Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein
Wow! What a blast from the past. This is an Aussie 80s classic and perfect for Grade 5 to 6 readers. Set in the town of Baringa East we follow main character Erica ‘Yuk’ Yurken and her many imaginary illnesses as she moves through Grade 6. She is a bit of a loner, loves to be in the sick bay and makes up wild and ridiculous tales. When Alison Ashley moves to her school, she is at first in awe of Alison’s elegance but that quickly turns to hatred and rivalry.
I loved the over-the-top characters like Barry Hollis; the troubled school bully, who has connections with the Eastside Boys (watch out!), the strict teacher Miss Belmont and Erica’s two sisters – Valjoy the teen punk and Jedda the youngest who thinks she’s a horse! My favourite part of this book was the school camp – it captures all the fear and excitement of going on your first camp, being away from home, trying to impress your peers and getting on the teachers’ last nerve.
This book was also made into a film in 2005 starring Delta Goodrem if you just can’t get enough of ‘Hating Alison Ashley’.
I’d highly recommend including this in your BIG Summer Read. Remember to register and track your reading journey on Beanstack.
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