Starting with Alice

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Book Overview

Naylor's Alice books have become favorites with readers all over the world. Now in the first of three prequels to the series, younger girls can meet the girl everyone wants as her best friend, while older fans will enjoy finding out how Alice came to be the Alice they know and love.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068984395X
• ISBN13: 9780689843952
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 7 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 2 and higher

Customer Reviews

Meet Alice-you're sure to love her

This book is a good introduction if you've never read an Alice book, and a cute look at Alice before we knew her if you're already a fan. The Alice prequels have an innocent charm similar to that of Beverly Cleary's "Ramona Quimby" books. In this novel, Alice has just moved to Maryland and is starting the third grade. The book begins with Alice listing her likes and dislikes, and we can see the start of the Alice we know and love in this little girl. The book covers a year of her life, showing her early embarrassments and triumphs, some of which are mentioned later on in other books, some brand new. Remember the poem for the milkman ..?.. This is a cute novel that I would recommend to any young girl, whether she's heard of Alice or not.

I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN!

I've always been interested in reading the "Alice" series, but I just never got around to it. But when I saw this book, that is before the first book but made after the first book, I decided to give it a chance. IT WAS TERRIFIC! I don't know how it affects later books, but it was great. Alice is 8 and in 3rd grade. Her mother died long ago and she lives with her father and older brother. They have just moved to Takoma Park, Maryland. Alice is having trouble making friends. But she soon sees that there are some great parts about her new life. This book was fantastic and I would recommend it and the rest of the series for people who like to read series. Even if you don't like to read series, if you read this book, you will want to keep reading and will soon see that "Starting With Alice" and the rest of the series is terrific.

Absolutely Great

Starting With Alice was one of the best books I've ever read. I liked the way I felt like I was Alice doing the things she did and feeling the way she felt. Starting With Alice is a book about an eight-year old girl named Alice McKinley. Alice's mother died when Alice was in kindergarten. Her ears pierced and to have long hair are things Alice realy wants, but most of all she wants a mother. In third grade Alice moves to Maryland, and can't make any frinds excapt Donald Sheavers a boy who lives next door. Once Alice makes a friend they have to worry about these three girls Alice nicknamed "The Terrible Triplets." Alice also does't want Donalds mother as her mom, who seems to have an eye on Alice's dad. I think that the middle of the book felt long and it dragged, because the same kinds of things kept happening. This made it kind of predictable. One of the messages it taght me was not to judge people by the way they look. I hope this books intrests you now. If it doesn't there are other books in the Alice series that are really good too.

What a Great "Start"

The Alice books began years ago, with a new book appearing every few years, like the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary. The Alice books are sweet without being sappy, real without being overdramatic. Alice is a quirky strawberry blond girl who is trying to figure out who she is and how this crazy thing called life works. However, Alice's original stories were for slightly older girls than the Judy Moody set, as they began when Alice was in junior high and continued into high school.Luckily for younger readers, Naylor has decided to write three prequels featuring Alice in grade school. Starting With Alice features the protagonist at age 8, tackling a new town and the third grade with enthusiasm. Along the way, she makes some new friends, gets a cat, attends a wedding, attends a funeral, confronts bullies and continues to learn about the world around her. I read this book cover to cover, with giggles and sighs in all the appropriate places. It was a delight to see Alice that young. I strongly recommend this and all of the Alice books to girls who like realistic books with a little bit of funny thrown in.