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Alice #16
Including Alice
Although excited about her father's pending marriage to Sylvia Summers, Alice begins to worry that she is losing her special place in the family as the festivities of the event seem to become the most important thing to everyone around her. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
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605 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
244 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
July 22, 2020
Love these books! Easy to read and not much to think about! Nice reading during the Covid-19! 5 stars and an A+.
January 7, 2013
Alice’s father and Sylvia finally get married and Alice adjusts to a home life where she isn’t the only female around the house anymore.
Admittedly, not my favorite book in the series. I had problems with the pacing. On the one hand I can see devoting much of the first half of the book to wedding details because fans have been waiting a long time for this event. On the other hand, I felt myself wanting to fast forward through all the wedding drama.
I appreciated the transitional issues Alice was having regarding the new living arrangement in her house. Also the fact that both Alice and Sylvia endured seasonal illnesses was a good way of breaking the ice between them.
This book doesn’t advance the story much (Alice does get braces), but it does give full details about an important event in Alice’s family. Recommended for teens grades 7 and up.
Admittedly, not my favorite book in the series. I had problems with the pacing. On the one hand I can see devoting much of the first half of the book to wedding details because fans have been waiting a long time for this event. On the other hand, I felt myself wanting to fast forward through all the wedding drama.
I appreciated the transitional issues Alice was having regarding the new living arrangement in her house. Also the fact that both Alice and Sylvia endured seasonal illnesses was a good way of breaking the ice between them.
This book doesn’t advance the story much (Alice does get braces), but it does give full details about an important event in Alice’s family. Recommended for teens grades 7 and up.
April 26, 2024
Still wish this series had been around when I was growing up. It's so nice :)
August 30, 2017
Child me: 5 stars
Adult me: 4 stars
*For the first book in a "child/teen/middlegrade/nostalgic" book, I am going with the rating younger me would have gone with, then if I read on in the series, I will rate the books what adult me believes it should be rated. If the book is a stand alone, I will go with whatever rating I feel most comfortable giving the book. Please note, I do not really think books should have an age limit. People should read what they want to regardless of the intended age group, except for kids reading erotica or something, of course.*
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I really liked this one. There were parts that actually got me a little choked up. This series still feels nostalgic, even though I'm positive I did not read it when it first came out.
Adult me: 4 stars
*For the first book in a "child/teen/middlegrade/nostalgic" book, I am going with the rating younger me would have gone with, then if I read on in the series, I will rate the books what adult me believes it should be rated. If the book is a stand alone, I will go with whatever rating I feel most comfortable giving the book. Please note, I do not really think books should have an age limit. People should read what they want to regardless of the intended age group, except for kids reading erotica or something, of course.*
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I really liked this one. There were parts that actually got me a little choked up. This series still feels nostalgic, even though I'm positive I did not read it when it first came out.
September 19, 2021
Alice's dad and Miss Summers are finally getting married! The high school Alice books are not my favorites but like this one simply because Alice has dreamed of this moment for so long.
It was sad to realize that Alice has built up the idea of having Miss Summers as a mom in her head too much to be realistic. In a way, Alice is little too old to have the fantasy mother she dreamed of. She's hitting her angsty teenage years and her dad and new stepmom aren't as understanding of her conflicted feelings as they would have if she was younger (in my opinion). They slowly get closer in this book but the tension continues in the later books.
I felt bad for Alice feeling left out of the family she's always been so close to. Early high school years are rough and though I'm happy Ben is married to Sylvia, I wonder how their classic dinner table conversations would go in high school. Or maybe it would be a time she would be spending a lot of time outside of the house anyway.
I still don't understand why Lester and Carole having a crush on each other is remotely appropriate or funny. They seem to be flirty again in this book and it's always gross.
This marks the first book Lester is living in an apartment with roommates away from home. I had wondered why Lester continued to live with his dad even as an older college student considering how social he is so I understand why he finally moved out. I think he felt a responsibility to help with Alice and felt a little freer after his dad gets married.
Since I read the prequels as they came out, I loved reading about the return of Rosalind! Naylor does a great job bringing in details from the prequels, like mentioning The Naked Nomads!
Not the best Alice book but a must-read to finally see the wedding Alice has been talking about for years!
It was sad to realize that Alice has built up the idea of having Miss Summers as a mom in her head too much to be realistic. In a way, Alice is little too old to have the fantasy mother she dreamed of. She's hitting her angsty teenage years and her dad and new stepmom aren't as understanding of her conflicted feelings as they would have if she was younger (in my opinion). They slowly get closer in this book but the tension continues in the later books.
I felt bad for Alice feeling left out of the family she's always been so close to. Early high school years are rough and though I'm happy Ben is married to Sylvia, I wonder how their classic dinner table conversations would go in high school. Or maybe it would be a time she would be spending a lot of time outside of the house anyway.
I still don't understand why Lester and Carole having a crush on each other is remotely appropriate or funny. They seem to be flirty again in this book and it's always gross.
This marks the first book Lester is living in an apartment with roommates away from home. I had wondered why Lester continued to live with his dad even as an older college student considering how social he is so I understand why he finally moved out. I think he felt a responsibility to help with Alice and felt a little freer after his dad gets married.
Since I read the prequels as they came out, I loved reading about the return of Rosalind! Naylor does a great job bringing in details from the prequels, like mentioning The Naked Nomads!
Not the best Alice book but a must-read to finally see the wedding Alice has been talking about for years!
July 27, 2017
Alice series read-through continues after a year hiatus! This is not one of the more memorable books, with the exception of the wedding between Sylvia and Ben. Their union has been in the works since the second or third book, so it was nice to see a joyful wedding without any more waiting. A large portion of the first half of the book is devoted to pre-wedding logistics, which wasn't particularly interesting to me.
The most interesting development is Alice coming to seeing her former teacher/new stepmother as a real person rather than the idealized "perfect woman" she always idolized her as. Alice has always put Sylvia on an enormous pedestal, and this is the book in which they must come to terms with living together and the natural tensions that arise with the combining of two homes. Their relationship gets better because of it, and it's nice to see Alice finally with a positive female role model.
Other than that, not a whole lot happens. Penny and Alice end their feud over resident dud Patrick. Alice gets the stomach flu and describes "the runs" in a ludicrous amount of detail. Lots of foreshadowing for future books, but not a lot of actual development here.
The most interesting development is Alice coming to seeing her former teacher/new stepmother as a real person rather than the idealized "perfect woman" she always idolized her as. Alice has always put Sylvia on an enormous pedestal, and this is the book in which they must come to terms with living together and the natural tensions that arise with the combining of two homes. Their relationship gets better because of it, and it's nice to see Alice finally with a positive female role model.
Other than that, not a whole lot happens. Penny and Alice end their feud over resident dud Patrick. Alice gets the stomach flu and describes "the runs" in a ludicrous amount of detail. Lots of foreshadowing for future books, but not a lot of actual development here.
July 27, 2017
I'm reading these books so quickly that I don't even recall each title hahaha. This one is cool - Alice's dad finally marries Sylvia, and there's a lot of wedding in the plot. Also we get to see Alice adjust to life with her new mom, and all the aspects of being a family. I loved it when they visited Lester and ended up having dinner with an elderly man instead. At the end, wow Alice, smh, dressing up like that to go to your brother's party - good thing Lester saved you. But I guess the thing so great about Alice is that she's real and embarrassing and sometimes mean (to Penny and Amy) but she's just a normal, relatable girl who learns lessons and experiences the good as well as the bad. She can be self-centered, whiny, rude... But she's Alice and I wouldn't have her any other way. I liked the inclusion of a socially awkward girl, Amy Sheldon, because what Jill did to her (telling her that a guy "likes" her) is a common cruel joke that I'm familiar with firsthand.
February 3, 2018
It was so nice to see Alice get a step-mom, and for her to have her rose-colored glasses ripped from her head. In a character driven series, how the characters changed was so organic to how they changed in high school. I like the evolution of relationships, and how the author managed to keep up with everyone.
April 17, 2018
Finally, the wedding happens and Alice has a new mom! I’ve been following this series for a while now and I enjoyed it, though I really think anyone reading this series should read it in order. It makes more sense that way! I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading the next one!
March 25, 2022
I was surprised by how fascinating this book was! I couldn't put it down! I read it completely independent of the series, and the author made that easy to do. Recommended for tweens and teens dealing with blended family or family-changing issues.
September 30, 2018
Alice isn't so nice in this one.... And I do wish Pamela would stop harassing Lester. Don't these girls know how much trouble a young man can get into?
Growing up is hard.
Growing up is hard.
March 20, 2020
I liked to finally see the weeding in this book but also that one event does not make a family and how hard it can be adjusting to something that one has wished for.
January 17, 2021
Great books! I love the reality of it!
November 29, 2021
This book felt endlessly long. And I hated most of it. The end wasn't too bad.
In the first part though...idk why Alice (and her friends) was so mean, and why no one seems to care.
In the first part though...idk why Alice (and her friends) was so mean, and why no one seems to care.
July 31, 2014
Alice and family prepare for Ben and Sylvia's wedding. The parents start to make changes in the household that bother Alice, who is unused to the new addition to her family. Alice gets braces.
Book takes place: Fall semester of 10th grade.
Alice's life lessons: Life is about being considerate while also being yourself.
Best Alice moment(s): few and far between, but Alice with the flu, and Otto's commandeering the girls' dinner are probably the best.
Alice has grown up a lot since the first few books, where a lot of the best moments were her strange observations of the world. There were less witticisms and more introspection. A lot of events happened in this book, of course (the lead-up to the wedding, her emotions about gaining a new step-mother, the aftermath of combining families) but it was very contained to Alice's little world. Not much development happened within Elizabeth's family, and Pamela's just continued to fight. Lester's new living arrangement brought on some fresh air but was barely touched on, besides the NYE party and dinner at Otto's.
This book, and the one before it, really began to show PRN's age, I think. It's also difficult to have written Alice at 12 in 1989, and then have her as 15 in 2004, because the technology leaps are very apparent. Two books ago, Alice gets email for the first time, and Sylvia proclaims she knows nothing about technology. The wedding plans were done by phone and paper (Alice notes that the wedding spreadsheets were printed and taped to all corners of the kitchen cabinets; in this day and age, we'd all share a Google Doc). The kids still communicate by landline and email and IM. For Christmas, Alice gets a cell phone. And to cap it off, this book came with a miniature CD of Ben/Sylvia's wedding music, which is impossible to play now because no CD players these days readily come with a spindle to hook a CD onto -- they're all slide-in to feed. C'est la vie.
Book takes place: Fall semester of 10th grade.
Alice's life lessons: Life is about being considerate while also being yourself.
Best Alice moment(s): few and far between, but Alice with the flu, and Otto's commandeering the girls' dinner are probably the best.
Alice has grown up a lot since the first few books, where a lot of the best moments were her strange observations of the world. There were less witticisms and more introspection. A lot of events happened in this book, of course (the lead-up to the wedding, her emotions about gaining a new step-mother, the aftermath of combining families) but it was very contained to Alice's little world. Not much development happened within Elizabeth's family, and Pamela's just continued to fight. Lester's new living arrangement brought on some fresh air but was barely touched on, besides the NYE party and dinner at Otto's.
This book, and the one before it, really began to show PRN's age, I think. It's also difficult to have written Alice at 12 in 1989, and then have her as 15 in 2004, because the technology leaps are very apparent. Two books ago, Alice gets email for the first time, and Sylvia proclaims she knows nothing about technology. The wedding plans were done by phone and paper (Alice notes that the wedding spreadsheets were printed and taped to all corners of the kitchen cabinets; in this day and age, we'd all share a Google Doc). The kids still communicate by landline and email and IM. For Christmas, Alice gets a cell phone. And to cap it off, this book came with a miniature CD of Ben/Sylvia's wedding music, which is impossible to play now because no CD players these days readily come with a spindle to hook a CD onto -- they're all slide-in to feed. C'est la vie.
Read
February 16, 2017It was a good book and his dad and step mom get married.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2023
November 2019 reread.
September 2023 reread.
This was published after PNR had put out two of the three Alice prequels, so she reintroduces Rosalind (Alice’s friend from her Takoma Park days) and references the housekeeper the McKinleys had for a short stint.
This was written when I was in high school but Alice and her friends constantly referring to guys as “hotties” was teenspeak in magazines, not real life conversations. Using Instant Messenger every night is definitely true to time and place.
Alice’s rivalry with Penny seemed out of place - she had made peace with what happened and moved on with a friendly relationship with Patrick in the previous two books, and suddenly she’s upset with Penny and uncharacteristically catty towards her. I was glad when that resolved.
This book introduces Amy (who I think is supposed to read as learning disabled?) to the outskirt of Alice’s friend group and David as the Melody Inn’s new hire.
September 2023 reread.
This was published after PNR had put out two of the three Alice prequels, so she reintroduces Rosalind (Alice’s friend from her Takoma Park days) and references the housekeeper the McKinleys had for a short stint.
This was written when I was in high school but Alice and her friends constantly referring to guys as “hotties” was teenspeak in magazines, not real life conversations. Using Instant Messenger every night is definitely true to time and place.
Alice’s rivalry with Penny seemed out of place - she had made peace with what happened and moved on with a friendly relationship with Patrick in the previous two books, and suddenly she’s upset with Penny and uncharacteristically catty towards her. I was glad when that resolved.
This book introduces Amy (who I think is supposed to read as learning disabled?) to the outskirt of Alice’s friend group and David as the Melody Inn’s new hire.
April 30, 2009
I can really see how this book would help a young woman understand the emotions and fears hormones and uncertainty caused by life can cause. This book is #19 in the Alice series; I thought it was earlier when I choose it. Hopefully the writing/story was better in the earlier books. I would not be a teenager again and did not enjoy revisiting it through Alice. Some of the topics brought up were interesting;
• Bisexuality, homosexuality and heterosexuality. That parents have sex.
• Divorce
• Growing old
• Growing up
• Leaving home
• Love
• Bisexuality, homosexuality and heterosexuality. That parents have sex.
• Divorce
• Growing old
• Growing up
• Leaving home
• Love
December 17, 2009
I like this book because Alice is a teenage girl who is going through life and changes. Alice has to get use to calling her 7th grade health teacher "mom" because she hooked her dad and Miss. Summers up and they were getting married. On the day of the wedding, Alice was the flower girl and she had alot of responsibilities that she had to do on the day of the wedding. Alice went into the bathroom and was talking to this girl that goes to her school and said that her boyfriend brook up with and she wasn't to tell anyone.
March 29, 2010
Alice's dad and Sylvia finally get married, and the wedding happens not-quite-midway through the book, which is sort of nice. We see Alice try to navigate life with a new family member who doesn't quite feel like family, yet, and we also see her not at her best behavior with some classmate interactions. I was particularly surprised by her meanness to Penny, who I thought she'd decided to like in an earlier book. Still, all works out in the end (as the Alice books usually do), and the book ends with a happy Christmas and New Years' celebration.
November 7, 2013
The moment Alice has been waiting for has finally arrived: her father is getting married to Miss Summers and she will finally have a new mother. Alice discovers the stress of a wedding, as well as the joys, and deals with having a new people living with her for the first time in her entire life. Her friends have the usual drama, and the book introduces a few new characters. One thing I like is how characters introduced in previous books often reappear in later books, such as Lori. I thought this was a good read.
June 16, 2016
The big day has finally arrived. Alice's dad and her 7th grade teacher are getting married. But Alice has a case of the wedding jitters. She questions whether or not their marriage is the right decision, and she's hurt because they make big decisions, like redoing the house, without her. And now that her brother Lester has moved out, she no longer has an ally to back her up. Will they totally forget that she's part of the family, too?
A charming but slight tale in the Alice series. There's not much substance to this one, but it's perfectly enjoyable.
A charming but slight tale in the Alice series. There's not much substance to this one, but it's perfectly enjoyable.
September 30, 2009
Including Alice is a pretty good book for girls my age. it talks about a teen who's father is remarrying. since his wife died 10 years ago. this book focases on alot of things teen girls go through. overall it was an ok book. I rated this book as a three because it drags on a little bit for my likings. I am a fan of the series but i didn't read them in order. If you read them in order you may like it a bit more than i did.
Want to read
August 28, 2013Banned Books 2011
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
Banned Books 2006
Reasons: offensive language and sexually explicit
Banned Books 2003
Reasons: sexual content, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Banned Books 2002
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
Banned Books 2001
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
Banned Books 2006
Reasons: offensive language and sexually explicit
Banned Books 2003
Reasons: sexual content, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Banned Books 2002
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
Banned Books 2001
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
January 11, 2015
The emotions Alice felt in this book felt so real. For so long, Alice wanted Sylvia to be her stepmother, and now that she is, Alice finds out that it isn't the idealized fantasy she thought it would be. It's a reAlly big adjustment.
Also, I think Alice and her friends should have been more inclusive towards Amy. There were a times where I felt they were acting like bullies. I mean, they don't have to be best friends with her if they don't want to but they could at least be nicer.
Also, I think Alice and her friends should have been more inclusive towards Amy. There were a times where I felt they were acting like bullies. I mean, they don't have to be best friends with her if they don't want to but they could at least be nicer.
August 6, 2011
In this 16th Alice book, Alice deals with all the changes that occur in high school, including getting braces, becoming friends with an enemy, and a sibling moving out. But, more so than any of the other books in this series, the book focuses on Alice's family and home life. Her Dad and Sylvia finally get married and Alice has to adjust to a new stepmom and changes at home.
January 19, 2014
The first half of 10th grade holds a lot of changes for Alice. Lester has moved in to his own apartment, and Alice's dad finally marries Sylvia Summers. This is what Alice has been waiting for for three years, but Alice realizes that having Sylvia as a stepmother does not fix all of her problems. The books seem to be losing their edge. Only for die-hard Alice fans, grade 8 and up.
January 12, 2019
Not a lot happens in this book, but I liked how this book is so realistic about family dynamics. I've never had a stepmother, but I felt it was really honest how Sylvia and Alice came together. Overall, it's a solid addition to the Alice series even though it's pretty light on actual plot development.
July 19, 2010
book 16. in which ben & sylvia get married. alice starts to feel left out as ben & sylvia make plans for their new life together, especially now that lester has moved out. nothing super traumatic happens in this one, which is weird.
October 29, 2009
Okay, so there are times when I want to say, "Come on, PRN, what are you doing?" But I don't say it, because I'm too busy ducking whatever's hitting me over the head... Still, I think these are really valuable books, and I still love them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews