Customer Reviews

All but Alice

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

 

 

It's the winter of Alice's seventh grade year, and all she wants is to fit in. She joins an "Earring Club," but soon finds it rather monotonous to spend so much time shopping for and talking about mere jewelry. She also joins the All-Stars Fan Club, because all the popular kids are, and ends up writing fan mail to a rock star she doesn't even like.

Obviously, Alice's actions and reactions are typical of any junior high girl. The fact that she's always felt ostracized by the death of her mother when she was a preschooler only compounds Alice's need to fit in. However, Naylor has demonstrated her talent for taking simple concepts and making them into interesting, funny storylines in the other "Alice" books; this one just isn't up to par. Still, readers who enjoy the series will certainly want to read this book, simply for more Alice stories.

All but Alice was a great book to read. It is about when Alice wants a bulletin board, her ears pierced, and even joins two clubs-The Earring Club and the All-Stars Fan Club. She works at the Melody Inn for three hours and wants to be part of the "in" crowd at school.
Alice may act different in this book out of the other books, but I know how that feels. You act different when you are in a different and a snobbier club and then realize of how idiotic you were to people who didn't pick on you at all.
It is not like Alice picks on anyone in this novel, but it was cruel of her to embarrass her friend Elizabeth like that. One of the Three Handsome Stooges likes and picks on Alice a lot. Alice feels different and one of the Popular and the Beautiful people at her school.
But the truth is, Alice gets so sick of Brian (one of the 3 Stooges) picking on her. Even in one of the chapters, he puts her face in the snow for fun like it is funny. And on Valentine's Day, her ex-boyfriend Patrick comes over and gives her a big box of chocolates.
Alice didn't realize that she had to share them with him for some weird reason. So Lester tells her that and she reinvites him over.
Lester has a Woman Situation again! Loretta Jenkins (who works at his dad's store) likes him! Lester just wants to take a break from dating and concentrate on homework. Or, in other words, L-I-F-E. Meaning a "non-female-dating-crisis" life.
And turns out that Alice's dad goes out with her 7th-grade Language Arts teacher Miss Summers. Again. And he gives her a Vivaldi cassette. AND, turns out that Alice becomes herself again, kisses Patrick again (because he threw up on the bus and Brian told Alice to make fun of him when he comes back but she comes to the rescue and they talk and then kiss on the bus. Yep. Just like that!), and quits the Earring Club (I think) and the All-Stars Fan CLub.
The letter Alice wrote to a famous rock-star was very funny. Even though it was a joke, the person in charge of it mailed it to the star!
This was a good book for peoples out there who have trouble fitting in with the right people. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a great author and knows how to describe a junior-high girl's life today.
So if you're bored, then I suggest reading All But Alice.

This book was pretty good, it didn't really have much of a climax, but it was a good book. The characters were well written, and she described the setting well. but what I liked was that even though this is from a series, you didn't have to read the ones before it to know what she was talking about. And if you have read the books before it, she isn't so repeatative that it gets boring.

In this book I didn't really have a favorite part. The entire book was really good - and it doesn't take forever to read.

Two story elements that Phyllis is great at, is how you preceive the characters. You can really see throughout the story how Alice's ideas and thoughts mature and differ from the beginning. She is also really good and letting you know what the theme of the book is. You don't have to think about it for three days to figure it out.

This book is about a twelve-year-old girl whose mom died when she was young. So now she lives with her dad and older brother, Lester. Alice wants earrings to fit in at middle school. So she gets her ears pierced and joins the earrings club. All the popular girls are in it, even one of her best friends, and her other best friend isn't, because she doesn't have earrings. Another problem in her life is a girl at the Melody Inn, where her dad works, likes Lester, but Lester does not like her. Then, Lester's old girlfriend, Crystal, likes him and she wants to get back together with him. Then, another of Lester's girlfriends likes him and wants to get back together. But, Lester likes Crystal. Then, Alice's dad had been going out with Miss Summers, Alice's teacher, and Alice wonders if they'll get married. Also Alice likes this boy who used to her friend, but he already has a girlfriend. I like this book because I can relate to most of her problems in life.

All but Alice is a fantastic book written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The author makes you feel like you are Alice. Alice is a selfconcious young lady. Elizabeth, is vein, and Pamela is enthusiastic. Alice started seventh grade, and also joined the All Stars Fan Club and the earring club. She becomes one of the famous eight. Still there are situations to fix. Can she be a sister with girls who want to be her brothers (Lester) girlfriend? What will she do when her father dates her teacher, Miss Summers? So why dont you read the book and find out.
This book is a MUST READ! The reader can learn not to worry about everything or else it might turn out bad. You actually feel like youre in Alices body. Its easy to put a picture in your mind. You feel like youre actually in that world, as Alice.
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a great author. Her parents read to her and sang songs that were actually stories. She could hardly wait to read and write her own books. Her books are about things she heard or read, all mixed up with her imaginations. All But Alice is a terrific book and I think you should read it along with some of her other books.

It's a new year, a new semester, a new chapter in the life of Alice McKinley, and she couldn't be happier. Alice is suddenly elevated to the ranks of the beautiful people, part of the "Famous Eight." And all because she pierced her ears??? Hmm...The fourth book of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice McKinley series continues the humorous yet realistic trend of the previous installments with great sucess:

Alice's father is now dating the beautiful Ms. Summers, and Lester is...serious about a girl? What shock. Alice and Pamela both get their ears pierced and join the Earring Club. Unfortunately, this leaves Elizabeth out on her own, and Alice isn't entirely sure this is what she wants. Paired off (via a list taped to a blackboard) with the "best looking boy in the whole 7th grade," Alice finds that she still infintely prefers her special friend Patrick. Above all, Alice continues to approach each situation with her good humoured, though easily embarassed, personality.

Hey, what can I say? Yet another good book in the Alice McKinley series. But look out! Things only get better (an definitely funnier) from here on...

The author of this book is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The main character in this book is Alice. Alice is regular teenage girl. It takes place in Maryland in present time. When all the other girls are doing something, she will do it too, so as not to be different. For example, when everyone was in the talent show at school, she was in it too, when she did not even want to be.
Alice goes through lots of awkward situations. She has to deal with her dad dating one of her teachers, Miss Summers, getting her ears pierced, belonging to an earring club, getting popular, and helping her brother and his girlfriends out.
I think that this is a good book. I picked because it looked like it was a book I could relate to. When I read it, I realized I could relate to the feelings in her situations, and I ended up liking the book a lot. I would recommend this book to girls between the ages of twelve and fifteen, because that is around the age of Alice, and most of her situations revolve around that.

GREAT!! This story is very realistic and I wholeheartedly recommend it with the usual warning I give when reviewing Alice books: Only read this yourself, kids, or ,adults, give this book to someone if you are sure they will not faint if they see read some sexual things, which they're are a lot of in the Alice books.

Again, this a wonderful book and really provides an insight into a young girl's mind. I actually suggest boys read the Alice series to get a little understanding of how girl's minds work.

Blessed BE!! :) :) :) :)

Alice is such an endearing character, and Naylor does not disappoint with this installment.

The character has moved on to constantly worrying about not having a mother to surviving the seventh grade. She has friends, she has family. What more could she want?

The one thing I really enjoy about Alice is how wholesome of a character she truly is. She wants to do what is best for everyone, and her questions are so simple and yet so complex. She sees things from a different perspective than the other characters in the book - from many characters aimed at this age group - and that is refreshing.

The one thing I enjoyed the most about this book was character growth. In the last book I felt like the characters had become stagnant, but when you look at the age, I guess twelve is when things truly start to move forward in so many ways.

There are few books in the Alice series that disappoint me, but this is one of them. This book just doesn't seem to belong in the Alice series, because in this books, Alice does not act like Alice. IF this were not part of the series, I might enjoy it more. Alice acts frankly like a conceited brat in All But Alice, which is certainly not her true nature at all. FOr a better Alice read, try Achingly Alice or Alice Alone.