stephann_4's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Although I have read many books in the Alice series, I specifically picked up this one because I had recently read some objections to graphic descriptions in the book. Since we have this in my library, I wanted to see for myself. Alice is in 5th grade in this book, and it is a year of changes for her. Changes, whether they are good or bad, are always uncomfortable. One of the changes that happens is that her good friend Rosalind is the first of the girls in her class to get her period. Of course the rest of the girls are curious about what exactly this is and why it happens. I felt that the explanations given were scientifically accurate (including terminology) as well as age appropriate for fifth grade girls wondering what was happening to their bodies and how babies are made. The book covers many other issues as well, including what happens when the other girls don't like your closest friend and the devastating loss of a pet. All in all an excellent addition to the Alice series.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
3.0
The final book of the prequel trilogy covers Alice's fifth grade year. It is definitely a "grab bag of incidents" book more than a plot book, although it pulls out a theme about grief toward the end when Alice's cat dies and she sinks into a deep funk. Eventually, she finds comfort in helping others, and being a "helper, not a hurter."
Random Observations
As with many books in this series, a highlight is Naylor's straightforward approach to age-appropriate sex education. Alice and her friends puzzle out the mechanics of sex in plain language. It feels very realistic and bridges a gap you don't usually see discussed in books for and about this age group, where children are either treated as too young/innocent to know or care anything about sex, or they are assumed to already know. Learning from an Alice book feels like a good alternative to learning "on the street," although I'm sure the sex education passages in this book have been the basis of many bans.
I'm pretty impressed with the continuity between this and [b:The Agony of Alice|66929|The Agony of Alice (Alice, #1)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924191l/66929._SY75_.jpg|550624] - the next book, which starts almost the moment this one ends, but was written 20 years earlier. The biggest different is stylistic (Agony has a non-linear storytelling style which Naylor abandoned after that book). Naylor even goes to the trouble of setting up backstory for offhand remarks, such as Alice owning guppies in a later book. I'm especially impressed with the plausible explanation for their move from Takoma Park to Silver Spring, only a couple of miles away, which was unexplained in Agony (Ben has the same job in both places, but once he has the money/job security, the family goes from renting to owning).
There are a few issues with continuity, notably Carol getting divorced in this book (even though she is stated to be married in Agony), and Aunt Sally being a presence in their lives. In Agony, Alice barely remembers who she is, suggesting that they fell out of touch since moving to Maryland. The prequels ignore that and make Aunt Sally as steady a presence in their lives then as she becomes later. I feel like this is an intentional decision, and it's a good one; it doesn't make character sense to me that someone as loyal and fretful as Sally would lose touch with the family she worries so much about.
Random Observations
As with many books in this series, a highlight is Naylor's straightforward approach to age-appropriate sex education. Alice and her friends puzzle out the mechanics of sex in plain language. It feels very realistic and bridges a gap you don't usually see discussed in books for and about this age group, where children are either treated as too young/innocent to know or care anything about sex, or they are assumed to already know. Learning from an Alice book feels like a good alternative to learning "on the street," although I'm sure the sex education passages in this book have been the basis of many bans.
I'm pretty impressed with the continuity between this and [b:The Agony of Alice|66929|The Agony of Alice (Alice, #1)|Phyllis Reynolds Naylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924191l/66929._SY75_.jpg|550624] - the next book, which starts almost the moment this one ends, but was written 20 years earlier. The biggest different is stylistic (Agony has a non-linear storytelling style which Naylor abandoned after that book). Naylor even goes to the trouble of setting up backstory for offhand remarks, such as Alice owning guppies in a later book. I'm especially impressed with the plausible explanation for their move from Takoma Park to Silver Spring, only a couple of miles away, which was unexplained in Agony (Ben has the same job in both places, but once he has the money/job security, the family goes from renting to owning).
There are a few issues with continuity, notably Carol getting divorced in this book (even though she is stated to be married in Agony), and Aunt Sally being a presence in their lives. In Agony, Alice barely remembers who she is, suggesting that they fell out of touch since moving to Maryland. The prequels ignore that and make Aunt Sally as steady a presence in their lives then as she becomes later. I feel like this is an intentional decision, and it's a good one; it doesn't make character sense to me that someone as loyal and fretful as Sally would lose touch with the family she worries so much about.
happilywilted's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mychemicalveill's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this book a 3.5 because on one hand Alice got on my nerves and was being an asshole at times, but on another hand she knew she was being an asshole. Alright, when Alice's cat died I felt for her, I really did. I thought about my own cat at home (as I'm away at college) and it made me sad thinking our cats are the exact same age and hers just died. It almost made me want to call my mom to check and make sure my cat, Scorpius, was okay. So I get that she had to have been hurting, but she was being a little bit of an ass to people who didn't ask for it. Anyways, she did redeem herself towards the end of the book when she generally started being a lot better to people. I don't have too much to say about this book really. I like the fact that the book ended on a good note and I'm looking foward to the next one.
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