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jgurniak's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading these books way back when I was the target age. I'm 28 now and trying to finish them. They're adorable, funny, and such a realistic and relatable story. I was absolutely not expecting the ending of this one at all. I'm thrilled to see that well-written series like this tackles such serious topics.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
I read a few Alice books when I was younger and loved them, and I enjoyed this one just as much as an adult. The series has been widely banned for its frank discussions of sex and puberty. While I don't think the books are appropriate for young kids, they seem pretty tame to me compared to a lot of the children's and young adult lit out there now ("Alice in April" was published in 1993). I LOVE the characters in the Alice books. I totally relate to Alice and her confusion about boys, her family, her body, school, and everything else. I adore her family, especially her goofy twenty-year-old brother who teases her sometimes but is ultimately kind-hearted and sweet. This book has a good combination of light-hearted humor and tough real-world stuff, though I do think that the tragedy at the end of the book is glossed over a little too much. The middle school drama cracked me up and made me remember my own adolescence, but there's plenty of heavier subject matter, too, to give the story depth.
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
book 5. in which alice, acting on aunt sally's misguided advice that she be "woman of the house," throws a terrible birthday party for her father.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I always remembered this as one of my favorite Alice books, but I can't exactly pinpoint why? Anyway, shocking enough I forgot how one of the plotlines that threads through this book is how the 7th grade boys are naming the 7th grade girls after states, in accordance with their personal topography. Whaaaaaaat in the world. I love this series.
stephann_4's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
finesilkflower's review against another edition
5.0
Alice feels that she is now grown up enough to be "the woman of the house" (especially after pressure from her aunt Sally to take housewifely care of her single dad and older brother.) Alice makes a mess of this task through various hijinks, including biting off more than she can chew when planning a birthday party for her dad.
Meanwhile, Alice's classmates are assigning girls nicknames of states based on comparing their breasts to geological features. Various adults rightly tell Alice to ignore this ridiculous and offensive game, but of course Alice and her friends can't help but be obsessed.
Finally, Alice becomes friends with Denise Whitlock, the girl who bullied her in [b:Reluctantly Alice|563502|Reluctantly Alice (Alice, #3)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1175819188s/563502.jpg|2174943]. As she gets glimpses of Denise's terrible home life, Alice truly comes to appreciate her own family.
Bottom Line: This first Alice book I read, long before I had read any of the others, before I even knew it was a series, and it still holds up as one of the best. (It may even be better as a standalone, if you can resist reading the others. The backstory isn't so heavily alluded to that it's obviously a sequel, yet the world is richly developed for a one-off.)
Random Observations
* I really like the main message of the "woman of the house" storyline, which ultimately demonstrates the silliness of traditional gender roles and the nice family bond between Alice, Ben, and Lester.
* Alice and Lester's relationship sparkles here, a great blend of love, trust, and petty antagonism. A favorite part is when Alice moves herself to tears imagining, apropos of nothing in particular, how she would feel if he were dead.
* Alice and Patrick's "special friendship" is also really nice here. You can tell they genuinely like each other, and that while the romantic tension is there, it's not the most important part of their relationship. Patrick has only a few moments in this book, really, but he comes off as great: kind and helpful yet totally oblivious in a very realistic, twelve-year-old boy kind of way.
* The "breasts as states" storyline is a nice frivolous girly/school-centric counterpoint to the family story and sparks the most witty internal narration as Alice gets drawn into the game while still seeming to realize how ridiculous it is.
* Things get very heavy very suddenly at the end of the book.
Meanwhile, Alice's classmates are assigning girls nicknames of states based on comparing their breasts to geological features. Various adults rightly tell Alice to ignore this ridiculous and offensive game, but of course Alice and her friends can't help but be obsessed.
Finally, Alice becomes friends with Denise Whitlock, the girl who bullied her in [b:Reluctantly Alice|563502|Reluctantly Alice (Alice, #3)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1175819188s/563502.jpg|2174943]. As she gets glimpses of Denise's terrible home life, Alice truly comes to appreciate her own family.
Bottom Line: This first Alice book I read, long before I had read any of the others, before I even knew it was a series, and it still holds up as one of the best. (It may even be better as a standalone, if you can resist reading the others. The backstory isn't so heavily alluded to that it's obviously a sequel, yet the world is richly developed for a one-off.)
Random Observations
* I really like the main message of the "woman of the house" storyline, which ultimately demonstrates the silliness of traditional gender roles and the nice family bond between Alice, Ben, and Lester.
* Alice and Lester's relationship sparkles here, a great blend of love, trust, and petty antagonism. A favorite part is when Alice moves herself to tears imagining, apropos of nothing in particular, how she would feel if he were dead.
* Alice and Patrick's "special friendship" is also really nice here. You can tell they genuinely like each other, and that while the romantic tension is there, it's not the most important part of their relationship. Patrick has only a few moments in this book, really, but he comes off as great: kind and helpful yet totally oblivious in a very realistic, twelve-year-old boy kind of way.
* The "breasts as states" storyline is a nice frivolous girly/school-centric counterpoint to the family story and sparks the most witty internal narration as Alice gets drawn into the game while still seeming to realize how ridiculous it is.
* Things get very heavy very suddenly at the end of the book.
Spoiler
In an assembly, the students are informed that Denise Whitlock has committed suicide. I'm not sure how to feel about this turn: it's sort of hokey, but it's also moving, serious enough to give the story some weight and put into perspective the characters' earlier teen-angst concerns. It's arguably emotionally manipulative, but it doesn't feel totally unearned or out of the blue, and it drives home the booklong message that the measure of a family is not whether it looks like a traditional mom/dad/kids arrangement, but the amount of love, respect, and communication between the members.happilywilted's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thehodgenator's review against another edition
5.0
Alice represents an honest portrayal of growing up for a young girl, although in her case she is trying to do it without a mother.
In the latest installment, Alice realizes that soon she will be thirteen, and according to her Aunt Sally this will make her the woman of the house. Alice takes this to heart, and throughout the novel we see her try to take care of her father and brother - and of course herself - in a very adult way. From planning her father's fiftieth birthday party to insisting that the family go in for physicals, Alice takes them all in stride.
With that said, there is a moment of shock in the novel, one that made me gasp out loud, one that I should have seen coming but did not. It is a reminder that life is not fair, that no matter how well things are going in our own lives, we must pay attention to those around us.
I recommend the Alice books to readers 9+. Her character is an empowering one for young girls because she represents what is good in society. Alice always wants to make the right decisions, and she tries her hardest to make sure those around her are cared for.
Kudos to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for writing another solid novel.
In the latest installment, Alice realizes that soon she will be thirteen, and according to her Aunt Sally this will make her the woman of the house. Alice takes this to heart, and throughout the novel we see her try to take care of her father and brother - and of course herself - in a very adult way. From planning her father's fiftieth birthday party to insisting that the family go in for physicals, Alice takes them all in stride.
With that said, there is a moment of shock in the novel, one that made me gasp out loud, one that I should have seen coming but did not. It is a reminder that life is not fair, that no matter how well things are going in our own lives, we must pay attention to those around us.
I recommend the Alice books to readers 9+. Her character is an empowering one for young girls because she represents what is good in society. Alice always wants to make the right decisions, and she tries her hardest to make sure those around her are cared for.
Kudos to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for writing another solid novel.