I don't really know what I was expecting from The Bewitching of Alison Allbright but what I got was this mysterious, makes-you-think story that I had to finish in one sitting.

Alison Allbright is selfish and shallow. You would think that would have dissuaded me from reading this book but I could understand her naivety of wanting so much more than she has especially at her age. I can see that part of her personality turning some people off especially as the story progresses but there was something so mesmerizing about what was going on in the story that it didn't bother me. There was also a balance to Alison's personality. She was pretty shy and down on herself. I can understand shy so I felt like I could understand Alison in some small degree.

I wasn't always sure about what was up with Alison and Mrs. Condisine - this rich woman who just shows up in Alison's life. I had like three theories going on at once. After a while it was clear which theory won out but there were these layers to Mrs. Condisine that kept on being brought up. There were a lot of "what the?" moments because things... they get intense. I could not honestly say how this story was going to end. It was always up in the air and I'm thinking towards the end "Is this going to end like I think it is because if it does then wow!"

Alison Allbright and her story has many layers to it so I was never bored. I was always fascinated by what on Earth was going to be revealed next or how was everything going to end. It would have been great if this short story was longer however, The Bewitching of Alison Allbright didn't feel too short at all while I was reading it. It felt like a complete story that had me guessing the whole time. ( )

The Bewitching of Alison Allbright is a re-release of Alan Davidson’s 1987 novel of the same title. Alison is quiet an shy and not living in her imagine ideal circumstances when she has the chance to live in the place of wealthy Mrs. Considine’s deceased daughter. Alison serves a purpose to middle grade readers that the grass isn’t always greener and sometimes you have to make the best of the life you’re living and to recognize its happiness. I think most people of a certain age can identify with Alison in wishing as children we could change something about our circumstances. The character of Alison as Davidson writes her is real and relatable. Allison is in no way the perfect child. She’s shallow and self-centered and believes life owes her a certain standard. While the character was annoying to this adult at first, she certainly grew on me. The characters of Alison’s home life are a little thinly written but with the true focus Alison and Mrs. Considine, young readers will not miss the development.

The Bewitching of Alison Allbright is a good introduction to speculative fiction for children 9-12. ( )

Alison Allbright is a high school nobody. She is prickly and selfish, so she has no friends. She resents being poor, living in a shabby home and not having the money to do the fun things her well-off classmates do. There isn’t even money for class trips, so Alison has to stay behind. All of her daydreams revolve around material things and the wish for more. And then Mrs Considine steps into her life.

Mrs Considine is an upstanding citizen with tons of funds and a daughter who looks exactly like Alison. When her chauffeur runs over Alison’s beat up bicycle and they stop at Alison’s home to replace it with a bright shiny new one, Alison’s life takes a momentous turn. But is it a turn for the better? Or worse?

Being inside Alison’s head and listening to her justify what she allowed to happen was an interesting experience. I thought she was a self-centered little idiot, but I can understand why she was constantly dreaming of bigger and better things instead of being happy with what she had. The fact that she let things get as far as they did made me want to shake her repeatedly, but at least Alison wakes up and finally smells the decaying roses. My favorite part of the book is when Alison gets a rude awakening by a friend. There’s nothing quite like cold hard truths told by someone you respect to slap some sense into a person.

Well-written, interesting and a great plot. I enjoyed this book very much.

*Many thanks to Straw Hat Publishers for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog. ( )