simon Murphy, a cute and popular boy begins to show some interest in her, and Jewel really doesn't like it. One day, she and Jewel are hanging out together as friends and Jewel kisses her. Soon after, Simon asks Alice to the Halloween Dance and she accepts. She was supposed to be going with Jewel, but they're just friends so she thinks he won't mind. He does and they have a big fight. Her relationship with Simon seems to be working out, but she really misses her old friend.
Some descriptions of this book make it sound like Alice tries on a "magical dress", but that's not really how to story goes. There IS a dress, but both Jewel and Simon were showing interest before the dress. I liked this book quite a bit, I wish there was more of it! The sense of place is fantastic, and I enjoyed Alice. She's a girl who has no clue how special she is, and I liked her "outsider, but happy with it" status. I also enjoyed the underlying ideas about when boys are friends and when they're something more.
Wonderful debut! A Seattle teenager tries to choose whether to let her lifelong best guy friend become something more than that, or to become romantically involved with cool, popular Simon. If you're thinking "I know the way this story goes--the jock is a jerk, and the girl figures out that she should have stuck to her best friend all along," well, think again. Simon is a sweet guy, so Alice's dilemma is very real and very difficult. What I loved about the story was that Alice's final decision (which I will not divulge) turns out to be not about who she wants to be WITH but who she wants to BE. The novel is poetically written, making Seattle's gloomy rainy climate seem inviting--which might not be a plus for those Seattleans/Seattlites/Seattlers? who want to discourage newcomers from moving in!
Courtesy of Teens Read Too Alice and Jewel (Julian). That's how it's always been. A seemingly invisible pair of sophomores at their high school. They've been friends for forever and are never without the other.
Until the day Simon Murphy acknowledges Alice.
Jewel jumps all over Alice, asking what it was about, but it wasn't anything, really. Was it? Then Alice and Jewel go to a concert and Simon comes over to Alice while Jewel is in the restroom, and stays with the two of them throughout the show. Simon went so far as to ditch his friends to be with Alice. Nothing happens, and it leaves Alice more confused than before.
Alice has wanted a boyfriend for ages, but she doesn't want to lose Jewel in the process. When things with Simon actually start working out, the distance between Alice and Jewel grows. After a confession from Jewel about his true feelings for her, the chasm seems insurmountable. Alice is finally coming out of her shell and making friends beyond Jewel, but losing her best friend leaves a void inside.
Alice has to struggle to figure out who she is and what she really wants. Is having a great guy like Simon as a boyfriend what it's all about? Or is having a best friend that knows every little thing about you more important?
All young adults have to struggle with an identity issue as they go through their teen years. Alice realizes that she needs more than just Jewel in her life, but soon learns that a best friend is next to impossible to replace.
Ms. Gallagher writes an honest book about the internal struggles of an insecure girl. We all have that same insecurity inside of us and can understand what Alice has to figure out on her own. Definitely a book that everyone can relate to from some point in their lives.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
An excellent debut In Liz Gallagher's debut teen novel, Alice and her best pal Jewel, real name Julian, are an artsy, inseperable duo who comfortably blend into the background at their Seattle high school. Invisible. Then the unthinkable happens: hunky jock Simon asks Alice to a dance. Soon she's invisible no longer, unsure of her feelings, and must sort out the not-so-obvious differences between true love and true friendship. It's a satisfying read, with a strong sense of place and dimensional, often surprising, characters.
Stands Out -- The Opposite of Invisible This book was -- well -- cute. It was a clean, simple story told with an original voice. I loved the characters -- Jewel, the artsy best friend; Simon, the nice guy without a clue; Vanessa, the girl who's so "out there"; and Alice, the girl caught in the middle of so many things, struggling to find herself.
Alice finds herself torn between her best friend and her enormous crush. I like that the characters have quirks -- Alice and her Dove Girl, Vanessa and her strings. I also like that the story moves along smoothly.
I thought this book was great. It was a fast, fun read.
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