Oh Alice, the insecurities of being a new teen seem to not phase her in the same way it does her friends. The main reason is because of her innocent nature. I've read reviews that claimed she was unrealistic, but I can promise you that I teach high school juniors that display the same level of innocence (I know, surprising, right?)In the latest Alice adventure readers experience her ultimate fear - she is afraid of the deep end of the pool. Who knew that Alice could not swim? I think I missed that tidbit in the past novels, but at this point in her life, it is an issue. Why? Teen boys - they like to throw girls into the pool.What is a girl to do? Turn to her older brother. In this novel, I really enjoyed the interaction between Alice and Lester. While he seems like a cad in the other novels, in this one readers are treated to his tender side, the one that reminds us that he does love his sister. He "breaks" into Crystal's pool in order to teach Alice a thing or two about fear, and conquering them, and before we know it, readers will feel like they too have conquered something amazing, even if it is just the deep end with Alice.I love the honesty in the Alice books. While some may say they are not appropriate, I 100% disagree. Naylor takes care when discussing what it is like growing up, and Alice represents it in a wholesome way. When I feel down, I reach for an Alice book because I am sure of a couple of things: (1) I will laugh, (2) I will shake my head, and (3) I will finish the novel with a smile on my face.Long live Alice!
