In this volume of Alice's life, (a short spell early in 8th grade), she is struggling to stand out and not be like everyone else. Her father is not particularly impressed with her attempts.
She also cope with being violated when an unknown boy pulls her into a dark closet and French kisses her.
And Pamela's parents decide to get a divorce, which makes the ever worldly Pamela become a bit more sympathetic in this volume.
There are some truly funny moments when Alice attends a lingerie bridal shower which is intended for adult women. ( )

This isn't my favorite in the series, but it is a fun, fast read. It's fall of Alice's 8th grade year and life certainly isn't getting any easier. One of her friends is dealing with her parent's divorce and Alice is reevaluating her feelings for Patrick. I could live without this one. ( )

Summary: Alice is at it again. And by "it", I mean growing up. In her prime of adolescence, she begins to believe that everything is a big deal. She is going through changes while at the same time wanting to change everything about herself. Little does she know that change happens around her all the time, and she is growing more and more into a lady with each page.

Personal Reaction: As an avid reader of books by Naylor, I always find myself shocked by the graphic detail of the Alice books. For the most part, they do a great job in following the growing up of the main character. However, I would not use them in any elementary school classroom due to the graphic nature of the book. While minor, I would not want to expose grade school children to sex, french kissing, and language.

Classroom Extension: If I were to use this in a middle school classroom, I would have students think back to when they first realized they were growing into a young man/woman. Rather than just writing a report I would ask for a timeline of certain turning points (first kiss, first date) and a small number of journal entries as if they were that age again.

Thirteen year-old Alice McKinley wants to be different and have an outrageous and exciting life. Alice explores new looks, joins different clubs, and experiences new things, and ultimately decides that her life is exciting and full without having to change herself completely.

Although this book has universal themes, like identity and independence that young adults experience and can relate to, this series of books is aimed at young adult females. Alice is a character that girls can relate to because she is curious about growing up, does not understand why boys act so silly, and wants to stand out and get attention, especially from boys. For example, Alice decides to dye her hair green and wear green eye shadow because green is "her color," but after all the negative attention, she realizes that she does not feel like herself. She sometimes struggles with trying to understand her friends and family and looks forward to when she grows up and understands life. Although Alice does not understand why people sometimes act the way they do, she is interested in this and hopes to one day be a psychiatrist. Alice is a well-developed character because she has both strengths and weaknesses, just as a real person does. I would recommend this book to sixth, seventh, or eighth grade girls because their experiences could be similar to what Alice goes through and this light-hearted book is a fun read.

After attending her first ever bridal shower, 13-year-old Alice McKinley realizes just how naïve, plain, and BORING her life is. Now that she’s in eighth grade, she feels like she’s ready for a new Alice—one who has an appearance that attracts attention.

It’s not just her appearance that she wants to change, though. Patrick, her on-and-off boyfriend of over a year, seems to be extremely childish to her at times. Meanwhile, the new boy at school, Justin, is attracted to the pure and naïve Elizabeth; Alice’s older brother Lester continues to have girl problems; and her dad STILL hasn’t asked Miss Summers to marry him! How will Alice get through eighth grade if she has to do it all by herself? ( )