The too-tall tales of Alma T. Best: Out of bounds by Katherine Collette

When you're 12 years old and 6 foot tall, people ask the most annoying questions. The Number One Most Annoying Question according to Alma T. Best is, 'Do you play basketball?'

Uh, no. She hates basketball.

Alma lives in Shellsville, a town known for its sewage treatment plant and their basketball team. All her friends are looking forward to moving to Point Elizabeth High School, but Alma has won a scholarship to Holy Grace, an all-girls college that is also the biggest rival of the Basketball team. 

When Alma arrives at the new school with the size 11 runners her mum purchased that do not fit in, rather than admit to living in Shellsville she makes up a story about living on a Peach farm far away from the sewage plant.  What ensues is a true testament to the fact that one small lie can have long reaching consequences. 

During a project to create a fundraiser for a Mother’s Day stall, her group decides to sell peach jam and Alma must produce the peaches.  Rather than coming clean, Alma perpetuates the lie with theft, and more lies including failing to tell her family that she is on the basketball team.  Alma is a smart, resourceful and well-read student but her need to continually make up stories and add to her lies impacts her whole life until she is caught out and must come clean. 

The story is about fitting in, friendships and lengths one will go to fit in and be included but the constant lies and theft and the fact that in the end Alma really faces very few consequences and all is forgiven feels too neat and easy.  This is a book that will appeal to readers who like Dork Diaries, BSC and other friendship stories, the inclusion of basketball will also appeal to the more sport orientated readers, however it isn’t one that would be one I would reach for due to the lack of consequences for Alma. The story was enjoyable, and I am looing forward to the next book in the series to see if Alma has learnt her lesson.

While it wouldn’t be a book I would reach for I do think that it will gain popularity in the school library and is one that is worth having, especially as it would lead to conversations about the consequences of lying and theft.

Themes: Friendship, Sport, Lies, Family, Humour.

Mhairi Alcorn