Annie's life in lists

Review by Booklist Review

There's nothing worse than having to move though, actually, the worst is knowing it's all your fault. That's how sixth-grader Annie feels when her family leaves their beloved Brooklyn behind for middle-of-nowhere Clover Gap, population 8,432. Annie's almost photographic memory exposes the fact that their tiny apartment is not in the district for her school, forcing her and her older brother out at the end of the school year and prompting the move. Annie's delightfully detailed lists chronicle her first year in Clover Gap, a year full of changes, new friendships forged, old friendships tested, and new truths discovered regarding the actual cause of their move (hint: it isn't actually Annie's fault). The structure of Mahoney's clever debut it really is all told in lists makes for a breezy, engaging read with wide appeal and accessibility for a range of reading abilities. In turns humorous and touching, its themes will resonate with many readers struggling to break out of their shells and find a home in new places. Simply charming.--Barnes, Jennifer Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Ten-year-old Annie loves to keep lists, and along with dynamic spot drawings, they make up this creative and engaging debut. The topics include "Five things about my memory," which demonstrates Annie's ability to recall seemingly insignificant details about the people she meets, and "Three ways my family reacted to the news about the move," which addresses the responses of Annie's parents and older brother as the family relocates from Brooklyn to the small town of Clover Gap just before Annie begins fifth grade. Annie is worried that the move is her fault; she accidentally revealed to her former principal that the family lied about their address to get her into a better school. Then, however, she finds a severance-agreement letter to her father that suggests another reason for relocating. The family's financial struggles are realistically wrought, and their adjustment to small-town life results in some very entertaining lists, such as "Five ways my parents and I looked out of place at our first Clover Gap High football game." Readers will sympathize with Annie's struggles to make new friends and adapt to a new life in this coming-of-age story that's filled with humor and heart. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Sarah Burnes, the Gernert Co. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

---

Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Annie, who feels out of the ordinary due to her exceptional memory and shyness, loves making lists so much that she keeps a notebook full of them with her all the time, organized by month. Annie's family moves from Brooklyn to Clover Gap, population 8,432. As Annie's parents adjust to home ownership and her father to a new job, Annie must find her place at her new school and learn how to get by without her best-and only-friend, Millie. Over the course of the novel, Annie uncovers the real reason her family moved, struggles to find her place in a new group of friends, and earns herself a bit of celebrity during the town's annual Clover Fest. Mahoney's novel is literally written in lists, all of which have their own titles, some with a sentence or a few paragraphs of explanation after. Annie's humor, empathy, and frankness shine through in her engaging narrative. Every character has its own distinct presence on the page, and the individual conflicts help each one feel fully developed and unique. The plot moves at a steady pace and a subplot addresses racism. While the ending is almost too neat, readers will find themselves cheering for Annie, her friends, and her family. VERDICT Even with its imperfections, the format, featuring illustrations throughout, will make it a great choice for reluctant readers.-Liz Anderson, DC Public Library © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by Horn Book Review

After Annie's family moves from Brooklyn to rural Clover Gap, quiet Annie hides her quirks, including her amazing memory and orderly thinking. But soon the fifth grader makes new friends and learns to be--and speak up for--herself. Decorated with simple yet lively spot illustrations, the story is primarily told in a series of lists (e.g., "Four reasons I'm quiet"), which emphasizes Annie's perceptive and clever personality. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by Kirkus Book Review

When fifth-grader Andromeda moves from Brooklyn to a small town, she must deal with all of the issues a move like that could create.She's pretty sure she caused the move by accidentally revealing to her school principal that she didn't live in the correct school district. Her older brother, Ted, blames her for his loneliness now that they've arrived in tiny Clover Gap. Her parents, apartment dwellers, have lots to learn about maintaining a house. Annie is sure that she should conceal her fabulous memory from her new classmates and does everything she can to melt into the background. New classmate Zora reaches out to Annie, but that leaves Zora's other friend, Amelia, feeling angry, vindictive, and very unwelcoming. (Zora is also one of the only black characters in both the book and Clover Gap, a fact that is addressed matter-of-factly and with sensitivity.) Meanwhile, Annie's best friend from the city gradually loses touch with her. All of these deftly interrelated plotlines are related in the lists that Annie keeps--lists of just about everything--and it's these, and the fun twist they create, that elevate the tale over the pack, adding an amusing dimension to a well-worked trope. Annie's slightly tongue-in-cheek voice, revealed in the lists and occasional narrative paragraphs, breathes life into the many characters around her, adding believability.1. Fresh. 2. Fun. 3. Entertaining. (Fiction. 8-11)

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

---

Five things I hate about my real name, Andromeda 1. Everyone says, "That's a weird name."   2.  No one knows how to spell it.   3.  No one knows how to pronounce it. (You pronounce it like this: "Ann-drama-duh.")   4. No one can remember it. (This one probably bothers me most, because I remember just about everything.)   5. Even though most people call me Annie, my brother says my nickname should be Drama or Duh. (His name is Ted, after my great-grandfather. Apparently, Mom and Dad saved all their naming flair for me.)      Three things I like about my name    1. My mom says I was named after her favorite constellation.   2. My dad says Andromeda was also a mythical princess.   3. My nickname, Annie      I am Annie. This is my life in lists.      Nine things I see when I look in the mirror    1. Freckles. Lots of them. Especially in summer, of course.   2. Indescribable hair color. Not indescribable like "indescribably beautiful!" Just really hard to describe. Not blond. Not brown. My Grandma Elaine calls it "dirty blond," but I don't like the sound of that.   3. Green eyes (my favorite part)   4. A bump on the bridge of a long nose (This I get from my mom.)   5. A little gap between my two front teeth   6. Almost always: a T-shirt   7. Almost always: leggings or jeans   8. In summer: flip-flops   9. In winter: sneakers or boots       Three things I never see when I look in the mirror    1. A dress   2. Expensive sneakers (My mom doesn't "believe" in them.)   3. Smooth hair (It's always kind of straggly, even five minutes after I've brushed it.)       Three things you can't tell just by looking at me   1. I'm left-handed (although if you looked really closely, you might see that I always have pencil smudges on my left pinky from where my hand has dragged across my writing).   2. I'm allergic to amoxicillin.   3. I have an amazing memory.      Five things about my memory   1. I have a regular memory for things like spelling tests and phone numbers.   2. I have a not-so-great memory for things like bringing permission slips back to school and putting my homework folder in my backpack.   3. I definitely do not have a crime-solving photographic memory like Cam Jansen.   4. I have a weirdly amazing memory for things about people. I remember their names, what they wore on different days, who their brothers and sisters are, what their houses look like, and what their pets are named.   5. I remember things about people that they will never remember about me. In fact, there are kids at my school who don't even know I exist, but I could tell you their names, their favorite sports, where they went on vacation, and what they ate for lunch.       Four things other people say about my memory   1. My mom says it runs in the family, and that some people just have amazing memories. (Hers is pretty good too. She remembers the names of all my grandparents' cousins, even on my dad's side. And her old friends tell her she's like their "childhood Google," because anytime they forget something from when they were kids--the name of a teacher, the secret nicknames they had for their crushes, the ending of a crazy story--they just ask her.)   2. My dad says I should be proud of how much I remember.   3. My best friend, Millie Lerner, thinks it's cool because:   a. I can tell her the names of all the fifth-grade boys she thinks are "interesting."   b. I remember all the teachers' first names (from reading the PTA directory one day while I was bored).   c. When someone annoys her, I make her feel better by reminding her of embarrassing things they did when they were younger. (For example, when Millie got glasses, Hannah Krenzler called her a four-eyed freak and I told Millie not to sweat what Hannah says, because she used to shove her teddy bear's fur up her nose.)   4. Ted says my memory is creepy and makes me seem like a stalker.       I tell him you would not believe how much you would learn if you just paid attention. But Ted still has a habit of nudging me when he thinks I'm going to say too much. Especially when I'm remembering something about him and someone in his grade. Especially if it's a girl. (Like when we saw Sophia Karlin in Key Food and I reminded him of how he once said she looked like Queen Amidala. He stepped on my toe for that one. Hard.)     What I think of my memory   1. I won't admit this to Ted, but it can be a little embarrassing. Remembering so much about people can make you feel like no one else is as interested in you as you are in them. For example:   a. Once, Millie and I knocked on her neighbor Sheila's door to tell her we'd found her cat in the hallway. Sheila's son Pete had been on Ted's soccer team three years earlier, and all the boys called him Professor because he was always sharing weird soccer trivia that no one else knew. Of course I remembered this, so when Pete answered the door I automatically said, "Hey, Professor. We found Mittens." He squinted at me for a second before saying, "Who are you?"   So to recap, not only did I know his nickname and his cat's name, but he had no idea who I was. Even though I had been at every one of his soccer games. And he had come to the team pizza party at our apartment. And I was his neighbor's best friend. You'd think he might be embarrassed not to know me, but somehow I was the one who was blushing.   b. On the first day of school last year, when my teacher, Ms. Allen, wondered aloud how we would distinguish between the two Emmas in our class since both of their last names started with "S," I said, "We could just call one Emma Marie and the other Emma Elizabeth." Because I remembered both of their middle names. From when they had them written on their plastic Easter baskets at an egg hunt in the park. In kindergarten. Clearly neither Emma remembered this, though, because they both looked at me and said, "How do you know my middle name?" in stereo. Cue red face again.   2. Lately, it's a serious problem. Since my memory got me kicked out of school, Ted really doesn't have to worry anymore about me saying too much. Now I keep all this information to myself. Excerpted from Annie's Life in Lists by Kristin Mary Mahoney All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

---