Reluctantly Alice

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Book Overview

Alice McKinley comes home on the first day of junior high with a list of seven things about seventh grade that stink. Just about the only good thing she can think of is that she's friends with everyone. Maybe that's how to survive seventh grade-make it through the entire year with everyone liking her. That turns out to be easier said than done, when Alice gets on the wrong side of the school bully, Denise "Mack Truck" Whitlock. But Alice's problems...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068931681X
• ISBN13: 9780689316814
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Just exactly explains A Junior High Life....

Alice McKinley is now a seventh-grader. Once she has stepped through the halls of junior high, surprises await for her. In Language Arts, she meets Denise Whitlock, who firsts start out by calling her "Widdle Alwice." Then there's SGSD-Seventh Grade Sing Day. Sort of like Scrub Day from Even Stevens. LOL. So she has to carry a tune, but truthfully she cannot. Like every one of us girls, Alice goes through bad things--bullying, picking on, being brutally sarcastic, etc. So this is a good book.

Reluctantly Alice

Alice comes home on the first day of junior high with a list of seven things about seventh grade that she dislikes. The one good thing is that she is friends with everybody. She wants to make it throgh the entire year with everybodyliking her. Her older brother, Lester, has trouble choosing between his two girlfriends. Her father is also caught in between two women, because Alice's mother died. Alice only has one enemy, Denise Whitlock. But by Christmas, even Alice was friends with the school bully. Life gets tough as she tries to help out her brother and father. I liked this book very much. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. There was a transition after each chapter that makes you want to keep on reading. These are the type of stories that I enjoy to read where the author focuses on the life of one character in the story but also includes others. It talks about a small family living together without a mother. How we all face good and bad parts of life. My favorite part of the book was when ALice becomes friends with Denise Whitlock. In Language Arts, they are to interview each other and write a biography. Since none of Denise's friends were in the class, Alice chise her. As they got into the interview, they knew more about each other. Denise began to like Alice and Alice began to like Denise. After all the bad things Denise did to Alice, I don't know why Alice would choose to like her. I would suggest for you to read this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Another great Alice Book!

In this book the bewildered teen as always has a new and strange plan for her life. In another Alice book she stand out more and not be 'the same boring old Alice'. Another book had her planning to stand up to her fear of deep water. Each book has hidden lessons and morals as well as jokes along the way! In this book she plans to have everybody like her and be the most likeable person she can be only to have a run in with a very UNlikeable person-the school bully. Of course Alice finds a way to get out of that with the help of her twenty year old brother, Lester. I have always enjoyed reading these books. They deal with her 'serious' problems of a teenager, (like what to say to a boy if she has to use the restroom during a date) that are laugh-out loud funny if YOU aren't the one having that problem. So if you like humor with a little bit of seriousness and maybe a few lessons these books are for you. This particular book is, in my opinion, one of the best of them.

EXTRAORDINARY BOOK!

This book is FABULOUS! It is about a girl named Alice Mkinley. Her mother died and she lives with her dad and 20-year old brother, Lester. Alice is entering the 7th grade. She has many problems and many knew things that happen to her throught the book. All of these are events that could happen to any girl. Alice wants to be "Alice the Likeable" when starting junior high, but she just so happen to find a person who doesn't like her: Denise "Mack Truck" Whitlock. Alice has many problems with Denise, but they have to do a report on each other and something happens! Alice also figures out that even friends can get in the way of being likeable. I recommend this book to any girl! This SUPER book is a MUST read!

wonderful,as always!

I just got done reading this book!I've read 7-8 books about Alice so far and i'm reading Outrageously Alice right now.I've also read the three shiloh books too.I can't get over the realalistic point of view of 7th grader Alice McKinley.Thanx for making awsome books Mrs.Naylor!