Customer Reviews

The Agony of Alice

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Phyllis Reynolds Naylor came out number one on the 2004 list of "Most Banned" books in America due to her "Alice" series, she probably didn't see it as a good thing. But an unintended result of that dubious honor is the publicity that came with it. As a children's librarian, I was (until the list was published) in the dark about Naylor's "Alice" books and hadn't so much as perused one before. So I decided to begin at the very beginning with "The Agony of Alice" to see where it might take me. After all, why is it that these books incite such fear and lamenting by ban-crazy parents nationwide? I've got two little words for you: Breasts and blood. Yep, this is a book about a girl crossing over from ignorant fifth-grade to cool collected know-it-all sixth grade. From tweenship into teenship. And so on. And if you fear for your children's pure little lily-white minds should they ever hear the word "period" or "bra" enter into a book's conversation, then "The Agony of Alice" is not for you. But for those kids who not only identify with Alice but take after her, the series is a godsend.

Growing up in a male-dominated household (one father, one brother) isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, you don't have to worry about table manners but sometimes it's nice to have someone to ask about bras and shopping for jeans, and that kind of stuff. And what Alice wants most in the world at this moment is a mother. Her own died when she was four and ever since then she's been on the lookout for a replacement. She thinks she's found one too, when she sees beautiful Miss Cooper, the sixth grade teacher, on her first day at a new school. Unfortunately, Miss Cooper isn't Alice's teacher. Instead, she's stuck with dumpy old Mrs. Plotkin. Alice would do anything to switch classes, but as the year goes on she begins to learn that there may be more to Mrs. Plotkin than meets the eye... and less to Miss Cooper.

The book hits the pre-adolescent girl mindset perfectly. Alice, at first, lives in a state of perpetual and constant embarrassment. She's embarrassed about things she did when she was in Kindergarten. She's embarrassed about accidentally walking in on a guy in a changing room. She's embarrassed when she wears shirt slathered in perfume and when she accidentally kicks Miss Cooper in the arm. But while she never stops doing potentially damaging things, she does come to the conclusion that, "I wondered... if people went on doing stupid things even after they reached twenty. Yep, I decided. They just didn't worry about them so much, that's all". And while it is clear that Alice hasn't reach some kind of a plateau of tween understanding, she at least sorts a couple issues out here and there.

In the end, it's a fun book that serves a useful purpose. Though it was originally published in 1985 and contains some downright dated elements (her brother goes out with a girl with pink glasses frames and people walk around wearing jeans that read "Hang Ten" on them) the book has remained popular with the young `uns. That's quite an accomplishment. So if you're sitting at home one night and the urge strikes you to read a banned book, this might not be a bad selection. It has just the right elements of humor and self-knowledge to make the reading enjoyable. A nice title.

The Agony of Alice.The auther of this book is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.The main character is Alice. Alices mother died when she was just a baby. so now so she is in sixth grade and she just wants someone to teach her to be a teenager. She has a big brother(Lester) and a dad. the plot of this story is she gets a boyfriend and she just wants to ask questions on how to keep a boyfriend and how to provent(Patrick)from bracking up with her.Alices quote is sixth grade is tough.The meaning of this story is how to be a teenager with a boyfriend.I really like this story because im in sixth grade and im figering out how to be a teenager with out screwing up.

The summer before sixth grade, Alice McKinley, her dad Ben and older brother Lester move to a new town...where Alice unwittingly manages to humiliate herself almost immediately. First she makes a fool out of herself in front of her new neighbor and classmate, the perfect Elizabeth; then she accidentally barges in on a red-haired boy in a store changing room.

To Alice's horror, the boy turns out to go to her new school. And to make matters worse, Alice doesn't get the pretty young teacher she had hoped to have as a practically subsitute mother, but rather the older, physically unattractive Mrs. Plotkin.

For once determined to change her destiny, Alice tries to talk the principal into switching classrooms. And when that fails, she decides to be outright rude and uncooperative, trying to make Mrs. Plotkin want to get rid of her. Instead, to Alice's great surprise, Mrs. Plotkin reacts with kindness...and before she knows it, Alice has her first lesson in never judging a book by its cover.

If you've never given the "Alice" series a try, give this book a try! You'll soon be looking for the rest of the series, eager to find out what else Alice has been up to.

The Agony of Alice.The author of this book is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.The main character is Alice. Alices mother died when she was just a baby. So now so she is in sixth grade and she just wants someone to teach her to be a teenager. She has a big brother(Lester) and a dad. the plot of this story is she gets a boyfriend and she just wants to ask questions on how to keep a boyfriend and how to prevent(Patrick)from breaking up with her. Alices quote is sixth grade is tough.The meaning of this story is how to be a teenager with a boyfriend.I really like this story because im in sixth grade and im figureing out how to be a teenager with out screwing up.

For any girl who would like to jump into a good series, start with the Agony of Alice. It is so funny and I laughed through the whole book. Alice is trying to learn how to be a teenager, but since she doesn't have a mother, she's doing it all wrong-she pulls somebody's hair onstage, kicks a teacher's arm in the Halloween parade, and still can't buy a bra, to name a few embarrassing incidents.

Also, I have been reading the other reviews of the Alice books and notice that quite a bit of them have been complaining about the sexual content. So, if you're wondering what age is appropriate and which isn't, I have a guideline: most girls that have done the Family Life course at school are mature enough for the Alice books, because the books don't really cover any more than what you learn in Family Life (in fact, sometimes Family Life is a lot worse).

I loved this book and would recommend it to any preteen or teen girl.

I thoght the book was great. It's one of those books yuo cant
put down. I read the book in 3 houres and it was one of the best books i have ever read. At our school we have to read books adn take test on them adn it's a great book to get points fast. I realate to the book alot about teacher and ect. this is the first alice book i'v ever read and i've started alot since then. By the way i'm reading another book right now!!!! Again grat book and i RECCOMMEND IT!!!!!!!!!

As the first Alice book in the series, I'm not sure how it continued, but I'm glad. It defenitly was not the best Alice book, but it was still great. I wasn't found of it, but I still read it in2 days. The Grooming of Alice was the first Alice book I read, (I hadn't discovered the whole series), and this was the fourth. Some of the funny parts in the book was when she wanted to get Miss Cole and went to the principal's office just so he'd swicth her! I'll say that toward the end I really enjoyed it, so if it seems a little dull in the beginning, I'll tell you it gets a WHOLE lot better. I still really liked this one!
-Scooby

This was a really good book, somewhat a cross between ramona and mia from the princess diaries. Only thing I'd have to disagree with would be the reading level. I mean 9-12 year olds could read the book no problem but the content I think would be suited much more towards 12+ especially towards the later books in the serious. Hope this series runs a good long time!

I read this book three years ago and I was impressed. However, when I decided to read the rest of the books in the series, I found that this book dulls in comparison to some of the others, like Alice in Lace, Achingly Alice and Alice Alone. It was worth the read, and if your are planning to read some of the better books, you still ought to start with this one.

This is my favorite Alice book so far! I am so hooked on this series that I can't put the book down, I can relate to it so much,especially this book because I(unlike Alice) was homeschooled and am going to school for the very first time this year, what is like Alice is that I am going into the 6th grade and share the same problems with her. I can REALLY relate to this book, even the librarian at the elementary school(who is probably about late 30's early 40's,maybe even 50's!!)likes this series. I think that even though she talks about sex in the other books it is still OK for preteens. I mean come on, i already know what sex is!(and hope other 6th graders do by NOW!!!). I can relate to it so much I am starting to think that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor wrote the book about me!! I recommend this book to girls 10 to 13 because she is only in 6th grade and this book is better if you're around the same age as her.