Customer Reviews

Alice on Her Way (Alice Books)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Sophomore year is in full swing as Alice, now almost sixteen, begins facing a new set of challenges, issues and awkward situations.

On the family front, her father is now joyfully married to Sylvia and her older brother Lester has moved out of the house. Alice misses him, but things at home have never been better. And when Lester begins dating a girl of another race just as an old flame is tying the knot, you have to wonder what will happen at the wedding . . .

Meanwhile Alice herself has begun dating Sam, the shy photographer who's had his eye on her since the 8th grade! His patience has paid off, and Naylor's descriptions of their relationship make it hard to believe that she's a day over sixteen herself. But Patrick is still calling, and Alice herself is torn about her feelings for Sam. She feels so split already between family, extra curriculars, academic work and friends that Sam's demands on her time (not to mention his mother) can be more than a bit trying. And if she wants an example of how awful it can be to have a boyfriend make too many demands on your time, she needs look no further than her drama club friend Faith and Faith's abusive boyfriend Ron.

But then again, what if a boy doesn't pay enough attention to you? As Pamela finds out, no matter what you do with (or to) a boy, it won't guaruntee his affection. And Pamela's quest to make up for not getting positive attention from her separated parents by seeking it out in boys is showing Alice the right way to go wrong in relationships. She has to figure out how to maintain a balance between the two extremes, and it's not easy.

Meanwhile, the school has planned a trip to New York City, and all Alice and her friends want to do is plan a way of sneaking away from the chaperones (one of whom is Pamela's estranged mother!) and enjoying a night on the town. But Alice is also looking forward to that long, dark bus ride back, sitting next to Sam . . .. That's certainly one way to test her feelings!

And somewhere between all of this, Alice has to get her driver's license, deal with her horrible braces, AND suffer through a class her father's making her take at church about intimacy and relationships. What's a girl to do?

The answer is: grow up. And once again, Naylor has crafted a marvelous story in which Alice does a little bit more of just that, leaving readers hungry for another installment in this girl's life. Naylor doesn't shy away from telling it like it is, using the slang terms and frank talk that young people themselves use. Alice's maturity in dealing with her friends, her relationship and her family is evident and she grows with the kind of grace and polish one might wish for one's own daughter.

This series began when I was in the fifth grade, and I've been reading the books ever since. (More than ten years! How time flies . . .) And though I've grown up a bit faster than Alice has, I'll never stop following her life, and I'll always love this fantastic series.

If you've been a long-time fan of the Alice series, as I have since childhood, Alice's sophmore year welcomes back an old friend with an adultish twist. Alice's life has changed, but Naylor's well-drawn character pulls us into adulthood with just the right blend of innocence and practicality to make her likeable. I'll be sad when these books are over, but I can't wait to read the next one!

Now almost sixteen, Alice McKinley is eager to tackle all the new responsibilities and privileges coming her way -- getting her driver's license, going on a weekend class trip to New York City, dating her new boyfriend Sam. Sometimes it feels like she's waited her entire life for these things.

Yet now that they're here, Alice finds, they aren't without their problems, too. Sam is really physical with Alice, and while part of her enjoys how his constant touching makes her feel, another part is beginning to feel smothered by his 24/7 presence. Doesn't he know she just wants to hang out with the girls sometimes?

Then, the long-awaited class trip nearly brings disaster for Alice's best friend Pamela, whose misery over her strained relationship with her mother leads to an act with an older boy that compromises her reputationn. At the same time, the trip proves a redemption for Faith, another friend, whose abuse at the hands of her boyfriend has worried her classmates for months.

Sometimes, all Alice wants is to get behind the wheel of a car and GO! But even that proves not as easy as she thought...

Once again, Naylor nails the thoughts and feelings of a typical teenage girl, making mistakes and discoveries on the unpredictable road to adulthood.

This Alice book (out of ALL of them) is definetly THE BEST!! Alice gets a new boyfriend, goes to New York City, and gets her driver's lincense. Many things happen to Elizabeth and Pamela too. I won't give away anymore, as I have probably given away too much. YOU GOTTA READ THIS ALICE BOOK!!!!!!!!!

i started reading the "alice" books when i was 11. now i'm 21 and i'm still reading them! i know that they're targeted towards younger girls, but now i've grown to love alice and the other characters so much that i can't just stop reading them!

Your best warning can be found right in the Editorial Reviews from "School Library Journal" and "Booklist", just below the pictures of all the Alice books. Also, see other reviews from parents who are horrified. It's creepy and irresponsible for an author to cover this wide variety of sexual topics in a book aimed at junior high kids. My 12 year-old daughter brought it home from her school library, began reading it and realized it was trash. She told me about it and I was SICK to see what kinds of things this author decided to include in her book - if it's offensive, it's there. I am angry that this well-known author is using "sex sells" on teens and pre-teens.
I told my daughter's jr high school librarian what kinds of things are the book. He thanked me for alerting him, as he can't possibly know what's in every book in his library. He marked the book "mature" so he could conference with students who want to check it out and make sure it's something the students' families would want them to read, or at least that they aren't caught off guard thinking that this is just a cute little teen book.
Don't be tricked by reading the back cover of "cute" little quotes by readers.

A review has to be 20 words. I thought about writing the word trash 20 times. This is the most garbage book I have ever seen. If you are looking forward to being a grandparent, buy this for your children.

Alice on Her Way is such a good book that I have read it 7 times! I think this book is one of the most realistic books I have ever read. Alice is a 16 year old girl trying to figer things out. Her boyfriend is too needy, her friend is having Mom issues, and Alice just can't pass her driving test. But though all this Alice ends up figuring things out. I am 10 years old but I think you shoudn't read this unless your about 13-14.
This book was great. READ IT!

I just dont know where to begin! Let me start with this. My daughter brought this book home from the middle school library, she 10 years old(will soon be 11) and is in 6th grade. The book states that this is a 4.6 READING level book. Ive come to understand that this doesnt mean that its appropriate for a 4th grader, or a 5th grader, or a 6th grader.... Im not even sure that this is appropriate for anyone under the age of 18! Im not the type of person that is into banning books but geesh, you cant buy playboy until your 18! I understand that highschool kids do know about these things, and the girls in this book are in highschool, therefore im going to leave my 2 cents and allow each parent to decide based on their childs age/grade if they feel that the content is appropriate.

I intend to visit my daughters school tomorrow to discuss this book in detail, I'll direct the principal to the pages in question and then ask if he thinks that it is 'educational' for my daughter, in 6th grade to learn about such subjects as, giving a "hand job" or a "@low job" and then ask if he agrees with the girl in the book that "you should only SWALLOW IF YOU LOVE THE BOY"?! Then of course there is the sneaking out during an overnight field trip with the school to perform these acts.

I'll be much more careful keeping track of the books that her school is offering. Im not sure at this age I want her thinking about the day that a boy "grabs her hand and shoves it down his pants" because "he loves it". Does she really need a headstart at giving me a heart attack before she hits highschool?

The topic of sex is everywhere in this book, They do alot of asking each other if they did 'IT' anytime the girls have sneaked off to be with a boy alone.......

Ok, there is my 2 cents.

i really liked this book. it was funny, and i really think that i could relate to it. the author can really relate to teenage girls.