Dangerously Alice

August 1, 2007
Gr 7-10-The latest installment in Naylor's popular series finds Alice, now a junior in high school, disgruntled with her reputation as "Miss Goody Two-Shoes." Determined to shake things up, she fights with her stepmother over use of the family car; dates a senior, Tony, who would like to make her his next conquest; and takes off on a motorcycle during lunch period. Narrowly missing real tragedy and giving her parents a terrible sleepless night when she goes to a beer party without phoning home, Alice predictably concludes that being responsible and decent doesn't make her "dry as dust" after all. Her flirtation with rebellion is prosaic and heavy-handed, laced with dialogue that tells rather than shows. The refreshingly candid relationship she shares with her brother, Lester, and the unrequited obsession she harbors for the editor of the school newspaper ring far truer, as do her visits with a friend who has leukemia. Episodic in presentation, "Dangerously Alice" will be snatched up by those who are familiar with the events and relationships of the previous books, but it relies more on titillation than solid character development or plot to keep readers involved. Alice and one-dimensional Tony engage in explicitly detailed sexual foreplay. When Tony pulls out a condom, Alice asks herself: "Condoms at the ready]? Was I just one of his 'babes' in a long succession of girls?" A sledgehammer would've been as subtle."Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2007
Mistakes and quarrels, big and small, drive the plot in the twenty-second novel in the popular Alice series about coming-of-age now. In high school, Alice, 16, is preparing for the PSATs, but what really worries her is that some members of the mean, popular crowd have labeled her Miss Goody Two-Shoes. Are they right? That may be why she risks going home with hot Tony, who, condom ready, tries to go all the way. Is he just adding her to his long list? And anxious to escape that dull, good-girl image, she is sorry to find herself acting mean toward slow, needy student Amy. At home what makes Alice feel really bad is her shameful invasion of privacy when she inadvertently eavesdrops on Dad and her stepmom having sex. The dialogue is right-on, and whether it is the risk of irresponsible teen driving or the farce of her older brothers mix-up with his girlfriend, teens will love the funny, honest, nonmessagey drama on the edge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)