Alexander Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move[ALEXANDER WHOS NOT (DO YOU][Paperback]

Alexander

by Judith Viorst

Alexander Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move <> Paperback <> JudithViorst <> AladdinPaperbacks

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Family, Friendship, Humor

Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Judith Viorst is an American writer, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature. This includes The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (about the death of a pet) and the Alexander series of short picture books, which includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), which has sold over two million copies.
Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968, she signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, Viorst turned to the study of Freudian psychology. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in a family that moved a lot, I felt like Alexander. Judith Viorst has a way of making the audience truly relate to the characters, regardless of age. It is a magical gift she has and the readers reap the benefits of her talent!

[Laura Mincey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just LOVE the Alexander books by Judith Viorist. This book tells the story of Alexander's unfortunate fate--he has to move across the county because his dad got a new job. Throughout the book, Alexander pouts and refuses to pack his things because after all, he's NOT going to move. His mother encourages him to say goodbye to his teacher and friends, he gets lots of hugs and kisses, but still... he claims he won't move. Alexander shares that he is scared he won't make any new friends and things just won't be the same at his new house. He then begins to think about who he could live with in his hometown, because he is NOT okay with moving. However, in the end of the book, Alexander faces his fate and packs his things. Everything turns out great. This would be a great story to share with a child who is faced with a move or a new student in the classroom. It will encourage them to see that things will always be okay! This book makes a scary situation FUN to read about. Young children will relate to this book and love Alexander's famous attitude.

[Riley Conway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two decades after Alexander has a terrible day, the poor kid still can’t catch a break. In Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move, a late entry in Judith Viorst’s Alexander series (illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser), our plagued protagonist returns, facing yet another childhood woe: moving (no--not to Australia). Told again in Alexander’s charming voice, he lets the reader know—absolutely, positively, unequivocally—that he will not move. “Never. Not ever. No way. Uh uh. N. O.” In fact, we never hear other characters' exact words from their own lips, with their own voices. Alexander paraphrases all of it for us, including the repetition of his brothers’ opinions of him: “Nick says I’m_____ (fill in the blank with a variety of nasty things brothers might say),” and “Anthony says I’m being immature.” Repetition is also used to underscore the sadness that sort of oozes through the humor of the story. It's really a melancholy little tale. Alexander notes the distance between his current and new homes: a thousand miles. He considers his not-moving options, plotting to live with the Baldwins or the Rooneys. Or moving into his tree house. He packs and says his goodbyes, but all the while he plots, thinking of how not to move. Finally, his parents offer incentives to Alexander, like calling his best friend long distance and maybe getting a dog. Finally, he decides that maybe he can handle moving after all. And the “incentives” are a nice touch, because when thinking about all of the things that he likes about his current home early in the story, we encounter the neighbor’s dog and the friend he’ll be leaving behind. While not as charming as Very Bad Day, it's a worthy entry in the Alexander canon, a sweet story about loving what you have while also being willing and able to change (and hopefully love the change, too).

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! (I adored Alexander from his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and this is only a slightly better situation as he is being forced to MOVE--how hideous!) I think it portrays with sensitivity all the reasons kids DON'T want to move, while also giving a glimmer of hope that there will be good things at the new location. Yet, I liked that it's wasn't a rosy-colored glasses approach.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander and his family are moving because of his dad’s job. His brothers, Nick and Anthony, don’t mind moving. In fact, there are boys that are their age that will be living down the street. However, Alexander does not think he will find any friends in this new place. Alexander thinks of all the people and places he could stay back in his neighborhood. Then, his dad tells him to check out the special places that he will miss. Alexander visits many places while remembering all of the good times and memories he has made in those places. His brothers continue to make fun of him for not wanting to move. After saying goodbye to everyone, he is somewhat consoled by his parents. His parents tell him about the friends he will make and the places he will soon love. In the end, Alexander packs up his things and says it is the last time that he will be moving.

Many people may be familiar with Alexander from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This would be a great book to read to children and discuss if they have ever had to move and the feelings that they may have had. Also, kids who have not moved may be able to relate to their friends having to move far away from them. Furthermore, the second graders at our school read Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. I would love to read this book to my third grade students since they most likely would have knowledge of Alexander.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander is back and this time he's not - "Never. Not ever. No way. Uh uh. N. O." - going to move, even though his whole family is packing. Though Alexander continues to refuse to move, he visits all his special places and people to say good-bye. In the end, he agrees to pack, but he's definitely never going to move again after this time.

Detailed, textured black-and-white drawings by Robin Preiss Glasser (who later did the Fancy Nancy series) stay true to the original characters created by Ray Cruz.

Children will relate to Alexander's stubborn reluctance to give up everything and everyone he knows and venture into the unknown, even with his family beside him. And young readers will also resign themselves to Alexander's eventual acceptance, with conditions.

[Nicole Grote · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this edition of the Alexander series, Alexander and his family are moving thanks to his dads job. There is one problem though, Alexander does not want to move. He won't even start packing. Finally, his mother tells him that he better say goodbye to his favorite places, people and things. Alexander does just that and during this process you see him continue to fight the idea of moving. Finally after a bit of persuasion, bribery and acceptance, Alexander accepts the move. The one catch is that he will absolutely not move ever again! It's a light hearted read that children will enjoy and laugh at. For children who are moving, this book could be a great way to help them accept the idea and cope with the move. I found myself also enjoying the illustrations. While they are in black and white, you can see the time and dedication that went into them. Every drawing captures Alexanders emotions and will surly make any adult and child laugh. So for a good light hearted read, or to prepare a child for a big move, this book is a good one to grab.

[Tracey]

Readers will remember Alexander and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. In this new installment, Alexander’s life seems to be getting even worse. When his family is forced to relocate a thousand miles away for his father’s new job, Alexander decides that he is not going to move. Never. Not ever. No way. Uh uh. N. O. Alexander comes up with a number of impractical ideas to keep him from leaving his best friend, soccer team, and favorite babysitter. He finally agrees to move, but it will never – Do you hear him? He means it! – happen again. Anyone who has ever experienced a move will love Viorst’s humorous tale. Young readers can easily relate to Alexander and his feelings about this overwhelming event. Glasser’s black-and-white drawings, in the style of former Alexander illustrator Ray Cruz, add a touch of humor to this serious subject. (Ages 6 and up)

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

just reread this this morning. i love the art. Alexander, instead of packing for the family's move, starts imagining all the neighbors he could move in with including "the Rooneys. They've got six girls. They always wanted one boy." Robin Preiss Glasser shows him leaning back in a big comfortable chair grinning as the girls bring him an ice cream soda, their goldfish, do his homework etc. - more or less worship him, only an eight year old boy would think that. (actually all males would think that. our egos are large)
Glasser's art is wonderful!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this doesn't have quite the same punch as the first book, it's still a entertaining and realistic-ish look at a boy who has to move and isn't happy about it. The illustrations are perfect, too.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice addition to the Alexander series. It opens up young readers to the idea that sometimes we don't want to do something, but when we do, we find out it's not nearly as bad as we thought; it might even be good!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexander's voice comes through with foot-stomping force. His defiance perfectly captures a child's stubborn resolve and ultimate surrender.

[Lucia Benzor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good lesson about leaving a place you love and people you know. Can show you the upside and about the transition process. Still needs color in the illustrations but well-written.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book to read if you have a student who is moving or even a new student who moved from another state.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a story about a grumpy child who think everyones out to get him he does not want to move... he's sure about it

[Julia Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear me? I Mean it!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst is a realistic fiction story that is intended for children between Kindergarten and Second Grade. The story is about a boy named Alexander who finds out that his family is moving to Australia for his Dad’s new job. Alexander doesn’t want to move because he likes where his family lives now. He likes his school and his friends; he doesn’t want to say goodbye.

I really liked this book because the character of Alexander was well developed, the theme and plot of the story were present and clear throughout the whole book. In the beginning of the book he complains about not wanting to move and reminisces about his experiences at school, with friends, and living in his house. In the middle of the story he starts to say goodbye to his friends, babysitter, and other people he finds important to him. By the end of the story, he’s still reluctant about moving, but starts packing with the rest of the family. Despite the story being shown in black and white, I thought the illustrations were still effective because they supported the theme of Moving(changes).

This book is good practice for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It’s helpful that there are repetitive words or phrases such as “I’m not going to move” never, and goodbye because it will help the students follow along with the story. The students can learn and look up new vocabulary words such as immature, brain transplant, poison ivy, barricade, lonesome, and packing. After the students are finished reading the story, they can either make a storyboard illustrating the events that happened in the story or make a sequence chart writing down the events as they occurred in order.

[Ciana Froemming]

“Alexander, Who’s Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move” was a great book that gave an inside look at the struggles kids face when they have to move. Many kids don’t want change and they don’t want to leave their friends behind. They have made connections and memories in their town. It also describes the fears a child faces when they go to a new town. Alexander not only was going to miss his friends, but he was going to miss his home, peers and places around his town such as Friendly’s Market and the soccer team. I enjoyed this book because I felt like it was written well and easy to find something to relate to. I would definitely recommend this book to kids who are moving and afraid of change. This book would be great for them because they could relate to Alexander in many ways. This book would also be good for students in lower elementary grades. There was very little diversity in this book.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy whose family has to move because of their dad’s new job. Alex does not want to move and refuses to go with his family. He says goodbye to his favorite places in town but says it is not going to be his last. He ignores his family who tries to make him feel better about moving, he just says there is no way he is going to move.
I enjoyed this book, Alex, the main character was cute and the story was very well done. It did not repeat itself and it had a lot of funny moments.
This book would be perfect to give to students who have to move and do not want to. They learn to come to terms with moving and it could help them feel better about moving. There are a lot of words on the pages so it would probably be better to read aloud, or for older students.

[Nicholas Ness · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, from a series of two other Alexander books, Alexander faces the challenge that he and his family will have to move to a new home and he makes it very clear that he is not going to move. This book can be very relatable to students who go through the same issue of moving, or face other issues and find that in the end, everything will work out! I loved this book a lot, because it reminded me of growing up, and I could relate to not wanting to move to a new place. I always took it hard, but it would work out in the end.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

We love Alexander's 'Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day'. We liked 'used to be rich last Sunday' (probably me more so than Miss 4, but it was useful for talking about saving vs spending). 'I'm not moving' didn't appeal (probably more helpful if you have an upcoming move).

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Nancy Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/8
***
Realistic Fiction
10/22
Realistic Fiction
Kindergarten – 3
This book was a fun book to read! The book has a line that repeats, "I'm not-DO YOU HEAR ME? I MEAN IT!-going to move." This book is another book like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day with the same character. Alexander is determined he will not move, and goes through all the feelings of saying goodbye until he moves 1,000 miles away. This would be a good book to read for students who are new to the school or someone is moving.

[May Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

We know an Alexander. Heck, there may be a point in our childhood that we have been an Alexander. Maybe that is why I enjoyed listening to this series. Being able to peek into the mind of a headstrong, opinionated kid can be relatable in many ways. As a parent, you would want to pinch this kid's stubbornness, but as a former kid, you just can't help but laugh because it made you realize how immature you sounded when you threw tantrums like this. This is just an absolute classic.

[Madeline Volkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children need to listen to their parents and what they say. Sometimes, the parents tell the kids to do something they don't want to do. Even though the children don't want to do it, they still have to. This book shows that even though Alexander didn't want to move, he still did. I thought the book was good, but I think that children might think it is okay to go against their parents since Alexander does, and that is not okay.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Date read: 10/8/2020
Date of review: 10/8/2020
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Range: 2-3
I really liked this story. I feel that it really captured how a young boy might feel if his world were about to change as drastically as a move would cause it to change. I felt that the progression of Alexander's feelings over the course of the story was especially well laid out--from definitely not going to move, to maybe being a little more open to it (but still definitely not going to move).

[Serena Sawyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

3rd-5th grade. Realistic non-fiction.
I personally do not enjoy the Alexander books. I enjoy books with colorful illustrations. However, the book did make me think of how my family and I moved 2 times in the last year. It was horrible! We moved the first time in the nasty wintery spring mix and then moved again recently on the hottest day of the summer. I could feel Alexander’s pain if not wanting to move his things.

[Savannah Putfark]

The story is about Alexander and how his Family is moving a thousand miles away and that he doesn't want to move because he doesn't want to leave his friends and the people that know him, and he doesn't care he is not moving even if he has to move to his treehouse. I really liked this book and remember reading this when I was a little kid and I think that the students would like this story and would use this during story time.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. So when I saw this book in Goodwill, I figured I could add it along with my personal copy of AatTHNGVBD. I was pleased to see it held up against the original. In fact, the situation Alexander faces in the book left me feeling bittersweet and sympathetic towards him. I will be reading the other sequels.

[Tanaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal reaction to the book is that it’s a good book I wish it had color illustrations but the black and white had good detail. The book had me thinking that he wasn’t going to move I believe the father was going to come back and say they aren’t moving anymore. So that’s were my curiosity came into play.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I teared up a little at this book! I felt bad for ol’ Alex. He doesn’t want to move, and who could blame him. He has to say goodbye to his favorite people and places. He doesn’t think anything good can come from this move. Poor kid, even his brothers give him a hard time. The pictures are great black-line drawings. We’ll see what my students think of it.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I've long thought Alexander is my spirit animal. So much me.

I know that this is supposed to be funny or maybe sappy, but I found it heartbreaking. Poor kids, just along for the ride in their parents lives.

Maybe I'm too tenderhearted. Maybe I'm too anti authority.

Anyway, I love Alexander. If he'd take it, I'd give him the biggest hug.