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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mmmmm I love me some Alice. Endlessly accessible and hilarious with a hint of romance that's like, completely G rated. I'm re-reading the series this year.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
I reread this for memories. My early teen years basically consist of laying in my bed reading Alice books lol. I read every single one, she was so incredibly relatable. Any girl between the ages of 11-14 should read the Alice books in my opinion.
Sweet and lovely, with some genuinely funny moments.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
This first Alice book (the first one written, anyway) feels really different from the rest of the series; it feels like Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was thinking of it as a standalone and not as a series yet. It is more self-contained and a little more downbeat than the future Alice books will be. There is also something about it that feels more - literary, somehow? It feels like a children's book that is going for a Newbery, whereas future Alice books will feel a little more trashy and series-like. (Not that that's a bad thing. I enjoy trashy and series-like.)
The main lesson about inner vs. outer beauty is simple, but its slow, nuanced unfolding is beautifully done, and you feel for Alice at every point. Although this is a sad story in many ways - Alice's yearning for a mother figure drips off every page - it has a lot of hope in it, and ends on a much higher note than it begins. The best parts of the Alice series are already recognizable here: the comfortable and loving relationship with her dad and brother, the shadowy grief of missing someone you barely knew, the blend of funny and cringeworthy and truly touching.
Content notes: There are a couple of incidences of casual racism that would probably not have pinged the author/publishers' radar in the 1980s, such as use of the g**** slur (in reference to a Halloween costume) and saying that Chinese food has MSG.
Random Observations
* Embarrassment is a key emotion in this book (and in the series as a whole). It's told more or less as a series of embarrassing incidents, to which Alice brings the full force of her pre-existing anxieties. As a reader, you feel acute sympathy for her, yet you also have the perspective to understand that this will pass. I actually think that this series, and this book in particular, can create a really helpful practice of combining embarrassment with perspective and compassion that you can bring to bear in your own life.
* Alice always feels a bit like a Phyllis Reynolds Naylor stand-in (note the similarity of the names, and the fact that Alice is given certain life experiences - such as playing Tarzan with a neighbor boy - that are from Phyllis's own life); in this book, she even has the experience of discovering writing (through journalling) and learning that she is good at it. I'm kind of glad they kind of dropped that since there are already lots of books about teens who learn they are good at writing (gee I wonder why). She does end up writing the series, though, in the last book.
* There are a lot of pieces of Alice lore that are already in this book: aside from Tarzan, there are mentions of mixing up memories of Mom and Aunt Sally; the Melody Inn Gift Shoppe with its Chopin Liszt notepads; Uncle Charlie, who died two days after he got married; Alice being tone-deaf and having to play the triangle; etc. PRN is just that type of author who sprinkles in these little slice-of-life details (which I think is one reason I started this series on book 5, [b:Alice in April|563501|Alice in April (Alice, #5)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1175819188l/563501._SX50_.jpg|550636], and didn't realize there were other books in the series for YEARS.)
* Another thing that sets this book apart from the others in the series is its slightly nonlinear storytelling style. Alice seems to be talking in present tense from a slightly later time than the events of the story takes place. She describes, in present tense, how her uncles mispronounce Silver Spring when they call at Christmas - long before the book depicts her first Christmas in Silver Spring. She talks about what the inside of Elizabeth's house looks like before she even meets Elizabeth in the main storyline. I'm glad PRN dropped this style because it's confusing, even as an adult. It gets better as the book goes on.
* Can I just say that Mrs. Plotkin is so well drawn as a perfectly wonderful human being? She is so reliably compassionate and kind to Alice even (especially) when Alice is being a pill.
* Religion is odd in this book. Alice describes her family as Methodist and talks briefly about going to church (in later books she'll describe her family's lackadaisical approach to churchgoing as being "raised heathen", and she will attend a Unitarian Universalist youth program). She is in awe of Elizabeth's family's Catholicism, however, and seems to regard it as more of a proper religion. The title refers to "the agony of St. Agnes," a card that Alice finds in the street, probably dropped by Elizabeth. She finds the description of St. Agnes's torture oddly comforting in a perspective-forming way. The shocking darkness of this sentiment felt Extremely Relatable to me and my memories of being 11.
* Alice's lesson about beauty on the outside vs. the inside is a retroactively tempered a bit by the knowledge that she will soon meet Miss Summers, a new teacher and mom-substitute who is both beautiful and kind. SHE HAS IT ALL.
The main lesson about inner vs. outer beauty is simple, but its slow, nuanced unfolding is beautifully done, and you feel for Alice at every point. Although this is a sad story in many ways - Alice's yearning for a mother figure drips off every page - it has a lot of hope in it, and ends on a much higher note than it begins. The best parts of the Alice series are already recognizable here: the comfortable and loving relationship with her dad and brother, the shadowy grief of missing someone you barely knew, the blend of funny and cringeworthy and truly touching.
Content notes: There are a couple of incidences of casual racism that would probably not have pinged the author/publishers' radar in the 1980s, such as use of the g**** slur (in reference to a Halloween costume) and saying that Chinese food has MSG.
Random Observations
* Embarrassment is a key emotion in this book (and in the series as a whole). It's told more or less as a series of embarrassing incidents, to which Alice brings the full force of her pre-existing anxieties. As a reader, you feel acute sympathy for her, yet you also have the perspective to understand that this will pass. I actually think that this series, and this book in particular, can create a really helpful practice of combining embarrassment with perspective and compassion that you can bring to bear in your own life.
* Alice always feels a bit like a Phyllis Reynolds Naylor stand-in (note the similarity of the names, and the fact that Alice is given certain life experiences - such as playing Tarzan with a neighbor boy - that are from Phyllis's own life); in this book, she even has the experience of discovering writing (through journalling) and learning that she is good at it. I'm kind of glad they kind of dropped that since there are already lots of books about teens who learn they are good at writing (gee I wonder why). She does end up writing the series, though, in the last book.
* There are a lot of pieces of Alice lore that are already in this book: aside from Tarzan, there are mentions of mixing up memories of Mom and Aunt Sally; the Melody Inn Gift Shoppe with its Chopin Liszt notepads; Uncle Charlie, who died two days after he got married; Alice being tone-deaf and having to play the triangle; etc. PRN is just that type of author who sprinkles in these little slice-of-life details (which I think is one reason I started this series on book 5, [b:Alice in April|563501|Alice in April (Alice, #5)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1175819188l/563501._SX50_.jpg|550636], and didn't realize there were other books in the series for YEARS.)
* Another thing that sets this book apart from the others in the series is its slightly nonlinear storytelling style. Alice seems to be talking in present tense from a slightly later time than the events of the story takes place. She describes, in present tense, how her uncles mispronounce Silver Spring when they call at Christmas - long before the book depicts her first Christmas in Silver Spring. She talks about what the inside of Elizabeth's house looks like before she even meets Elizabeth in the main storyline. I'm glad PRN dropped this style because it's confusing, even as an adult. It gets better as the book goes on.
* Can I just say that Mrs. Plotkin is so well drawn as a perfectly wonderful human being? She is so reliably compassionate and kind to Alice even (especially) when Alice is being a pill.
* Religion is odd in this book. Alice describes her family as Methodist and talks briefly about going to church (in later books she'll describe her family's lackadaisical approach to churchgoing as being "raised heathen", and she will attend a Unitarian Universalist youth program). She is in awe of Elizabeth's family's Catholicism, however, and seems to regard it as more of a proper religion. The title refers to "the agony of St. Agnes," a card that Alice finds in the street, probably dropped by Elizabeth. She finds the description of St. Agnes's torture oddly comforting in a perspective-forming way. The shocking darkness of this sentiment felt Extremely Relatable to me and my memories of being 11.
* Alice's lesson about beauty on the outside vs. the inside is a retroactively tempered a bit by the knowledge that she will soon meet Miss Summers, a new teacher and mom-substitute who is both beautiful and kind. SHE HAS IT ALL.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
I couldn't resist the book when I read the back cover:
"Life is like a dumpster. As soon as you get rid of one embarrassment, you pick up another. I new that this was going to go on forever unless I found someone to set an example for me, and by the time I got the mustard off my shirt, I'd made up my mind: I'd adopt a mother."
Obviously this book was going to amuse me and since Naylor is a Newbery Medal winner for [b:Shiloh|207153|Shiloh|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172685368s/207153.jpg|1152585], I figured it was a sure hit. There are 26 Alice stories about Alice McKinley growing up in Silver Spring and they are a rather substantial following. One of our 7th graders spent spring break reading all of these books, so it has been on my list for a while.
I laughed out loud as Alice got herself into one embarrassing scrape after another. I never expected Naylor to plumb the deeper emotions and loneliness that 6th grade girls explore or impart wisdom as Alice reflects on her experiences. It was a delightful, quick read.
"Life is like a dumpster. As soon as you get rid of one embarrassment, you pick up another. I new that this was going to go on forever unless I found someone to set an example for me, and by the time I got the mustard off my shirt, I'd made up my mind: I'd adopt a mother."
Obviously this book was going to amuse me and since Naylor is a Newbery Medal winner for [b:Shiloh|207153|Shiloh|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172685368s/207153.jpg|1152585], I figured it was a sure hit. There are 26 Alice stories about Alice McKinley growing up in Silver Spring and they are a rather substantial following. One of our 7th graders spent spring break reading all of these books, so it has been on my list for a while.
I laughed out loud as Alice got herself into one embarrassing scrape after another. I never expected Naylor to plumb the deeper emotions and loneliness that 6th grade girls explore or impart wisdom as Alice reflects on her experiences. It was a delightful, quick read.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes