Annie's Life in Lists

by Kristin Mahoney and Rebecca Crane

If you love kids like:
1. Anatastia Krupnik
2. Ramona Quimby
3. The Penderwicks
then you will love Annie! For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of!

Annie's a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her life in a new place.

Annie has:
1. An incredible memory (really, it's almost photographic) that can get her in trouble
2. A desire to overcome her shyness
3. A brother who is mad at her because he thinks she is the reason they had to move to Clover Gap, population 8,432.
4. A best friend who she is (almost) certain will always be her best friend.
5. New classmates, some of whom are nicer than others.
6. A rocky start finding her place in her new home.

Annie's Life in Lists introduces a sweet new voice that finds that even amid the chaos of everyday life, it's important to put things in order.

"Perfect for anyone who's ever worried about starting a new school, saying the wrong thing, dying of embarrassment, or losing a best friend. I loved getting to know Annie through her lists!" --Kelly Jones, author of Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

"A sweet, clever, warmhearted book, and so fun to read!" -Natalie Standiford, author of The Only Girl in School

"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." --Kirkus Reviews

"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." --School Library Journal

• ISBN10: 1524765104
• ISBN13: 9781524765101
• Publish Date: 29 May 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 September 2022
• Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Six Things I Liked about Annie's Life in Lists

1. The entire book is in lists; they're aren't just lists interspersed.
2. There's a wide variety of characters, and Annie has a friend group instead of one best friend.
3 . Annie's new town has a Clover Festival, and people are really into it.
4. Annie's father likes Harry Potter.
5. There are some simple illustrations scattered throughout.
6. The book is fun and a feel-good read.

Three Things I Like about Annie

1. She tries to do the right thing.
2. She has flaws.
3. She notes that even though she has a good memory, she's not a crime solving genius like Cam Jansen.

One Surprising Aspect of the Book

1. Annie's older brother Ted is pretty good at making up band names.  The band names are better than those in The Beauty That Remains, which was an entire book about bands.

Two Things I Didn't Like about the Book

1. The plot idea of a girl moving from the big city to a small town and having to adjust and make friends is not a new one.
2. The format differentiates the book, but, as much as I enjoyed reading it, I know this is a book I'm not going to even remember that I read in a couple years.



*

Initial Thoughts: A fun book about moving to a new town and learning to fit in. I did not initially realize that the entire book is in lists, which is cool. Probably not a book I'm going to really remember 10 years from now, so I'm not giving it 5 stars, but overall well-written and one I would recommend.