Hating Alison Ashley (novel) facts for kids
Hating Alison Ashley is a popular Australian novel written in 1984. It was created by Robin Klein, a famous author of children's books. This funny story is about growing up and finding happiness. It shows the challenges of school friendships and family life. The book also explores feelings like embarrassment and insecurity. Many students in Australia read Hating Alison Ashley in their English classes.
Contents
Awards and Adaptations
This book has won several important awards. It was nominated for eight Australian literature awards. In 1987, it won the Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA). Later, in 2013, it won the Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA).
Hating Alison Ashley has also been turned into other forms of entertainment. It became a play, adapted by Richard Tulloch. It was also made into a film. The movie, also called Hating Alison Ashley, was directed by Geoff Bennett. Famous singer and actress Delta Goodrem played the main character.
Story of Erica "Yuk" Yurken
The main character is a girl named Erica Yurken. She lives in a run-down town called Barringa East. Erica thinks she is much smarter than everyone else. She believes she belongs in a fancier place. Erica dreams of becoming a famous actress one day.
Erica starts 6th grade at Barringa East primary school. She often keeps her distance from other students. She feels her intelligence is much higher than theirs. Erica likes to make up big stories about herself. This helps her hide that her family is not wealthy. She also pretends to be sick often. She visits the school nurse for made-up illnesses.
Most teachers at Barringa East primary are not very good. But her 6th-grade teacher, Miss Belmont, is smart and strict. Erica does well under Miss Belmont's guidance. She works hard on her school projects. Erica often does better than her classmates.
Meeting Alison Ashley
Just as Erica starts to feel very proud, a new student arrives. Her name is Alison Ashley. Alison comes from a wealthy area. This area was recently added to Barringa East's school zone. Alison is beautiful, rich, tidy, and very smart. Erica immediately feels jealous of her.
Alison is seated next to Erica in class. At first, Erica wants to impress Alison. She hopes they can become friends. But her jealousy grows stronger throughout the day. Soon, Erica pushes Alison away. Over the next few days, Alison's perfect ways annoy Erica. Finally, Erica gets angry. She insults Alison and calls her a snob.
Trouble at Home
Alison often seems to want to be friends. But Erica stubbornly refuses her. She acts this way out of spite and envy. One day, Alison visits Erica's house. Erica's family embarrasses her many times. After this, Erica accuses Alison of being nosy and judging her.
Soon after, Erica finds Alison's things mixed with her own. She grudgingly returns them. Erica feels jealous of Alison's fancy house. It is very clean, unlike her own home. Alison tries to be friendly. But Erica accidentally wakes Alison's mother. Alison's mom has a demanding late-night job. She angrily asks Alison who is with her. Alison quickly says, "No one." Erica sees this as a huge insult. She decides not to speak to Alison again.
Camp and Friendship
Later, the two girls are put in the same cabin at the annual Grade Six camp. They are also in the same group. Erica feels outdone by Alison Ashley again. This is especially true during the camp play. Erica has always dreamed of being an actress. But she is shocked to find she has stage fright. Alison, however, is a skilled actress. She gets the lead role in the play.
On performance night, Erica cannot watch Alison in the spotlight. She runs back to her cabin. There, she finds a touching surprise. Alison has put the script Erica wrote into a book. This is a gesture of friendship. Erica also learns something important. Even though Alison had the lead role, her mother did not come to the performance. This shows Erica that Alison's mother does not care much about her daughter.
Erica realizes that Alison was actually jealous of her. Alison envied Erica's chaotic but warm family life. This makes Erica rethink her dislike for her own family. Erica and Alison make up and become good friends.
