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Felicia the Critic
A little girl's constant criticism of everyone and everything leads her into trouble until she learns that constructive suggestions can be helpful at the right time
137 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
70 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Conford
69 books68 followersEllen Conford was an author for children and young adults. Among her writings are the Annabel the Actress and Jenny Archer series. Her books have won the Best Book of the Year Citation, Best Book of the International Interest Citation, Best Book of the Year for Children, Parents' Choice Award, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 23, 2019
Quick read with humor and a useful message. Illustrations are OK, but the one with musicians would indicate the illustrator has never seen actual instruments.
April 6, 2016
I read this about 18 times and wanted to name my imaginary daughter Felicia.
January 16, 2021
Felicia is highly critical of everything, from the radio's morning weather report, to the way her family organizes the broom closet. When her mother points out that she ought to be more constructive in her criticism, Felicia takes the advice to heart, but implements it with varying degrees of humor and success. Finally, she decides the best thing to do is just keep quiet, only to discover that sometimes it is appropriate to speak one's mind, in the right circumstances and with the right approach.
I associate Ellen Conford primarily with early teen romances such as those found in her short story collections, If This is Love, I'll Take Spaghetti (1983) and I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost (1994), both of which I read as a middle schooler. I was a little surprised, therefore, when my husband read this book and then insisted that I immediately read it as well. His recommendation made sense to me, however, after just a couple of chapters. This book is well-told, well-paced, and legitimately funny. Humor is difficult to pull off for any age group, and especially difficult, I think, in a short middle grade novel, but Conford does a great job of making the reader laugh in a way that feels natural, not forced. The fact that she also works a character-building lesson into the story is even more impressive and calls to mind favorite contemporary authors like Andrew Clements and Claudia Mills.
Felicia the Critic has had a few cover make-overs since it was first published, but sadly, it is currently out of print. I'm glad to have our used copy, however, as I have a child who is prone to letting the world know how she feels about anything and everything, and I imagine this will be a useful learning tool as well as an entertaining reading experience for her in another few years.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
I associate Ellen Conford primarily with early teen romances such as those found in her short story collections, If This is Love, I'll Take Spaghetti (1983) and I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost (1994), both of which I read as a middle schooler. I was a little surprised, therefore, when my husband read this book and then insisted that I immediately read it as well. His recommendation made sense to me, however, after just a couple of chapters. This book is well-told, well-paced, and legitimately funny. Humor is difficult to pull off for any age group, and especially difficult, I think, in a short middle grade novel, but Conford does a great job of making the reader laugh in a way that feels natural, not forced. The fact that she also works a character-building lesson into the story is even more impressive and calls to mind favorite contemporary authors like Andrew Clements and Claudia Mills.
Felicia the Critic has had a few cover make-overs since it was first published, but sadly, it is currently out of print. I'm glad to have our used copy, however, as I have a child who is prone to letting the world know how she feels about anything and everything, and I imagine this will be a useful learning tool as well as an entertaining reading experience for her in another few years.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
October 31, 2012
I'm going to be honest and say I've not read this book in about 30 years or more, but I DO know it was a fave of my childhood and I really want to read it again.
I think I'll try to find it...
I think I'll try to find it...
June 15, 2019
One of Ellen Conford's best books, following Felicia, a tween who excels at identifying problems in other people but who has a problem of her own: knowing when & where to voice criticism! Sometimes her suggestions lead to great effects, like revamping the family's messy broom closet or reworking the flow of traffic outside her school. But just as often, the suggestions infuriate her friends & family, leading her to keep to herself -- which eventually backfires.
From start-to-end, the book is funny and relatable for readers of all ages. Conford's observations and character descriptions are astute and seem as relevant now as ever. The tone is often reminiscent of Beverly Cleary: Conford had a real talent for getting kids' voices just right, and for observing the naivete of childhood in a way that adults (and mature children) will find hilarious. The book also doesn't seem terribly dated: the conversations don't sound stilted and aren't weighed down by obligatory insertions of the slang du jour, and the frustrations and feelings Felicia experiences (from bad service at a restaurant to bratty children to inaccurate weather reports) ring true today.
The book also seems much more empowering than many lauded books of recent years: it shows that, if you identify problems and voice your concerns in a polite tone, you can make a real difference, whether that's fixing the broom closet or planning a fundraiser. The book's message is as relevant as ever in an age where everyone can be a critic on social media but almost no one's constructive. 21st-century readers can still learn plenty from this 1970s girl!
From start-to-end, the book is funny and relatable for readers of all ages. Conford's observations and character descriptions are astute and seem as relevant now as ever. The tone is often reminiscent of Beverly Cleary: Conford had a real talent for getting kids' voices just right, and for observing the naivete of childhood in a way that adults (and mature children) will find hilarious. The book also doesn't seem terribly dated: the conversations don't sound stilted and aren't weighed down by obligatory insertions of the slang du jour, and the frustrations and feelings Felicia experiences (from bad service at a restaurant to bratty children to inaccurate weather reports) ring true today.
The book also seems much more empowering than many lauded books of recent years: it shows that, if you identify problems and voice your concerns in a polite tone, you can make a real difference, whether that's fixing the broom closet or planning a fundraiser. The book's message is as relevant as ever in an age where everyone can be a critic on social media but almost no one's constructive. 21st-century readers can still learn plenty from this 1970s girl!
January 11, 2024
Felicia Kerschenbaum has right on her side. The radio announces the temperature every morning, and every morning, Felicia looks at the thermometer outside her kitchen window and announces the current temp, which is always a few degrees off from what the guy on the radio said.
Felicia is always scrupulously honest. Ask her opinion on your new nail polish, as her big sister Marilyn foolishly does, and she'll look carefully at your nails and then tell you honestly that the color looks like dried blood.
In short, Felicia drives everyone crazy with her bluntness and insistence on accuracy. Whether she and her friends are trying to form their own social club, a family wedding reception in a tacky venue called Trader Phil's Shangri-La, or just riding to school with her best friend, count on Felicia to Call It Like It Is.
Felicia doesn't mean any offense. She can't understand why everyone gets so ticked off at her. After all, she's only trying to help.
Felicia's mother tries to explain about there being a time and a place for everything, and about knowing when someone really does want advice or an honest opinion and when they are just looking for a compliment, and she introduces the concept of Constructive Criticism.
Felicia resolves to Do Better! She meets with great success in some areas, like advising her cousin Henry to ask his mother nicely if she'll let him give up the piano lessons he so hates (and which have apparently not done him any good, as his forced piano-playing causes his audience much discomfort) and try another instrument. Henry takes this advice and is victorious.
Or the time Felicia's mother buys some beef and complains repeatedly about the amount of fat on it and the fact that it is overpriced for the amount of usable meat on it. Felicia takes it back to the store and complains. This causes a great commotion as the meat is already marinated and of course, nonreturnable, and the butcher's assistant is quite rude about the whole business. But a few days later, a letter from the store arrives, apologizing for the quality of the meat and for the assistant's bad attitude.
But there are also some spectacular failures, like the evening in a restaurant where everything seems to go wrong. Everyone in the family is tired and hungry and impatient, and their food is late to the table and lousy to boot. Felicia writes a bit of "constructive criticism" on a napkin and gives it to their overworked waitress, resulting in the mortification and hasty departure of her whole family.
After this, Felicia decides to err on the side of silence. She can't make trouble with her criticisms if she doesn't voice them, right?
So when her newly formed social club decides to put on a carnival to raise money for activities, Felicia keeps quiet and goes along with it, even though she (and the reader) can easily spot the trouble that lies ahead. The chief trouble being, it's the beginning of an unusually cold winter! Also, that the girls will have to set up and coordinate various game booths, and buy prizes to give out.
On the day of the carnival, it's bitter cold, and all the girls, with some help from parents, have to scramble to make everything work. And it does work reasonably well for a while, till the mercury continues to fall, some kids sneak into the yard without paying, fights break out, prizes run out and the entire enterprise ends in a frozen, angry disaster.
Felicia's friends gather for post-game analysis, and Felicia admits she had foreseen all these problems but had not spoken up. Her friends are justifiably annoyed, and Felicia again resolves to Do Better.
The story itself is funny and engaging. In spite of her shortcomings, Felicia is a very relatable and likable character. I myself have always had a problem refraining from being too blunt or critical, so I sympathized with her.
I know what the story was supposed to do; it's supposed to show the pitfalls of too much kibitzing and nitpicking, and it does. It's also, I think, supposed to show you how to know when a little criticism is in order. But it doesn't really show Felicia learning just how to spot situations where she should speak up and ones where she'd do better to keep her mouth shut. She finds out later, which, now that I think of it, is probably really the only way anyone ever learns how to tell the difference.
So I guess the book does its job after all?
Side note: Felicia's thirteen-year-old sister Marilyn is far, far more annoying and, yes, more critical than Felicia ever thought of being. Marilyn specializes in teenage dramatics, yelling and screaming and sulking at the least provocation. I think she was more in need of a few lessons on holding one's tongue than her sister.
Felicia is always scrupulously honest. Ask her opinion on your new nail polish, as her big sister Marilyn foolishly does, and she'll look carefully at your nails and then tell you honestly that the color looks like dried blood.
In short, Felicia drives everyone crazy with her bluntness and insistence on accuracy. Whether she and her friends are trying to form their own social club, a family wedding reception in a tacky venue called Trader Phil's Shangri-La, or just riding to school with her best friend, count on Felicia to Call It Like It Is.
Felicia doesn't mean any offense. She can't understand why everyone gets so ticked off at her. After all, she's only trying to help.
Felicia's mother tries to explain about there being a time and a place for everything, and about knowing when someone really does want advice or an honest opinion and when they are just looking for a compliment, and she introduces the concept of Constructive Criticism.
Felicia resolves to Do Better! She meets with great success in some areas, like advising her cousin Henry to ask his mother nicely if she'll let him give up the piano lessons he so hates (and which have apparently not done him any good, as his forced piano-playing causes his audience much discomfort) and try another instrument. Henry takes this advice and is victorious.
Or the time Felicia's mother buys some beef and complains repeatedly about the amount of fat on it and the fact that it is overpriced for the amount of usable meat on it. Felicia takes it back to the store and complains. This causes a great commotion as the meat is already marinated and of course, nonreturnable, and the butcher's assistant is quite rude about the whole business. But a few days later, a letter from the store arrives, apologizing for the quality of the meat and for the assistant's bad attitude.
But there are also some spectacular failures, like the evening in a restaurant where everything seems to go wrong. Everyone in the family is tired and hungry and impatient, and their food is late to the table and lousy to boot. Felicia writes a bit of "constructive criticism" on a napkin and gives it to their overworked waitress, resulting in the mortification and hasty departure of her whole family.
After this, Felicia decides to err on the side of silence. She can't make trouble with her criticisms if she doesn't voice them, right?
So when her newly formed social club decides to put on a carnival to raise money for activities, Felicia keeps quiet and goes along with it, even though she (and the reader) can easily spot the trouble that lies ahead. The chief trouble being, it's the beginning of an unusually cold winter! Also, that the girls will have to set up and coordinate various game booths, and buy prizes to give out.
On the day of the carnival, it's bitter cold, and all the girls, with some help from parents, have to scramble to make everything work. And it does work reasonably well for a while, till the mercury continues to fall, some kids sneak into the yard without paying, fights break out, prizes run out and the entire enterprise ends in a frozen, angry disaster.
Felicia's friends gather for post-game analysis, and Felicia admits she had foreseen all these problems but had not spoken up. Her friends are justifiably annoyed, and Felicia again resolves to Do Better.
The story itself is funny and engaging. In spite of her shortcomings, Felicia is a very relatable and likable character. I myself have always had a problem refraining from being too blunt or critical, so I sympathized with her.
I know what the story was supposed to do; it's supposed to show the pitfalls of too much kibitzing and nitpicking, and it does. It's also, I think, supposed to show you how to know when a little criticism is in order. But it doesn't really show Felicia learning just how to spot situations where she should speak up and ones where she'd do better to keep her mouth shut. She finds out later, which, now that I think of it, is probably really the only way anyone ever learns how to tell the difference.
So I guess the book does its job after all?
Side note: Felicia's thirteen-year-old sister Marilyn is far, far more annoying and, yes, more critical than Felicia ever thought of being. Marilyn specializes in teenage dramatics, yelling and screaming and sulking at the least provocation. I think she was more in need of a few lessons on holding one's tongue than her sister.
February 19, 2026
Felicia argues with the weather on the radio every morning and is constantly trying to tell everyone around her a better way to do things. She thinks the crossing guard is inefficient. She tries to return a fatty roast to the supermarket for her mother. She gets in fights with her sister Marilyn constantly. Her mother tells her that she should be more constructive in her criticism, but even this does not help. When her best friend Cheryl tells Felicia that she can only be in a group her classmates are starting, Felicia shuts up-- even when the group tries to make money by having a carnival... in the middle of winter. When the carnival is a failure, Felicia learns that sometimes she should speak up, but in general, she should learn to be more positive.
Strengths: This title is 40 years old, and even though there are a couple of references dating it (Felicia sets her hair on rollers, a pot roast costs $4, there is a friend named Phyllis), it still stands up extremely well today. Felicia's habit of criticizing everyone is a habit that still gets students into trouble today, and the interactions with family and friends still resonate.
Weaknesses: The art on the first edition copy dates this horribly, and the condition of my library's book isn't great, either, but this still circulates!
Strengths: This title is 40 years old, and even though there are a couple of references dating it (Felicia sets her hair on rollers, a pot roast costs $4, there is a friend named Phyllis), it still stands up extremely well today. Felicia's habit of criticizing everyone is a habit that still gets students into trouble today, and the interactions with family and friends still resonate.
Weaknesses: The art on the first edition copy dates this horribly, and the condition of my library's book isn't great, either, but this still circulates!
August 2, 2025
The essayist Meghan Daum recently mentioned this children's book in a "By the Book" column in the New York Times, and it reminded me that I really enjoyed the novels of Ellen Conford and, I think, this book when I was a kid. I online-purchased a first edition hardcover, what a treat, that was exceptionally inexpensive. And it was indeed a fun read, not something that I recalled at all though, and I couldn't help but feel that it was a far less sophisticated twist on an even more compelling novel from my childhood, "Harriet the Spy." Like Harriet, Felicia in "Felicia the Critic" is compelled to be a truth-teller yet lacks the maturity to do it well, has to eventually be mentored by adults, and lands upon a rewarding way to satisfy her need to make the world better through her intelligent observations. Conford has all the writerly hallmarks of the Blume- and Fitzhugh-inspired children's novelists of the era, which is very satisfying.
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March 3, 2014I thought that the book was very old it felt like i was in the book
January 28, 2016
Read this back in junior high. I love when Goodreads makes me remember a book from my childhood with it's "You Might Also Like . . . " Finding a new book to read as a kid was the best feeling.
October 21, 2008
aw man, this book was funny. so much fun!
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January 22, 2009JAR4-Con
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews