How the Principal's Kid Struggles with Being an Insider AND an Outsider (When She Just Wants to Be "Normal")

Confessions from the Principal's Kid by Robin Mellom

Hello, Readers!

This week fourth graders are discussing Robin Mellom's Confessions from the Principal's Kid. Have you ever thought about what it might be like to go to school where your mom was the principal? That's the situation for fifth-grader Allie West. There are plenty of good parts, but Allie is really struggling with the bad parts in this story.

Being the principal's kid means:

1. Secret meetings with the Afters
2. Eavesdropping Bingo
3. Random Acts of Awesomesauce
4. No invitations, ever
5. Outsider status, always

That's the good and bad of it for fifth-grader Allie West. She's an insider - which makes her an outsider. Nobody trusts the kid who might tell her mother, the principal, everything. And while Allie secretly loves her behind-the-scenes life at school, she desperately wants to be, well, normal. But normal is complicated.

Will Allie find "normal"? Will she make new friends and still keep her old friends? Will being the principal's daughter ever work in Allie's favor, or will it always work against her? Author Robin Mellom ought to know what it's like for Allie West, because her mom was the principal at her school, too. 

Source: book jacket

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. Allie seems to enjoy helping Frances and Ms. Jean before school. Why do you think she always tries to get out of there before the other kids can see her?
2. Allie's mom is very distracted and always serious. How does this seem to impact Allie?
3. How does Graham deal with the way other kids, especially Joel Webber, treat him?
4. What does Allie's dad mean on p. 181 when he says, "Stop worrying about everything you've done. . . Focus on how to make things better for other people."
5. Allie says, "Being an insider at this school only makes me feel like an outsider." How is bein an insider a problem for Allie in this story? How does her problem get solved?
6. Allie tells the Afters she wants to have real friends. Why do you think she didn't consider the Afters her real friends?
7. How did Allie change in this story?
8. What surprised you in this story? What did you notice?
9. Would you want one of your parents to be the principal at your school? Why or why not?
10. What message can we take away from this story? What did the author want us to know?

Curriculum Connections:

• Character (kindness, including others)
• Life Skills (problem solving, communication)

What 4th Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 4.3 out of 5 - We liked it and had a lot to discuss.
• "I want to talk about Joel Webber." --Alex
• "I wondered why Allie's mom won't tell her what happened when she was talking to Graham." --Anjulila
• "I want to talk about how Allie rejects Joel Webber." --Jonathan
• "I would not want to be the principal's kid because I would stay after school." --Theo
• "I want to talk about how the Afters come back together." --Addie
• "One question I wondered was why  does Graham wear the El Guapo cape?" --Jeb
• "I wonder why Graham made La Guapa for Allie." --Alex
• "Why did Allie's mom call Ms. Santos so Allie could be Chloe's partner?" --Ryan
• "I want to talk about how Allie and Chloe's book report turned out." --Varun
• "I would want to be the principal's kid because I would have access to lots of places." --Alex
• "I want to talk about how the Afters started." --Hailey
• "I would want to be the principal's kid because everyone would respect me! :)" --Addie

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