Out of Bounds (The Too-Tall Tales of Alma T. Best, #1)
By Katherine Collette
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
This is Katherine’s first middle grade novel and its a cracker! It is the very funny story of Alma, twelve years old and six feet tall, who lives in a small town called Shellsville, (sometimes called Smellsville as it is a bit close to a treatment plant). When Alma wins a scholarship to a posh private school, Holy Grace, she pretends her family run Peacherton Peach Farm far away from Shellsville. She vehemently denies any connection to the place. This one big lie brings her into all sorts of trouble as she has to keep making up more and more stuff to maintain her credibility.
When she and her team have to come up with a project for the school and peaches are part of it, things go from bad to really terrible very quickly. Alma finds herself in a morass of deceit, lies and rule-breaking that threatens to expose her at every moment. As well as the peaches scenario there is the business of basketball. Her sister is the keenest member of the Shellsville team, arch rivals of Holy Grace and Alma has somehow been talked into playing on the Holy Grace team, even though her whole family thinks she hates basketball.
This is a salutary tale of what happens when you tell lies about yourself. Alma realises some important truths about herself, her family, her friends and her town. She is a person we get to know very well as Katherine has created many quirky cartoons that regularly enliven and reinforce the text. Its a great fast paced story, filled with humour, suspense, and positive family values. Readers aged 9+ will readily relate to Alma’s way of coping with starting a new school, making new friends, finding her way on her own. Finding out where and how you fit in is one of those crucial angsty preoccupations presented here with wit, humour and a generous dose of warm understanding. I look forward to the next Too-Tall Tale as this one was such terrific fun.
Harper Collins 2024
