Review: Have You Seen Ally Queen? by Deb Fitzpatrick

Book Description from the ARC:

ARC, 277 pages

September 1, 2011, Fremantle Press

Ally Queen is fifteen, flat-chested and totally trapped in a tiny coastal town where the killer pythons are stale and there are only three types of people: bogans, surfies and spinach-munching hippies. How could her parents have ever thought moving to Melros was a good idea?

With her best friend miles away, and deep-and-meaningfuls only as long as a text message, it’s a bad time for Ally to be having a personality crisis. She’s torn between who she is and who she wants to be. No wonder she doesn’t have a boyfriend – unless you count the irritating guy on the school bus who seems to be keen on her.

But first impressions can be deceptive…

Source: Claire Miller of Fremantle Press (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Ally was the perfect example of a troubled teen. She was experiencing personality crisis. After moving to Melros and leaving her old school, her friends and everything she has ever been familiar with, she assumed the role of the new girl, the new neighbor and the newest friendless freak. In a place where there are only bogans, surfies and spinach-munching hippies, she stood out like a sore thumb.

Her family was composed of her genius, geeky little brother, her problem-solving Dad and her idealistic Mum. Her mum was against a lot of things. She was into the herbal, alternative, all-natural stuff. With her ideas, she imposed rules on her children. Ally was sick with it. But Ally knew that she was being harsh. She wanted to change into Angelgirl. But the only problem was that it was getting harder and harder to behave. Wave after wave of problems crashed onto her world, soaking her until her own body felt heavy with the issues and anxiety.

Amongst the unfamiliar faces, the rude jokes and the weirdness of Melros, she met Rel, a guy from school and her neighbor. But she first knew him as the irritating guy from the bus. Together they discovered that they had so many things in common. They became friends. Ally saw something in him that she has never seen before.

Deb Fitzpatrick was a genius! Her writing was so gorgeous, so witty and so full of life that it stunned me and made me read several paragraphs over and over again. The story was a perfect reflection of the modern family as they face problems.

Have You Seen Ally Queen is a literary masterpiece, filled with humor and life, with just the right dose of awkwardness and sweetness for it to be realistic. It is a worthwhile Aussie contemporary read for readers of all ages. I highly recommend this!

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