Alice in the Know
Grade 7-10-This installment in the series takes place during the summer between Alice's sophomore and junior years. Her older brother's beautiful black girlfriend ends their relationship because her family objects to her marrying outside of her race, and an acquaintance is diagnosed with leukemia, which is what Alice's mother died from several years earlier. Neither subplot weighs down the story, which places its emphasis on more ordinary events in the life of this likable teen. Embarrassing or funny moments balance the serious ones. Perhaps the most striking feature of this story is the amount of advice that is offered on how to handle a number of tricky situations in which teens might find themselves. When Alice and her friends spend a weekend at the beach, four drunk boys stalk them on their way back to the hotel and Alice does some quick thinking to get them to safety. Throughout the story, Alice yearns to have more family nearby, or to attend a family reunion. Her wish is granted in the end, but not in the manner that she had imagined. Fans of the series will enjoy the teen's latest trials, but readers new to it are unlikely to be hooked. The episodic nature of the story, in which Alice deals with many inconsequential incidents, does not result in a compelling stand-alone read.–Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, IDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.