Al's Blind Date - Softcover

Grade 5-7-- Al is back again, and while this book will not attract new readers, it will be enjoyed by old acquaintances. Al and a friend, both 14, face the dilemma of the blind date--specifically whether to go with their classmate's cousin and his friend to a tea dance. It sounds intriguing, but Al is full of her usual doubts, and the adults in their lives offer as many horror tales as reassurances on the subject. Even Al can't fill an entire book with her dithering on this subject, so Greene has thrown in an odd episode involving an unhappy teacher, a new health club in the neighborhood, and a Mafia fire bomb. This whole part of the story feels tacked on; the girls' actions are uncharacteristically forced, and nothing is fully explained or resolved. The same can be said about the denouement. The book ends just as the girls go out to meet their dates after being assured that "they're both cute as bugs." While this seems to assure yet another in the series, it will frustrate many readers to spend all this time on the decision without finding out how it worked out. While the central core of this book is not as compelling or believable as the earlier ones, the dialogue continues to be witty, the friendship solid, and the characters real. Al's friends will be glad to see her again. --Eleanor K. MacDonald, Beverly Hills Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In PW 's words, "Meeting Al will be a delightful reading experience. Her friendship with another girl in a city apartment building opens a new world for both of them and will provide warm and lively laughter." Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.