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Alice Prequels #2
Alice in Blunderland
Fourth grade is far from flawless for Alice in this beloved novel with a new look.
Fourth grade stinks. Fourth grade is when everything you do embarrasses you. Fourth grade is when everyone knows you’re a blunderbuss whether it’s part of your name or not.
Alice’s older brother Lester is always tricking her into believing his made-up stories are true. It’s not her fault she’s so gullible! Plus, he’s a really good liar. But that doesn’t help when she finds herself in a mess because of something he’s invented.
She can’t seem to do anything else right, either. She sneezes beans at the lunch table, gets trapped in her own snow cave, and is forced to sing—even though she can’t carry a tune—in front of her whole grade. And that’s nothing compared to the trouble she’s about to get herself into next. Alice is just about ready to chalk fourth grade up as the worst year ever!
Fourth grade stinks. Fourth grade is when everything you do embarrasses you. Fourth grade is when everyone knows you’re a blunderbuss whether it’s part of your name or not.
Alice’s older brother Lester is always tricking her into believing his made-up stories are true. It’s not her fault she’s so gullible! Plus, he’s a really good liar. But that doesn’t help when she finds herself in a mess because of something he’s invented.
She can’t seem to do anything else right, either. She sneezes beans at the lunch table, gets trapped in her own snow cave, and is forced to sing—even though she can’t carry a tune—in front of her whole grade. And that’s nothing compared to the trouble she’s about to get herself into next. Alice is just about ready to chalk fourth grade up as the worst year ever!
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2003
11 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
199 books1,038 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
February 4, 2016
Have you ever tried to act cool in front of your friends but everything goes all wrong? The genre of this book is realistic fiction. In my opinion I thought this book was really good and funny because it tells a lot of embarrassing things that happened to Alice in the fourth grade.
The setting of this book is mostly at Alice's elementary school and sometimes in Alice's house. It is important because it creates the whole book by making it alive and it has a lot of details. This book is about a girl named Alice McKinley that is in fourth grade and shes having a lot of trouble at school and at home. In Alice's house, her brother Lester is lying to her by telling Alice that her real name is Alicia Katerina de Balencia Blunderbuss Makinoli, and the next day at school she tells her friends about it even her teacher. Lester told Alice that it was a joke and Alice got really mad at him. Alice got invited to a sleepover with her friends Jody, Rosalind, Dawn, and Megan. When it was time to go to sleep everyone was quiet and then all you hear is a growling sound coming from Alice's stomach. The girls asked whose stomach was making that sound and of course Alice knew it was hers. Alice felt so embarrassed. One day Alice and her friend Rosalind were playing in the snow and Rosalind had an idea.They were going to build a snow cave and Alice would go in it to pretend that she was stuck and Rosalind would tell Lester. Alice was in it and she felt the snow coming on top of her, and she heard people screaming , and people digging around her to get her out. Mrs. Sheavers got Alice out and Alice felt so embarrassed because she did not thought the rest of the people would come and help her out, especially because this was like a prank on Lester. Another embarrassing thing that happened in the book is when Alice wrote a note to her babysitter by telling her that she could leave and to stop bothering them, and then later her dad found out about the note that Alice wrote.
Alice's friend Sara came to her house to show Alice her new camera and so they can take pictures with it. Alice and Sara were making funny faces, and Alice put two green pills on her nostril to look like she had a nose full of snot. When they took the picture, one of the pills got stuck in Alice's nose and she could not take it out. Lester came into Alice's room and found Alice and took a look at her. He took the pill out by telling her to smell pepper and the pill finally came out. Alice was a blunderbuss. The conflict of the book is person vs person because Alice had trouble trying to act cool in front of her friends but instead everything went the wrong way.The theme for this book is to avoid your own mistakes because according to the book, Alice was trying to not make any mistakes.
The 1st person point of view affects the story because Alice describes how she feels like for example, when Alice got the green pill up her nose she felt scared because according to the book it states that Alice gave a little cry, and that tells me that Alice was scared and sort of worried.The title relates to the book because the word "Blunderland" describes how Alice was a blunderbuss and that she was in a different world. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "There was a fire drill at school the next day. I think im more afraid of the fire alarm than I am of a fire. When the fire alarm goes off, you jump out of your skin. Your heart pounds and your ears buzz and your brain melts and all you want to do is get away from that horrible noise.
My favorite part was when Alice told her friends that her real name was Alicia Katerina de Balencia Blunderbuss Makinoli instead of Alice McKinley because I imagine how her friends reactions were when she told them. Alice in Blunderland is a good title for the book because it describes how Alice was in fourth grade.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was a really good, funny book. I recommend this book to people who had embarrassing moments in school or anywhere because this book will make you laugh and then you will realize that you are not the only one who had these moments just like Alice.
The setting of this book is mostly at Alice's elementary school and sometimes in Alice's house. It is important because it creates the whole book by making it alive and it has a lot of details. This book is about a girl named Alice McKinley that is in fourth grade and shes having a lot of trouble at school and at home. In Alice's house, her brother Lester is lying to her by telling Alice that her real name is Alicia Katerina de Balencia Blunderbuss Makinoli, and the next day at school she tells her friends about it even her teacher. Lester told Alice that it was a joke and Alice got really mad at him. Alice got invited to a sleepover with her friends Jody, Rosalind, Dawn, and Megan. When it was time to go to sleep everyone was quiet and then all you hear is a growling sound coming from Alice's stomach. The girls asked whose stomach was making that sound and of course Alice knew it was hers. Alice felt so embarrassed. One day Alice and her friend Rosalind were playing in the snow and Rosalind had an idea.They were going to build a snow cave and Alice would go in it to pretend that she was stuck and Rosalind would tell Lester. Alice was in it and she felt the snow coming on top of her, and she heard people screaming , and people digging around her to get her out. Mrs. Sheavers got Alice out and Alice felt so embarrassed because she did not thought the rest of the people would come and help her out, especially because this was like a prank on Lester. Another embarrassing thing that happened in the book is when Alice wrote a note to her babysitter by telling her that she could leave and to stop bothering them, and then later her dad found out about the note that Alice wrote.
Alice's friend Sara came to her house to show Alice her new camera and so they can take pictures with it. Alice and Sara were making funny faces, and Alice put two green pills on her nostril to look like she had a nose full of snot. When they took the picture, one of the pills got stuck in Alice's nose and she could not take it out. Lester came into Alice's room and found Alice and took a look at her. He took the pill out by telling her to smell pepper and the pill finally came out. Alice was a blunderbuss. The conflict of the book is person vs person because Alice had trouble trying to act cool in front of her friends but instead everything went the wrong way.The theme for this book is to avoid your own mistakes because according to the book, Alice was trying to not make any mistakes.
The 1st person point of view affects the story because Alice describes how she feels like for example, when Alice got the green pill up her nose she felt scared because according to the book it states that Alice gave a little cry, and that tells me that Alice was scared and sort of worried.The title relates to the book because the word "Blunderland" describes how Alice was a blunderbuss and that she was in a different world. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "There was a fire drill at school the next day. I think im more afraid of the fire alarm than I am of a fire. When the fire alarm goes off, you jump out of your skin. Your heart pounds and your ears buzz and your brain melts and all you want to do is get away from that horrible noise.
My favorite part was when Alice told her friends that her real name was Alicia Katerina de Balencia Blunderbuss Makinoli instead of Alice McKinley because I imagine how her friends reactions were when she told them. Alice in Blunderland is a good title for the book because it describes how Alice was in fourth grade.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was a really good, funny book. I recommend this book to people who had embarrassing moments in school or anywhere because this book will make you laugh and then you will realize that you are not the only one who had these moments just like Alice.
July 21, 2012
This was my first Alice book. I happened to love it, and that's why I gave it a five star rating. The author has totally nailed the voice of a 9 yo girl who is not world wise, and still has the innocence of a well-loved child. I loved the sense of humor in the book, especially the way the author so realistically portrayed the fourth graders as they learned about the growth of babies from the earliest stages. I also loved Alice's naivete in regards to her older brother. Of course she believed everything he told her. If you were fortunate enough to have an older brother, you probably did, too. This wasn't a high adventure fantasy tale, but a quiet, slice of life story that did an excellent job of sharing Alice's life with us without making it in the least boring. I think it would be appealing to children in the 8 to 11 year range.
July 27, 2015
more like 3 1/2 stars. it didn't feel as engaging as the first in the prequel series. alice is so misunderstood and I want her to find someone who will make her feel she is important! this one just lacked substance.
May 7, 2020
I wish Lester was reprimanded for lying to Alice just a little but maybe it isn't a big deal
April 25, 2020
What can I say...I like Alice :)
October 17, 2011
I think this book teaches children:
1) Life experiences often times builds character.
In the book, Alice learns a lot more about life and experiences some more embarrassing moments that build character.
2) Sometimes, a trial is a blessing in disguise.
In the book, Alice and her brother set aside their differences to unite for a greater good.
1) Life experiences often times builds character.
In the book, Alice learns a lot more about life and experiences some more embarrassing moments that build character.
2) Sometimes, a trial is a blessing in disguise.
In the book, Alice and her brother set aside their differences to unite for a greater good.
August 2, 2021
I love these Alice prequels so much - they have the timelessness of the Ramona Quimby stories with an Alice flair that's all her own. I read these countless times as a teenager for a comforting hug for my anxious brain.
October 31, 2012
I wish I wasn't trying to read as wide a variety of junior fiction as I can right now, because these books make me want to just put down everything else until I've finished the whole series. I really like Alice.
February 2, 2023
Bearing in mind I’ve just read this children’s book as a childless woman in her mid-twenties, I can only apply so much perspective to the analysis of this book.
I started rereading the "Alice" series after sporadically picking these books up throughout my childhood and teen years. I’ve never met a book series that followed a main character throughout so much of their life. This series is unique in that most of the books aren’t entirely plot-heavy and are more driven by the year in the life of Alice, regardless if that year lends itself to a perfectly crafted story arc.
In that way, the books have a sense of realisticness that I don’t get from many books I’ve read. This one, in particular, was humorous and light-hearted, as most children’s books are, but Reynolds-Naylor has a way of capturing a nine-year-old’s voice that is both realistic and enjoyable enough for an adult to read.
That being said, of the two prequels to this series, I felt this was one of the more “filler”/unnecessary additions to the story. I won’t fault it too much as I don’t know the impact this novel has on its intended audiences, but it’s not my favorite Alice book. Even so, I'm excited to continue the series.
3 mysterious boxes to Lisa Shane out of 5
I started rereading the "Alice" series after sporadically picking these books up throughout my childhood and teen years. I’ve never met a book series that followed a main character throughout so much of their life. This series is unique in that most of the books aren’t entirely plot-heavy and are more driven by the year in the life of Alice, regardless if that year lends itself to a perfectly crafted story arc.
In that way, the books have a sense of realisticness that I don’t get from many books I’ve read. This one, in particular, was humorous and light-hearted, as most children’s books are, but Reynolds-Naylor has a way of capturing a nine-year-old’s voice that is both realistic and enjoyable enough for an adult to read.
That being said, of the two prequels to this series, I felt this was one of the more “filler”/unnecessary additions to the story. I won’t fault it too much as I don’t know the impact this novel has on its intended audiences, but it’s not my favorite Alice book. Even so, I'm excited to continue the series.
3 mysterious boxes to Lisa Shane out of 5
January 12, 2021
Alice is 9 years old, and one thing she knows for sure is that being in fourth grade is very, very hard. Having an older teenage brother that tells you lies because you are gullible and trusting is also very hard. Having lost your mother when you were too young to remember isn't hard, it's just unfair. If all of that wasn't difficult enough, being prone to making embarrassing mistakes makes being 9 years old practically impossible.
Best known for Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has been a fixture in Middle Grade fiction for decades. This book is one of several prequels to her beloved Alice series. I wanted to read it as part of my Alice in Wonderland exploration, though I knew this was related by title only. But like "Alice", Naylor's Alice is an intelligent, curious, and wonderful character.
For younger readers, this book is an affirmation that the difficult and embarrassing things that happen to you, happen to everyone. For adult readers, especially parents, it's a reminder of how trying it is to grow up and what a struggle it can be to come to terms with life.
Best known for Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has been a fixture in Middle Grade fiction for decades. This book is one of several prequels to her beloved Alice series. I wanted to read it as part of my Alice in Wonderland exploration, though I knew this was related by title only. But like "Alice", Naylor's Alice is an intelligent, curious, and wonderful character.
For younger readers, this book is an affirmation that the difficult and embarrassing things that happen to you, happen to everyone. For adult readers, especially parents, it's a reminder of how trying it is to grow up and what a struggle it can be to come to terms with life.
September 25, 2018
I think that the Alice series are my favorite because Alice is honest and Lester her brother is not and it can actually help people on being on because good things happen when being honest. My favorite part of the story was when Lester had found out about a girl who her dad hit everyday for no reason and she didn´t have money to go to china so what Alice did was she got her piggy bank and went 2 blocks down to exchange the money to because it was in cents. After she got home she looked for something to put to money and other items the girl may need like food, some cloth, money , candy to make her feel better, and some cream for her bruises. That made me feel like if was very special for Alice to help the girl out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
Oh Alice, I hate to tell you this, but more embarrassing things are ahead for you! This was a cute one. If you’re familiar with the later Alice books, this is the one with Alice and Donald reenacting the Tarzan scene!
November 8, 2022
I wouldn’t take my star ratings of this series too seriously since it is out of my age demographic. I am currently re-reading as a 19-year-old because I have fond memories of the series from when I read it the first time.
July 9, 2017
Hahaha I loved it. Cute and endearing and so relatable even now. Nostalgic. Brought it to Nag's Head with me. Endlessly entertaining. Quick read.
July 2, 2018
REVIEW TO COME
April 8, 2024
Please, tell me I’m not the only one who hates Rosiland😂
June 20, 2024
I love this book idk why but maybe because it was at my lowest when I was reading it but I love it
November 5, 2024
5 stars for a little girls book!
January 9, 2026
A bit draggy this time round. Alice believes almost everything Lester tells her. The problem is she always wants to be helpful and that leads to terrible scrapes!
June 3, 2025
This one covers Alice's fourth grade year and it's another year full of hilarity and heart. This is one of my absolute favorite sub-genres of books--middle grade girl books involving plucky heroines getting into one scrape after another. This one also fully fleshes out Donald Sheavers and the infamous "Tarzan" incident in the backyard that Alice will bring up more than once in the main Alice series to come. I am very charmed by Alice's relationship with her big brother Lester.
February 25, 2020
This book was so cute! I love how Alice’s dad is so musical and yet Alice can’t sing! I thought it was funny how Alice decided to be the biggest lip singer ever since she can’t sing. I love how embarrassing things keep happening to her! Like when she forgot her book outside and ran outside in her underwear to get it. I also love how this series focuses on her relationship with her brother and how much it means to her that they are friends!
September 16, 2013
This is probably more of a 3.5 because it's pretty good. Alice is in 4th grade and her year is marked by a lie that she takes seriously which angers Lester. Alice's brother Lester likes a girl named Lisa and one night while doing dishes Lester confides in Alice about Lisa's troubled home life. Alice and her friends band together and save money and collect items for a care package so as to help Lisa escape her situation, but what Alice doesn't know is that Lisa actually has a pretty nice home life.
Due to Alice and Lester's issues with getting along their father hires a nanny who is strict, but effective. Brother and sister bond over the common goal of ridding their house of the nanny.
I liked all of the realistic kid moments in this book. They aren't necessarily part of the larger action, but they're very well done and relatable (i.e. Alice gets a vitamin stuck up her nose while goofing around with friends taking photos).
There's a big section of the book that deals with young girls discovering how babies are made and the way they develop in utero. I have always liked that Alice has felt comfortable asking questions on this topic around the dinner table with her father and brother. The dialogue was very credible and the information provided was age appropriate and used the correct terminolgy which sets a good example for young girls and their families.
Recommended for girls grades 4-6.
Due to Alice and Lester's issues with getting along their father hires a nanny who is strict, but effective. Brother and sister bond over the common goal of ridding their house of the nanny.
I liked all of the realistic kid moments in this book. They aren't necessarily part of the larger action, but they're very well done and relatable (i.e. Alice gets a vitamin stuck up her nose while goofing around with friends taking photos).
There's a big section of the book that deals with young girls discovering how babies are made and the way they develop in utero. I have always liked that Alice has felt comfortable asking questions on this topic around the dinner table with her father and brother. The dialogue was very credible and the information provided was age appropriate and used the correct terminolgy which sets a good example for young girls and their families.
Recommended for girls grades 4-6.
February 6, 2022
It was a quick read and though it didn't really have much of a plot, just a whole year of random things happening, it was still good. Alice makes a lot of mistakes and does some silly stunts, but, she's only 9 and it's understandable. It's a cute book that anyone of any age can read. It's like eating a cookie, good while you're reading it, enjoyable, and gone in a flash. This is the second book of Alice that I've read and like the series so far.
October 13, 2014
Alice McKinley is back in action and ready to begin fourth grade in the second installment of the series. Unfortunately for her, it seems like fourth grade might be even tougher for her than third—she just can’t seem to stop making blunders!
Every other day it seems like Alice is knee-deep in humiliation—getting buried in a collapsed snow cave, believing her big brother Lester’s ridiculous lies, having to sing in front of the whole class even though she can’t carry a tune, and reenacting romantic scenes from the Tarzan movies with her weirdo neighbor Donald.
After an embarrassing mistake that involves her whole family, the girl Lester has a crush on, and her Secret Six club, Alice wonders if she’ll recover from humiliation, particularly since she has to figure all of this growing-up stuff without the help of a mother.
As always, Alice is a highly relatable heroine that middle and older readers will admire and empathize with. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the queen of writing realistic fiction that’s also a great deal of fun to read!
(Full review originally posted on ABookandaHug.com)
Every other day it seems like Alice is knee-deep in humiliation—getting buried in a collapsed snow cave, believing her big brother Lester’s ridiculous lies, having to sing in front of the whole class even though she can’t carry a tune, and reenacting romantic scenes from the Tarzan movies with her weirdo neighbor Donald.
After an embarrassing mistake that involves her whole family, the girl Lester has a crush on, and her Secret Six club, Alice wonders if she’ll recover from humiliation, particularly since she has to figure all of this growing-up stuff without the help of a mother.
As always, Alice is a highly relatable heroine that middle and older readers will admire and empathize with. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the queen of writing realistic fiction that’s also a great deal of fun to read!
(Full review originally posted on ABookandaHug.com)
December 23, 2015
Some people grew up reading Judy Blume. I grew up reading the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The series is humorous, realistic, and helpful to those growing up at a similar age level to Alice.
Rereading the series at 24, I still love them all. I laugh at moments, I cringe at moments, and I feel nostalgic for my youth at moments (dramatic or what).
As with any of the novels in this series, many young readers can relate to events that happen throughout the book whether it be facing embarrassment in front of your peers, making mistakes, or facing the consequences of lying. As well, this series often addresses topics that help to educate the readers. In this novel, I specifically noticed this with the teacher's pregnancy. This could be helpful to the young reader who's awaiting a younger sibling or is just curious about pregnancy.
Definitely a wonderful, quick and easy read. This series has been fun to reread as it gives me flashbacks to similar events when I was growing up. Lester is always a laugh as well! Excited to reread the next!
Rereading the series at 24, I still love them all. I laugh at moments, I cringe at moments, and I feel nostalgic for my youth at moments (dramatic or what).
As with any of the novels in this series, many young readers can relate to events that happen throughout the book whether it be facing embarrassment in front of your peers, making mistakes, or facing the consequences of lying. As well, this series often addresses topics that help to educate the readers. In this novel, I specifically noticed this with the teacher's pregnancy. This could be helpful to the young reader who's awaiting a younger sibling or is just curious about pregnancy.
Definitely a wonderful, quick and easy read. This series has been fun to reread as it gives me flashbacks to similar events when I was growing up. Lester is always a laugh as well! Excited to reread the next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2021
Ah, the first Alice book I ever read. I remember 11 year old me picking it up in the library because the cover was so cute. I don't remember everything since it's been so many years since I've read it, but I always loved how I could feel Alice's yearning for a mother figure throughout the series. Many of the questions Alice would ask -- as an elementary student I had the same questions, curiosity, and fascination. To be young again...I would love to reread the Alice series!
December 23, 2007
I read this book a long time ago, but I still remember it. It's about a girl named Alice and her father and older brother, Lester. Her mother died when she was very little and she doesn't remember much about her mother. It was a pretty good book but I don't recommend this book of the series for people over 13 or 14. Maybe some of the other books where Alice is older. =]
July 26, 2012
In a world full of books about not fitting in and doing stupid embarrassing things, Alice has to be my absolute favorite. Sure there's other books out there with a whole slew of crazy things happening to one kid, but Alice is like all of us. Alice is REAL and the things that happen are just the kinds of things that you're likely to do (or probably did at her age).
Great series!
Great series!
October 9, 2014
I really loved this book as a young girl. She was the girl I dreamed to be. All her blunders and embarrassments, I wished to experience. I mostly envied her relationship with her teacher, who appeared to be very understanding of her. I literally read this book so much that within the first year of buying the book, it was all tattered and taped!
February 24, 2015
Alice in Blunderland was a funny book i very much enjoyed.It was a book that you dont want to put down when you are reading.From all of the funny times alice got embarrassed to when she was hanging out with her firends to when she gets introuble. This is just one of the many books in the alice series and I cant wait to read the reast of the funny book in the series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews