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Alice #7
Alice the Brave
A month before eighth grade begins, Alice realizes she is going to have to face something she's been afraid of forever. Everybody, she knows, is afraid of something: elevators, dogs, planes, spiders . . . but her fear is worse. It's going to bring absolute disaster to the rest of her summer, maybe to the rest of her life. The truth is she's afraid of deep water! It's a hot August, and everyone in Alice's gang goes to Mark Stedmeister's swimming pool almost every day. Alice sits at the shallow end. She plays badminton. She makes excuses, and keeps her problem secret.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Pamela, Alice's two best friends, tackle problems of their own, and are more or less successful. Life is changing for everyone but Alice.
Bravery begins in little ways, with small steps. That's what Alice finally discovers. And after she faces this particular fear, she knows she can summon the courage to face other fears as well.
As in her previous adventures, Alice tackles some of the big problems of growing up with humor and enterprise and learns once again that a brother, a father, and friends can offer amazing amounts of help.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Pamela, Alice's two best friends, tackle problems of their own, and are more or less successful. Life is changing for everyone but Alice.
Bravery begins in little ways, with small steps. That's what Alice finally discovers. And after she faces this particular fear, she knows she can summon the courage to face other fears as well.
As in her previous adventures, Alice tackles some of the big problems of growing up with humor and enterprise and learns once again that a brother, a father, and friends can offer amazing amounts of help.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1995
20 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
206 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 88 reviews
September 6, 2020
These are so stinking cute and make me laugh and pull me out of whatever current bad funk I might be in at the drop of a hat.
July 28, 2014
Alice realizes she needs to deal with her fear of deep water when all of her friends live at the pool during the summer.
Book takes place: Summer between 7th and 8th grades, first day of 8th grade.
Alice's life lessons: You sometimes make your own luck.
Best Alice moment(s): Tales from the Arabian Nights; Pamela's armpits; Mark Stedmeister's pool; camping with Miss Summers
Book takes place: Summer between 7th and 8th grades, first day of 8th grade.
Alice's life lessons: You sometimes make your own luck.
Best Alice moment(s): Tales from the Arabian Nights; Pamela's armpits; Mark Stedmeister's pool; camping with Miss Summers
July 24, 2024
Alice mengatasi ketakutannya berenang di air yang lebih dalam dari tinggi badannya dengan bantuan Lester. Lester beneran kakak cowok idaman nih.
Elizabeth melakukan pengakuan dosa pada pastor karena telah membacakan bagian-bagian erotis dari buku Dongeng 1001 Malam tanpa sensor pada Alice dan Pamela. 🤣
Elizabeth nyambung lagi sama Tom karena dia sudah mau dicium dan itu beneran bukan alasan yang bagus untuk menjalin hubungan dengan lelaki.
Pamela putus dengan Mark karena ingin memperluas pergaulan di kelas 8 nanti. Dia memutuskan Mark setelah cowok itu memasukkan selada ke dalam celana bikininya setelah berenang. Duh, bocil-bocil ini -_-
Alice mengira Miss Sylvia Summers kencan dengan cowok selain ayahnya, tapi ternyata orang itu cuma rekan kerja di sekolah. Alice udah ketar-ketir mengira ayahnya ditolak Miss Summers. Hmmm....
Loretta akhirnya menikah (setelah hamil duluan -_-) dan Janice malah menjalani operasi pengangkatan rahim.
Pokoknya begitulah.
Elizabeth melakukan pengakuan dosa pada pastor karena telah membacakan bagian-bagian erotis dari buku Dongeng 1001 Malam tanpa sensor pada Alice dan Pamela. 🤣
Elizabeth nyambung lagi sama Tom karena dia sudah mau dicium dan itu beneran bukan alasan yang bagus untuk menjalin hubungan dengan lelaki.
Pamela putus dengan Mark karena ingin memperluas pergaulan di kelas 8 nanti. Dia memutuskan Mark setelah cowok itu memasukkan selada ke dalam celana bikininya setelah berenang. Duh, bocil-bocil ini -_-
Alice mengira Miss Sylvia Summers kencan dengan cowok selain ayahnya, tapi ternyata orang itu cuma rekan kerja di sekolah. Alice udah ketar-ketir mengira ayahnya ditolak Miss Summers. Hmmm....
Loretta akhirnya menikah (setelah hamil duluan -_-) dan Janice malah menjalani operasi pengangkatan rahim.
Pokoknya begitulah.
August 21, 2018
My favorite so far, I think. Maybe because I can empathize, because I've always been easily stymied by fears. I love that Lester gets to play hero. One thing I wonder about, though, is why Pamela isn't as close a friend as Elizabeth. She's always around when the others want to be more than just two, but she isn't the one that Al goes to with her confidences. She's not Naylor's favorite character, I think, but more of a foil....
September 16, 2023
Long live Alice!
November 2011 reread.
October 2019 reread.
June 2021 reread, audiobook.
I used to borrow this when it was literally a book on tape - a cassette - from my library as a kid. I don't know why this is the only Alice book that was produced on audio (it's in the middle of the series) but it has a great narrator and I wish more of the series had been released this way.
Alice is an old friend who still makes me chuckle and smile to myself as I re-read. Her worse case scenario imaginations about what could happen at the pool remind me so vividly of my own worries as a kid.
May 2022 reread, audiobook.
September 2023 reread.
Reading these as a kid, I didn’t think anything at all about Alice, wanting her dad to marry Miss Summers, and wanting her for a stepmother. Reading as an adult, I am realizing that Ben and Sylvia have been dating less than a year, less than six months even, when Alice starts to fixate on marriage. Not to mention her fixation on 20 year old Lester marrying one of his two girlfriends.
November 2011 reread.
October 2019 reread.
June 2021 reread, audiobook.
I used to borrow this when it was literally a book on tape - a cassette - from my library as a kid. I don't know why this is the only Alice book that was produced on audio (it's in the middle of the series) but it has a great narrator and I wish more of the series had been released this way.
Alice is an old friend who still makes me chuckle and smile to myself as I re-read. Her worse case scenario imaginations about what could happen at the pool remind me so vividly of my own worries as a kid.
May 2022 reread, audiobook.
September 2023 reread.
Reading these as a kid, I didn’t think anything at all about Alice, wanting her dad to marry Miss Summers, and wanting her for a stepmother. Reading as an adult, I am realizing that Ben and Sylvia have been dating less than a year, less than six months even, when Alice starts to fixate on marriage. Not to mention her fixation on 20 year old Lester marrying one of his two girlfriends.
February 18, 2023
I read some of this book when I was young and was shocked by the inappropriate content. Extremely inappropriate; I don’t know how this book (and the other books in this series) is allowed to be labeled as a children’s book. No child should read this book!
January 11, 2021
Another cute one in this series. I can see how these could be really fun and helpful to read as you grow up along with Alice :)
Read
January 20, 2026Oh Alice, I adore you.
January 4, 2017
This book was given by my mother's friend, and was the very first book that I read. I think I was in fifth grade at that time and had no interest in books. At first, I planned on reading it, but I was so intimidated since it was my first time. It was only a hundred and thirty pages, but for a younger me at that time, it was so scary. And English is not my first language, so that made the experience even scarier.
The first time I read it, I read it with my eyes, but could not understand some of its content. I remember laughing sometimes when I read some words that I think are funny. At the end, I did not fully understand what the book is all about, and then put it away. I think it was a year or years later that I picked it up again. It was a different me when that happened. I was older and was very confident I could understand fully what the book is implying. Fortunately, I really did understand it fully. I feel connected with the characters, especially to Alice.
Alice the Brave was all about conquering fears and growing up. The characters were well-developed and so was the plot. This is a very perfect read to those who have some fears that they want to defeat. This book will teach you that when clashing with fear, you yourself has to make the first move. Of course, don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help doesn't mean that you're weak. It means that you are being true to yourself, that you know that there are demons that we cannot eradicate without anyone's guidance.
Be brave!
The first time I read it, I read it with my eyes, but could not understand some of its content. I remember laughing sometimes when I read some words that I think are funny. At the end, I did not fully understand what the book is all about, and then put it away. I think it was a year or years later that I picked it up again. It was a different me when that happened. I was older and was very confident I could understand fully what the book is implying. Fortunately, I really did understand it fully. I feel connected with the characters, especially to Alice.
Alice the Brave was all about conquering fears and growing up. The characters were well-developed and so was the plot. This is a very perfect read to those who have some fears that they want to defeat. This book will teach you that when clashing with fear, you yourself has to make the first move. Of course, don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help doesn't mean that you're weak. It means that you are being true to yourself, that you know that there are demons that we cannot eradicate without anyone's guidance.
Be brave!
December 23, 2015
Another fun Alice book, but not one of the more memorable ones in the series. Alice is secretly afraid of deep water, and is forced to confront this fear when she and her friends all spend the last month of summer at Mark Stedmeister's pool.
For Alice and her friends, its a summer of guilty secrets. Alice is deeply embarrassed of her fear of water, Pamela is secretly planning on breaking up with Mark to date his best friend Brian, and -- most memorably of all -- Elizabeth steals her parent's copy of Arabian Nights. This last transgression leaves them with a lot more questions than answers about sexuality, especially with regards to "Yemeni wrigglings" and "Abyssinian sobbings".
After Alice overcomes her fear of water (in a single afternoon swimming lesson), she resolves not to let her fears control her life again. There's a nice passage here where she realizes that if she lets this one fear change her life, it'll be all the more easy to allow subsequent fears to change her in the future. Once you set the precedent of running away from your problems, Alice realizes, it's even harder to go back.
Observations:
- Patrick and Alice are back on, which is boring. I don't remember Patrick being such a dud the first time I read these.
For Alice and her friends, its a summer of guilty secrets. Alice is deeply embarrassed of her fear of water, Pamela is secretly planning on breaking up with Mark to date his best friend Brian, and -- most memorably of all -- Elizabeth steals her parent's copy of Arabian Nights. This last transgression leaves them with a lot more questions than answers about sexuality, especially with regards to "Yemeni wrigglings" and "Abyssinian sobbings".
After Alice overcomes her fear of water (in a single afternoon swimming lesson), she resolves not to let her fears control her life again. There's a nice passage here where she realizes that if she lets this one fear change her life, it'll be all the more easy to allow subsequent fears to change her in the future. Once you set the precedent of running away from your problems, Alice realizes, it's even harder to go back.
Observations:
- Patrick and Alice are back on, which is boring. I don't remember Patrick being such a dud the first time I read these.
July 7, 2007
The "Alice" series was probably what I checked out of the library most often when I was in elementary and junior high school. Out of all the books in the series, this is one that stands out most in my mind, besides the silly cartoonish covers that were printed on the Library bound 1980's editions of these books. Naylor was to finish the series when Alice turned 18, but unfortunately, I turned 18 before she did and I do not read them anymore...
March 7, 2020
This is such a light, fun read! This book was mainly about overcoming your fears! I love how Alice, Elizabeth, and Pamela all over come something in this book! It was also exciting to see Patrick and Alice back together! I can’t wait for the next one! These are great for middle schoolers or anyone who loves middle grade reading!
July 10, 2020
these books are like tic-tacs (in the best way - small and sweet)
December 23, 2025
On the cusp of eighth grade, Alice, often knocked for a loop but never down for long, faces her fears and a quickly changing future. She has a secret fear; despite most of her class hanging out at Mark's pool every day over the summer, she is terrified of deep water and refuses to swim. She tries to make sense of her friends' changes, as prudish Elizabeth goes from nervously reading some risqué passages of a borrowed copy of The Arabian Knights to flirting openly with boys, and Pamela tiring over her long-term boyfriend and deciding she wants to "play the field." And as usual, there's her family future. Despite a fun camping excursion with her friends, her father, and Miss Summers, it looks as though her father's relationship is, like Alice in the pool, treading water. Over it all, Alice feels adrift and continues to wonder how her life would be under the guiding influence of a mother.
What makes the book work, as always, is Naylor's refusal to tidy things up. Other than her success at being taught to swim by Lester, there are no quick fixes. One of her father's coworkers falls ill, another plans to get married. The relationship with Miss Summers remains up in the air. The adults in her life remain flawed but human; the kids remain messy, sometimes kind, sometimes cruel. The realism is the point. As with the earlier books, the humor keeps things buoyant without deflating the stakes. Alice’s internal narration, capturing all her foibles and embarrassment, is sharp, funny, and painfully recognizable. Naylor captures that horrible sinking feeling in adolescents' lives when everything is the most important and permanent event ever. After making a scene at the pool, she thinks, "There went my chances for the Eight Grade Semi-Formal, the Junior Snow Ball, and the Senior Prom. For love and marriage and happiness, and maybe even a career." Another excellent entry in a series that remains unmatched in its honesty about early adolescence.
What makes the book work, as always, is Naylor's refusal to tidy things up. Other than her success at being taught to swim by Lester, there are no quick fixes. One of her father's coworkers falls ill, another plans to get married. The relationship with Miss Summers remains up in the air. The adults in her life remain flawed but human; the kids remain messy, sometimes kind, sometimes cruel. The realism is the point. As with the earlier books, the humor keeps things buoyant without deflating the stakes. Alice’s internal narration, capturing all her foibles and embarrassment, is sharp, funny, and painfully recognizable. Naylor captures that horrible sinking feeling in adolescents' lives when everything is the most important and permanent event ever. After making a scene at the pool, she thinks, "There went my chances for the Eight Grade Semi-Formal, the Junior Snow Ball, and the Senior Prom. For love and marriage and happiness, and maybe even a career." Another excellent entry in a series that remains unmatched in its honesty about early adolescence.
July 5, 2025
i remember reading this series as a kid and stealing the books from my school‘s library. i liked the story it‘s a light and fun read the author truly writes in a way that is realistic to a 13 year old girl for the most part. also love Lester.
however the topic of sex is VERY heavy in this one to the point i find it rather inappropriate for kids. and while it may be a topic with kids and teenagers and they may be curious it is really as Alice‘s father said there‘s many things that are equally as important or even more important. i don‘t think it‘s right to hyperfocus on the topic and possibly be encouraging reading/watching pornography and having sexual relations at such a young age but that‘s just my view. it didn‘t seem normal the way Alice kept asking her F A T H E R about his sex life. are there no boundaries in america
another thing is i couldn‘t bring myself to give a damn about miss summer‘s and the father‘s relationship so it was rather annoying how Alice was so obsessed with them and kept trying to get involved. someone give that girl a smack because she was actually doing too much.
all in all fun read
however the topic of sex is VERY heavy in this one to the point i find it rather inappropriate for kids. and while it may be a topic with kids and teenagers and they may be curious it is really as Alice‘s father said there‘s many things that are equally as important or even more important. i don‘t think it‘s right to hyperfocus on the topic and possibly be encouraging reading/watching pornography and having sexual relations at such a young age but that‘s just my view. it didn‘t seem normal the way Alice kept asking her F A T H E R about his sex life. are there no boundaries in america
another thing is i couldn‘t bring myself to give a damn about miss summer‘s and the father‘s relationship so it was rather annoying how Alice was so obsessed with them and kept trying to get involved. someone give that girl a smack because she was actually doing too much.
all in all fun read
September 20, 2017
Full disclosure-
I only read this book because it was challenged in my MS library collection in the fall of 2017.
The reasons for the challenge: inappropriate content.
My verdict: this book is merely the inner voice of a middle school girl who is curious about her body, boys, and growing up. Oh, and she's afraid of the deep end. It's a mix of childish (I'll just never go near a body of water) and growing up (her friends have moved on from saying "mating" to "sex") and concerns over if she will ever know how to kiss.
There is no mother figure (she passed away) so Alice is left on her own to figure these things out. Dad and older brother are very open with her, her friends present a variety of backgrounds/points of view (one even goes to confession and the priest tells her it is normal to be curious). Only thing that could be considered "vulgarity" would be the brief snippets the girls read aloud from Tales from Arabian Nights at a sleepover and the mention of nipples from a picture in Playboy.
I only read this book because it was challenged in my MS library collection in the fall of 2017.
The reasons for the challenge: inappropriate content.
My verdict: this book is merely the inner voice of a middle school girl who is curious about her body, boys, and growing up. Oh, and she's afraid of the deep end. It's a mix of childish (I'll just never go near a body of water) and growing up (her friends have moved on from saying "mating" to "sex") and concerns over if she will ever know how to kiss.
There is no mother figure (she passed away) so Alice is left on her own to figure these things out. Dad and older brother are very open with her, her friends present a variety of backgrounds/points of view (one even goes to confession and the priest tells her it is normal to be curious). Only thing that could be considered "vulgarity" would be the brief snippets the girls read aloud from Tales from Arabian Nights at a sleepover and the mention of nipples from a picture in Playboy.
December 12, 2024
I used to LOVE the Alice series from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, but I couldn’t really remember the plot of the series - beyond her not having a mom, but having a dad and an older teenage brother. Once I started rereading this, I remembered picturing her dad and brother as the dad and oldest brother on Blossom. It wasn’t even on my radar until I was trying to remember if I wanted to reread Still Alice (quite good, but sad) and What Alice Forgot (very good and a lot less sad) and was reminded by Goodreads of a bunch of other Alice books that I forgot about.
Since it is roughly 100 pages, I figured I’d blow through one just to remember the characters.
In short…it’s juvenile fiction and it was my favorite series in middle school (forget Sweet Valley High; this series was definitely more my vibe). I’m so grateful that I had a school librarian that knew of my love of the series and would make sure she bought any new books for me as they came out.
Since it is roughly 100 pages, I figured I’d blow through one just to remember the characters.
In short…it’s juvenile fiction and it was my favorite series in middle school (forget Sweet Valley High; this series was definitely more my vibe). I’m so grateful that I had a school librarian that knew of my love of the series and would make sure she bought any new books for me as they came out.
July 15, 2017
I loved this one! Having and overcoming a fear is so relatable. Back when I first read this, I struggled a lot too with the embarrassment of not being confident in a swimming pool like other kids my age. Even now, I'm far from a good swimmer and I don't dare stay in the deep end. Maybe this book will contribute to my finally learning to swim properly. I loved seeing the serious, helpful, caring side of Lester in this book. Family can be annoying but amazing too.
September 18, 2017
I loved this one! It had me cracking up at some points, from Elizabeth reading from Arabian Nights and the embarrassment she felt afterwards, to Alice comparing Janice Sherman's loss of her uterus to Pamela losing her hair, to someone's need for deodorant. For some reason, this one was a little more funny, though all the Alice books are fun to read. I was proud of Alice in the end that she managed to face her fear and overcome it.
July 12, 2017
Another amazing Alice book! Honestly I can't even express how much I love these books, even after rereading them over and over. I love how the author is able to take a simple concept such as Alice's fear of deep water & weave an entire story around it! Highly recommend this story for everyone!!!
March 7, 2020
Alice's final month of summer is overwhelming. She has a fear of deep water, and can't enjoy pool days with her best friends Pamela and Elizabeth. She also learns that she can't control what goes on in other peoples lives.
June 1, 2021
Naylor has a knack for her realistic but entertaining plots covering common childhood/ya concerns. This entry in the series deals with fears, in this case Alice's poor swimming ability and resultant fear of deep water.
June 23, 2024
Foi o meu primeiro livro "grande" que eu li e que me despertou o interesse na leitura quando eu estava ainda na primária. Todas as meninas receberam um livro da coleção e após cada uma acabar de ler emprestamos os livros umas às outras.
Lido algures entre 2001 e 2005 😊
Lido algures entre 2001 e 2005 😊
July 6, 2018
Not one of Ms Naylor's best books. Three teen girls recount their summer before 8th grade. mostly sex, and learning to mature.
February 23, 2020
Though dated, as it was written about 25 years ago, there are some issues that teen girls could easily relate to today.
August 7, 2020
I love how close alice and her family are! Their dinner conversations are so open and fun to read! Overall, a wonderful delight to read, as always.
December 8, 2020
This was the first book I read in this series.
March 21, 2021
Good story about overcoming fears
October 31, 2021
Not my fav book of the series. This is about dealing with fears you have and I think this topic was not treated as seriously as it should've been.
March 13, 2022
miss summers how dare you!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews