Alice Alone

The first day of ninth grade is looming, and Alice is anxious. "When I think of all the embarrassing things I'll probably do, all the humiliating stuff just waiting to happen..." she laments to her big brother Lester. Luckily, Alice has the undying love of her perfect boyfriend, Patrick--or does she? There's a perky new girl in town, and Patrick doesn't seem to mind her attentions at all. Plus, with all the activities of high school, such as reporting on the newspaper, homework, friends--not to mention Alice's weekend job, her concerns over her father's love life, and her friend Elizabeth's shocking revelation--Alice may not be spending as much time as she'd like with her beau.

In the thirteenth title of her popular Alice series (The Grooming of Alice, Alice on the Outside, and Alice in April, etc.), Phyllis Reynolds Naylor deals sensitively and humorously with the painful blow just about every teenager receives sooner or later: the first heartbreak. Multiple side stories thicken the plot, as when kindhearted but misguided Alice invites three female ex-cons to Thanksgiving dinner... and neglects to tell her dad and brother. Alice is, as always, funny, strong, and yet vulnerable; adolescent readers will definitely relate to her as her self-confidence rises and falls with every passing day. (Ages 12 to 15) --Emilie Coulter

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 135 books, including the Newbery Award–winning Shiloh. She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To hear from Phyllis and find out more about what’s in store for Alice, visit AliceMcKinley.com.