What do you think?
Rate this book
Alice #8
Alice in Lace
Alice suddenly finds herself married! Well, sort of. In an eighth grade health class, she and her friends are each given a hypothetical situation to help them learn to make good decisions. It's all great fun until one of the students creates a problem that could have serious consequences for the whole class. The first semester of eighth grade is both exciting and complicated as Alice learns something about last year's English teacher, Miss Summers, who is dating her father, and when one of her brother's old girlfriends makes a startling announcement. Then there is the problem of how to afford a wedding and honeymoon, the pranks with Pamela's pillow, a harrowing ride in a used car, Elizabeth's confession, Patrick's embarrassing request, and finally, a new person arrives on the scene. As usual, Alice has questions, but sometimes no one has the answers.
139 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1996
16 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
245 books1,034 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 27, 2011
When Alice begins 8th grade in the book Alice in Lace, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, she is surprised to find herself already planning a wedding. Fortunately for her, the wedding plans are an assignment for her health class during their unit on Critical Choices. Her friends and classmates get assigned to various other activities that help them see what life is like as an adult, such as dealing with a teen pregnancy, buying a car, and arranging a burial for a family member. Throughout the novel Alice also deals with a number of other life issues, such as her father dating one of the teachers in her school, her brother’s girlfriend troubles, and even one of her teachers being accused of sexual harassment.
Teenage girls will be able to relate to Alice, as she is portrayed as an average 8th grade female, dealing with typical middle school situations such as having a boyfriend and kissing, working on a school project, having a small weekend job, and hanging out with friends. We also see more liberal and conservative social views and attitudes in her friends Pamela and Elizabeth, respectively. All the girls have flaws, but in the end they are good friends and supportive of each other.
Many titles from the Alice series have been banned or challenged, and in Alice in Lace a few controversial topics are mentioned, such as teen pregnancy, abortion, teacher/student sexual harassment, and sex. However, it’s done in a way that is natural and even tame for teens. None of these things are actually happening to the thirteen year olds, they are just learning about life. Middle school students will inevitably have questions about these sorts of topics, and the message of the book is that it’s important to address them before it’s too late and they’re already experiencing them unprepared. And Alice does learn an important lesson – she realizes the importance of planning major life events and thinking through decisions, and the book certainly belongs in both school and public libraries. For the most part the issues are dealt with very subtly – although sex is brought up once or twice, Alice’s major concern is how to initiate a kiss with her boyfriend. However, Alice’s 21-year-old brother, Lester, does hint at what goes on in some of his own relationships, and there is a somewhat uncomfortable situation when he tells her about a dream he had in which she was naked.
Naylor manages to tie in these important topics and subtly teach a lesson while keeping the story entertaining and engaging. The ways that Alice and her friends do research for their projects are at times both hilarious and touching. For example, her friend Pamela goes to a clothing store with a pillow under her shirt to do research for her project on teen pregnancy. Although the girls spend plenty of time giggling while shopping, we also see a more serious side of things when the saleslady’s attitude changes once she learns that Pamela is an unmarried teenager. Throughout the book the reader will find him or herself in the midst of the teenage laughter and activities, but will also get a glimpse of prejudice, hard times, and tough moral issues.
Though for the most part the book seems very natural and realistic, there are a few events that are hard to believe, affecting the realism and impact of the story. For one, when the students are out in public dealing with adult issues such as buying a car or furniture for a new apartment, all of the adults they interact with constantly believe that these 8th graders are really 18 or older. It’s tough to believe that a car salesman would really offer to let 3 girls who are thirteen test drive a car without asking for a license or anything. There is also a plot point at the end of the book involving Lester’s ex-girlfriend that feels somewhat out of place and random. Though it teaches Alice yet another lesson about life in the real world, it seems unnecessary to the plot overall.
The Alice series covers most of the years of Alice’s life, and Alice in Lace is the perfect book for those growing up and beginning to discover what it means to be an adult. The book seems most appropriate for grades 5-8. Naylor does an excellent job capturing the middle school experience in a way that seems mostly true to life and will be something that teenage girls will not only relate to, but also really enjoy reading.
Teenage girls will be able to relate to Alice, as she is portrayed as an average 8th grade female, dealing with typical middle school situations such as having a boyfriend and kissing, working on a school project, having a small weekend job, and hanging out with friends. We also see more liberal and conservative social views and attitudes in her friends Pamela and Elizabeth, respectively. All the girls have flaws, but in the end they are good friends and supportive of each other.
Many titles from the Alice series have been banned or challenged, and in Alice in Lace a few controversial topics are mentioned, such as teen pregnancy, abortion, teacher/student sexual harassment, and sex. However, it’s done in a way that is natural and even tame for teens. None of these things are actually happening to the thirteen year olds, they are just learning about life. Middle school students will inevitably have questions about these sorts of topics, and the message of the book is that it’s important to address them before it’s too late and they’re already experiencing them unprepared. And Alice does learn an important lesson – she realizes the importance of planning major life events and thinking through decisions, and the book certainly belongs in both school and public libraries. For the most part the issues are dealt with very subtly – although sex is brought up once or twice, Alice’s major concern is how to initiate a kiss with her boyfriend. However, Alice’s 21-year-old brother, Lester, does hint at what goes on in some of his own relationships, and there is a somewhat uncomfortable situation when he tells her about a dream he had in which she was naked.
Naylor manages to tie in these important topics and subtly teach a lesson while keeping the story entertaining and engaging. The ways that Alice and her friends do research for their projects are at times both hilarious and touching. For example, her friend Pamela goes to a clothing store with a pillow under her shirt to do research for her project on teen pregnancy. Although the girls spend plenty of time giggling while shopping, we also see a more serious side of things when the saleslady’s attitude changes once she learns that Pamela is an unmarried teenager. Throughout the book the reader will find him or herself in the midst of the teenage laughter and activities, but will also get a glimpse of prejudice, hard times, and tough moral issues.
Though for the most part the book seems very natural and realistic, there are a few events that are hard to believe, affecting the realism and impact of the story. For one, when the students are out in public dealing with adult issues such as buying a car or furniture for a new apartment, all of the adults they interact with constantly believe that these 8th graders are really 18 or older. It’s tough to believe that a car salesman would really offer to let 3 girls who are thirteen test drive a car without asking for a license or anything. There is also a plot point at the end of the book involving Lester’s ex-girlfriend that feels somewhat out of place and random. Though it teaches Alice yet another lesson about life in the real world, it seems unnecessary to the plot overall.
The Alice series covers most of the years of Alice’s life, and Alice in Lace is the perfect book for those growing up and beginning to discover what it means to be an adult. The book seems most appropriate for grades 5-8. Naylor does an excellent job capturing the middle school experience in a way that seems mostly true to life and will be something that teenage girls will not only relate to, but also really enjoy reading.
October 14, 2024
Having a rough day so I read a children’s book in the bath
September 24, 2013
Wow, reading this at 13 and re-reading it at 20 make me realize how different I've become. I pretty much agreed with Alice on most accounts when I first read this, and now I'm definitely more like Lester. This is such a sweet book, and it was hilarious at a few points! Pamela's so funny! And then there were the sweet, sad points. I love the Alice series, and this is probably one of my favourites. I loved the idea of Critical Choices, and how it was executed. A quick, light, heartwarming read that'll remind any oldie what being 13 felt like.
September 17, 2023
March 2012 reread.
Long live Alice! This has always been my favorite Alice book - especially the classroom wedding scene.
October 2019 reread.
Still my favorite in the series. Love the humor (I still laugh aloud at the car buying adventure), the lessons Alice learns (you can plan, but leave room for unexpected joy), and the maturity as Alice witnesses but does not meddle in either Ben or Lester's love life (well, not much anyhow).
September 2023 reread.
Long live Alice! This has always been my favorite Alice book - especially the classroom wedding scene.
October 2019 reread.
Still my favorite in the series. Love the humor (I still laugh aloud at the car buying adventure), the lessons Alice learns (you can plan, but leave room for unexpected joy), and the maturity as Alice witnesses but does not meddle in either Ben or Lester's love life (well, not much anyhow).
September 2023 reread.
May 20, 2017
I just love this series. In a way it reminds me of the Ramona Quimby series, which I grew up reading. Alice and Ramona are very similar characters. I look forward to reading the rest of this series at some point.
October 23, 2009
As Alice gets older, the books get better, I think. Each one is still pretty light-weight, taken on its own, but the whole run adds up to something really nice.
August 24, 2018
I think I should go back and make all my star ratings either blank or four stars. The series is getting more interesting in some ways, and more predictable in other ways, as we go along. This one is not fluffy, though there's still humor and joy, and it's still perfectly fine for children at or approaching the age of the characters.
September 7, 2020
I keep remembering why this series must’ve been on banned book lists lol 😂
November 14, 2024
so stinking CUTE
December 23, 2015
Moving right alone with Alice #8. Alice starts eighth grade and learns all about choices and their consequences.
Alice and her friends take a course on making critical life decisions, in which each student is given a hypothetical life-altering situation (marriage, unintended pregnancy, DUI) and must figure out how to make the best decision given the cards their dealt. This leads to arguments, laughs, and a lot of insight into what some of the hard facts of growing up entail.
Outside the assignment, Alice is faced with some less hypothetical critical choices. When "Robert Redford cute" health teacher Mr. Everett is accused of molesting a student, Alice knows the accusation is false and most come forward to her school vice principal. This required courage, especially because the vice principal is competing with Alice's dad for the heart of English teacher Miss Summers. But I kind of of have a problem with the larger aspect of this storyline. It's clear that Jill, the student accusing Mr. Everett, is just angry at him for getting a boring assignment and that this is her way of getting back at him. But how often are accusations of sexual assault false? I'm worried that kids reading this will take to heart the message that false sexual assault accusations are often made by jilted or upset women to get back at upstanding men, which we know is super rape culture-y. This was obviously not Naylor's intention, but in retrospect I think it's problematic.
Overall, this is a strong Alice book -- the message about planning vs. letting life happen to you is richly layered and complex.
Observations:
- Alice and her dad's relationship is particularly sweet in this one, too. Alice finally realizes she can't fix her dad's romantic problems for her, and their relationship is better for it.
- Elizabeth's mom goes into labor, and Elizabeth, in a very in-character way, can't deal, so Alice steps in to get them to the hospital in time.
- Patrick is still so goddamn uninteresting that I can't even come up with a significant thing he did, besides talk about how rich he is.
- Crystal is getting married, finally putting to an end the Marilyn/Lester/Crystal love triangle, which had been stretched for six books and badly needed to be put to rest.
Alice and her friends take a course on making critical life decisions, in which each student is given a hypothetical life-altering situation (marriage, unintended pregnancy, DUI) and must figure out how to make the best decision given the cards their dealt. This leads to arguments, laughs, and a lot of insight into what some of the hard facts of growing up entail.
Outside the assignment, Alice is faced with some less hypothetical critical choices. When "Robert Redford cute" health teacher Mr. Everett is accused of molesting a student, Alice knows the accusation is false and most come forward to her school vice principal. This required courage, especially because the vice principal is competing with Alice's dad for the heart of English teacher Miss Summers. But I kind of of have a problem with the larger aspect of this storyline. It's clear that Jill, the student accusing Mr. Everett, is just angry at him for getting a boring assignment and that this is her way of getting back at him. But how often are accusations of sexual assault false? I'm worried that kids reading this will take to heart the message that false sexual assault accusations are often made by jilted or upset women to get back at upstanding men, which we know is super rape culture-y. This was obviously not Naylor's intention, but in retrospect I think it's problematic.
Overall, this is a strong Alice book -- the message about planning vs. letting life happen to you is richly layered and complex.
Observations:
- Alice and her dad's relationship is particularly sweet in this one, too. Alice finally realizes she can't fix her dad's romantic problems for her, and their relationship is better for it.
- Elizabeth's mom goes into labor, and Elizabeth, in a very in-character way, can't deal, so Alice steps in to get them to the hospital in time.
- Patrick is still so goddamn uninteresting that I can't even come up with a significant thing he did, besides talk about how rich he is.
- Crystal is getting married, finally putting to an end the Marilyn/Lester/Crystal love triangle, which had been stretched for six books and badly needed to be put to rest.
February 18, 2009
I'd never read one of the Alice stories, so I thought I'd read this one before shelving it.
Alice and her Health Class peers are assigned Real Life projects along the lines of What Are the Consequences of: deciding to get married, getting caught shoplifting, getting pregnant, getting someone else pregnant, getting caught drunk and driving, etc. This sounds like such a great idea for a class assignment, but I don't honestly see 8th graders doing such a great job winkling out the details of what happens in the legal system when you shoplift. It's just as well Naylor can explain it all to us.
The terrors of facing adulthood and all the economic realities thereof that are uncovered by Alice and her project partner are barely mitigated by Alice's father telling about how he and her mother started out.
Alice has the nerve to ask the most outrageous questions of the unlikeliest people, but I guess that's what makes her so endearing ... [no further comment:].
And should 8th graders be dating and kissing? Maybe I'm behind the times. I guess I shouldn't be complaining so much about the simplification of plots and details in a children's book. What a grump, eh?
Alice and her Health Class peers are assigned Real Life projects along the lines of What Are the Consequences of: deciding to get married, getting caught shoplifting, getting pregnant, getting someone else pregnant, getting caught drunk and driving, etc. This sounds like such a great idea for a class assignment, but I don't honestly see 8th graders doing such a great job winkling out the details of what happens in the legal system when you shoplift. It's just as well Naylor can explain it all to us.
The terrors of facing adulthood and all the economic realities thereof that are uncovered by Alice and her project partner are barely mitigated by Alice's father telling about how he and her mother started out.
Alice has the nerve to ask the most outrageous questions of the unlikeliest people, but I guess that's what makes her so endearing ... [no further comment:].
And should 8th graders be dating and kissing? Maybe I'm behind the times. I guess I shouldn't be complaining so much about the simplification of plots and details in a children's book. What a grump, eh?
April 26, 2012
Alice is back - and this time she is starting eighth grade, and getting married. She grows up fast, doesn't she?
Naylor delivers a solid story of growing up a little faster than we're ready for in the guise of a health class. Alice and her friends are given different scenarios of life, and they must learn to deal with all the conflicts that come with dealing with each of those scenarios.
Alice and Patrick as assigned the planning of a wedding, honeymoon, first apartment, and furniture - all for $5,000. This causes conflict fast, and it just goes to show that even in a "pretend" world, money is king.
Told with the same hilarity and tenderness we are accustomed, readers will be delighted with this next installment of Alice's journey.
I've read several reviews that complain that Alice is a stagnant character, but I want to say this: there are roughly 24 Alice books (I believe) and what Naylor gives readers are snapshot experiences into growing up. Alice isn't a character that grows fast because she's not meant to - she's meant to fully experience her childhood, her tweenhood, and now her teenhood. What's wrong with that?
Naylor delivers a solid story of growing up a little faster than we're ready for in the guise of a health class. Alice and her friends are given different scenarios of life, and they must learn to deal with all the conflicts that come with dealing with each of those scenarios.
Alice and Patrick as assigned the planning of a wedding, honeymoon, first apartment, and furniture - all for $5,000. This causes conflict fast, and it just goes to show that even in a "pretend" world, money is king.
Told with the same hilarity and tenderness we are accustomed, readers will be delighted with this next installment of Alice's journey.
I've read several reviews that complain that Alice is a stagnant character, but I want to say this: there are roughly 24 Alice books (I believe) and what Naylor gives readers are snapshot experiences into growing up. Alice isn't a character that grows fast because she's not meant to - she's meant to fully experience her childhood, her tweenhood, and now her teenhood. What's wrong with that?
October 31, 2021
This is one of the best books of the series - Mr. Everett asks the class to pretend they are in a problematic situation, trying to work their way out to find a solution to their problems. Alice is hypothetically getting married to Patrick, Elizabeth is buying a car and Pamela is having a baby. I wish I could have this kind of teacher when I was in school and get assignments like this. Alice realizes she can't collaborate with Patrick as well as she thought. She also takes advantage of the assignment to ask her Dad about her mom and how they got married. Turns out, her parents had literally no money when they got married, they bought second hand stuff as a piece of furniture, went nowhere for honeymoon, got an amateur photographer and the wedding was planned by the closest people, yet it was an unforgetable one.
Apart from the school project, Alice gets to help Elizabeth's mom whose water broke get to the hospital and deliver her baby boy. She also gets to become a maid at Crystal's wedding who is not getting married to Lester.
This entire book is a debate about whether it's better to plan everything in order to avoid last minute unpleasant surprises or whether it's better to let certain things be the way they want to be in order not to ruin the moment. It is a tender part of the series, one I honestly really enjoyed.
Apart from the school project, Alice gets to help Elizabeth's mom whose water broke get to the hospital and deliver her baby boy. She also gets to become a maid at Crystal's wedding who is not getting married to Lester.
This entire book is a debate about whether it's better to plan everything in order to avoid last minute unpleasant surprises or whether it's better to let certain things be the way they want to be in order not to ruin the moment. It is a tender part of the series, one I honestly really enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2024
This is one of the best books of the series - Mr. Everett asks the class to pretend they are in a problematic situation, trying to work their way out to find a solution to their problems. Alice is hypothetically getting married to Patrick, Elizabeth is buying a car and Pamela is having a baby. I wish I could have this kind of teacher when I was in school and get assignments like this. Alice realizes she can't collaborate with Patrick as well as she thought. She also takes advantage of the assignment to ask her Dad about her mom and how they got married. Turns out, her parents had literally no money when they got married, they bought second hand stuff as a piece of furniture, went nowhere for honeymoon, got an amateur photographer and the wedding was planned by the closest people, yet it was an unforgetable one.
Apart from the school project, Alice gets to help Elizabeth's mom whose water broke get to the hospital and deliver her baby boy. She also gets to become a maid at Crystal's wedding who is not getting married to Lester.
This entire book is a debate about whether it's better to plan everything in order to avoid last minute unpleasant surprises or whether it's better to let certain things be the way they want to be in order not to ruin the moment. It is a tender part of the series, one I honestly really enjoyed.
Apart from the school project, Alice gets to help Elizabeth's mom whose water broke get to the hospital and deliver her baby boy. She also gets to become a maid at Crystal's wedding who is not getting married to Lester.
This entire book is a debate about whether it's better to plan everything in order to avoid last minute unpleasant surprises or whether it's better to let certain things be the way they want to be in order not to ruin the moment. It is a tender part of the series, one I honestly really enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2023
This cozy little series for middle grade children is great! The author really gets into the minds of pre-teens and teens. Every story is imaginative and leaves me wishing that my own Junior High years were as much fun.
In this book Alice is in 8th grade. Her English teacher gives the class a 5 week assignment that to me was ingenious. To prepare them for adulthood he gives each student a situation that they must research and decide what to do as if it really happened to them. One girl is an unmarried pregnant teen, one guy is arrested for a DUI, one girl must plan her grandmother's funeral, etc. Alice's assignment is a co-assignment with her boyfriend Patrick. They must plan their wedding, including honeymoon and renting of an apartment and buying furniture all for $5000. They start out with lofty ideas that soon brings them down.
This book and the series is fun.
In this book Alice is in 8th grade. Her English teacher gives the class a 5 week assignment that to me was ingenious. To prepare them for adulthood he gives each student a situation that they must research and decide what to do as if it really happened to them. One girl is an unmarried pregnant teen, one guy is arrested for a DUI, one girl must plan her grandmother's funeral, etc. Alice's assignment is a co-assignment with her boyfriend Patrick. They must plan their wedding, including honeymoon and renting of an apartment and buying furniture all for $5000. They start out with lofty ideas that soon brings them down.
This book and the series is fun.
July 13, 2017
I feel like a broken record at this point but every Alice book is more amazing than the last! During my re-read of these books, I definitely feel that I now appreciate & love these stories even more than I did as a teenager. In this story Alice and her friends learn about the important of planning & how their choices will start to deeply affect their futures now that they're getting older. Again we get more of Alice being the funniest, most interesting protagonist ever (well maybe I'm being dramatic but she's definitely up there), and the crazy cast of characters that surround her. Definitely another MUST READ for all YA fans!!!
September 23, 2017
Another great Alice book! This one follows Alice and her friends as they all have different assignments for different life changes. The goal is to see what kinds of decisions they would have to make given their unique circumstances. It was fun to see how each of the girls carried out their assignment research. Pamela was hilarious pretending to be pregnant with a pillow!
Lester is in his Marilyn phase in this book, but Crystal makes an appearance toward the end with a surprise for Lester. I won't spoil what it is.
Lester is in his Marilyn phase in this book, but Crystal makes an appearance toward the end with a surprise for Lester. I won't spoil what it is.
October 29, 2025
I recently picked up this book thinking the premise was cute and, since it was a child’s book, an easy read. It was a terrible book! For a girl the age of 13 to want to copy her brother’s girlfriend by serving her brother a birthday breakfast in her bikini is absolutely ridiculous and inappropriate. I, having a brother, would never ask my brother if he thought of me as a sex object. It was disgusting. I can’t believe how inappropriate this CHILDREN’S book is. Terrible. Would not recommend -ever!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2017
I think this was the last book I remember reading in the series back in elementary school/possibly middle school. I remember I really liked it - the interesting scenarios that were assigned as projects. Very entertaining as always. From now on I have no idea what to expect, except I read a ton of spoilers and summaries! :)
March 7, 2020
Another great read! I love how they have a life skills class! I love watching Alice and her friends grow up and learn new things! Alice and Patrick are finally getting more comfortable in their relationship too! I loved how her and Patrick got paired up in class to plan a wedding while Pamela’s scenario was being pregnant because it’s so accurate! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
February 3, 2018
Alice was an enjoyable character to follow, and this was one of the first books in this series where the plot actually takes off. Well, as much as it can about an 8th grade without a supernatural plot. It's sweet and the characters are nice to follow.
March 7, 2020
Alice is learning about critical choices in life in her health class. Pamela is "pregnant", Elizabeth has to buy a car, and Alice and Patrick are newlyweds. Alice learns that every action has an end result for good or for bad.
March 5, 2021
This one was so cute and so funny!! It’s so fun reading Alice as an adult, reading her naive curious thoughts and theories on the big grown up things in the world. This book evoked so many memories on what I used to think and feel at her age. I live for these books!
October 5, 2021
Pamela's pregnant, Elizabeth is buying a car, and Alice is getting married. This book centers around assignments to prepare students for real life. Elizabeth has a crush on the teacher Mr. Everett who was described as looking like Robert Redford in the original version of the book and Brad Pitt in a newer one. I bought all the books on Kindle and some slight changes have been made.
The assignments are fun to read about but I have a hard time believing a group of eighth grade girls could pass for adults. Alice and Patrick go shopping for furniture and the salesperson thinks they're actually getting married? Pamela is always described as looking older than her age but I think she would look more like a pregnant older teen than the married woman she is mistaken for shopping for maternity clothes. This seems like an assignment better for high schoolers. Alice's dad think the assignment is great but I don't think all parents would be happy about an assignment where their daughters had to pretend to be pregnant.
Alice's descriptions of Lester being attractive always weird me out. Why would she ask her brother if he had a sexual dream about her?? Pamela and Elizabeth's crush on him makes sense but Alice deciding that since Lester's girlfriend is making Lester dinner in a bikini, she should do the same is odd. Why would Lester care about seeing his sister in a bathing suit? Still a funny scene, just a little icky reading as an adult.
I think this is the first book it's mentioned that a maternity ward is described as the happiest place in a hospital. I feel like it's brought up in almost every later book.
SPOILER: I don't think the inappropriate teacher/student interaction would be included if the book was written today, it's simply too complicated of a power dynamic to be explained properly in a YA book.
Overall, a classic Alice book with events referenced to in the rest of the series.
The assignments are fun to read about but I have a hard time believing a group of eighth grade girls could pass for adults. Alice and Patrick go shopping for furniture and the salesperson thinks they're actually getting married? Pamela is always described as looking older than her age but I think she would look more like a pregnant older teen than the married woman she is mistaken for shopping for maternity clothes. This seems like an assignment better for high schoolers. Alice's dad think the assignment is great but I don't think all parents would be happy about an assignment where their daughters had to pretend to be pregnant.
Alice's descriptions of Lester being attractive always weird me out. Why would she ask her brother if he had a sexual dream about her?? Pamela and Elizabeth's crush on him makes sense but Alice deciding that since Lester's girlfriend is making Lester dinner in a bikini, she should do the same is odd. Why would Lester care about seeing his sister in a bathing suit? Still a funny scene, just a little icky reading as an adult.
I think this is the first book it's mentioned that a maternity ward is described as the happiest place in a hospital. I feel like it's brought up in almost every later book.
SPOILER: I don't think the inappropriate teacher/student interaction would be included if the book was written today, it's simply too complicated of a power dynamic to be explained properly in a YA book.
Overall, a classic Alice book with events referenced to in the rest of the series.
February 14, 2021
Good lessons on thinking ahead to see how choices impact yourself and others. This seemed a little mature for 13 year- olds, though, with dating and kissing.
March 21, 2021
Great story about a class I would have loved when I was a child, and will definitely promote for my children! All about thinking through decisions and implications.
March 30, 2021
Super cute, good life lessons :)
June 1, 2021
Another solid entry in this likable and realistic series.
July 15, 2022
One of my favorite Alice books of all time! I wish I’d taken a class like this in school. Heck, I wish I knew enough kids to impart the wisdom that this class teaches them, myself! Her and Patrick are happy and comfortable, and she’s not in a fight with Pamela or Elizabeth. Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews