Patiently Alice

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Alice books author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor continues her series with the heroine spending time away as a summer camp counselor and learning much in the process.

When Alice heads off to camp for a counselor gig, she expects to "get the little girls in my cabin feeling like one big happy family." Sorry, Alice. Aside from campers terrified of the outdoors and older girls who won't shower with the younger ones, Alice has to contend with Latisha and Estelle's racially charged arguments. Fortunately, six guy counselors provide eye-candy (and skinny-dipping companionship) for the girl counselors, and Alice heads home with some juicy stories under her belt. But what a home to come back to! Her dad's wedding is postponed, her brother's moving out of the house, and Pamela's long-gone mom is trying to make nice-nice by barging into the house. Thank goodness some things turn out all right in the end.

A girl whom teen readers can identify with, Alice is one character who doesn't lose her charm! Naylor's heroine is as fabulous as ever, with problems familiar to girls and a personality that keeps on shining. Alice makes summer camp a whole lot sunnier! Shana Taylor

ANNOTATION

The summer after ninth grade, Alice and her friends spend three weeks working as assistant counselors at a camp for disadvantaged children and cope with all kinds of changes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Now that she's finished freshman year of high school and survived her first breakup, Alice is pretty sure that she's finally got a handle on life. Dad and Sylvia are going to live happily ever after, Pamela can always be counted on to do something outrageous, Lester will always be there when she needs him, and Alice is way over Patrick. But when she heads off to be a camp counselor for three weeks with Elizabeth, Pamela, and Gwen, Alice is shocked to come home and find that everything has changed -- and not necessarily for the better!

Patrick surprises Alice by turning to her for help, Pamela's mother (who ran away with the NordicTrack instructor) is contemplating coming home, Lester's been offered a deal he can't refuse, and what's worse, Dad and Sylvia's happy future seems to have encountered some unforeseen complications. Finally, Elizabeth, who once felt that kissing was too much, goes further with a boy than any of them have yet! As Alice tries to cope with her changing world, she learns that life is never totally what you expect it to be and that even people you've known your entire life can still sometimes surprise you. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor does it again, proving that she understands what real girls think and feel, with the newest book in the beloved Alice series.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A bounty of spring sequels furthers story lines and features favorite characters. Alice, the beloved star of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's popular series, survives unexpected challenges during the summer between 9th and 10th grade in Patiently Alice. As the heroine tackles a stint as a camp counselor, copes with changes at home and sees her friends form new relationships with boys, the author's wit and candor remain as evident as ever. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

VOYA - Kim Zach

This title, the fifteenth in the popular Alice series, continues the trials and tribulations of growing up as experienced by Alice and her cohorts Elizabeth, Pamela, and Gwen. It is the summer between freshman and sophomore years, and the girls have earned jobs as assistant counselors at a camp for disadvantaged kids. Expecting more fun than trouble, they learn just how difficult it is to keep their young charges happy and in line. The usual romantic complications ensue when they meet the male counselors, and the normally restrained Elizabeth develops an uncharacteristic intimate interest in one of the boys. When Alice returns home, her patience is tested further. The long-awaited wedding of her father and Sylvia is postponed because of the serious illness of Sylvia's sister. Alice's ex-boyfriend Patrick shows up, although Alice cannot quite figure out what their relationship should be. Adding to the confusion is Pamela's struggle with her parents when her mother, who earlier deserted the family, wants to see Pamela. As always, lurking in the background is Lester, Al's older brother, who provides a wry humor and perspective toward Alice's problems. Faithful readers of the Alice books will love this latest installment simply because it is about Alice. Naylor has a knack for zeroing in on the concerns of adolescent girls and writing about them in a way to which girls can relate. Even those who have never read an Alice book can pick this one up and immediately be drawn in by Alice's spunk and authenticity. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003,Simon & Schuster, 256p,

KLIATT - Paula Rohrlick

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2003: Now that her freshman year of high school is over, Alice is looking forward to working at a summer camp for disadvantaged children along with her close friends Elizabeth, Pamela, and Gwen. Her father is about to marry Sylvia, whom Alice adores (her own mother died 10 years ago), and Alice happily anticipates that everything in her world will go as she has planned. Of course, life rarely does, and all sorts of changes are in the wind. Camp turns out to be a wonderful experience in many ways, but the girls in Alice's cabin never do form the "big happy family" Alice had hoped to create. They are realistically challenging—one persists in using the word "nigger," for example—and Alice must work hard at just keeping the peace. There are male counselors at camp, too, and Alice and her friends feel very daring when they go skinny-dipping with them. Anxious Elizabeth brings condoms to camp, just in case, but they are all surprised to learn how far one of their friends has gone with a boy. Meanwhile, Alice's father's wedding must be postponed, which is hard for both him and for Alice; her brother makes plans to move out; and Pamela's mother, who had run off with another man, tries to return home. Alice learns and grows from all these experiences, making big strides in empathy and understanding along the way, and, as always, serving as a role model for readers struggling with change and relationships in their own lives. This is the 15th book in the beloved Alice series, and those who have read the others will welcome it with open arms. It's easy enough to start the series here, though, for those new to Alice, her engagingfriends and family, and her realistic struggles as she matures. (Alice series). KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2003, Simon & Schuster, Pulse, 243p., Ages 12 to 15.

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