On the Road to Find Out
Gr 7 Up—In this debut novel, readers met Alice as she goes for her very first run on New Year's Day. Two weeks prior, Alice, very much a perfectionist, was thrown into shock and depression when Yale rejected her early action application. For her entire life, Alice has focused solely on academics, assuming it would be enough to get her into the college of her choice. When not studying, she prefers to spend her time with her pet rat, Walter. Through her rejection and subsequent decision to begin running, she meets Miles and Joan at the running store, both of whom help her grow as a runner and as a person. Alice could potentially rub readers the wrong way, but teens who are feeling the pressure of college applications will relate to this character who finds that she is tougher than she thought she could be.—Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI