Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Patiently Alice.

NAYLOR, Phyllis Reynolds. Patiently Alice. (Alice series.) Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 243p. c2003. 0-689-87073-6. $5.99. J*

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2003: Now that her freshman year of high school is over, Alice is looking forward to working at a summer camp for disadvantaged children along with her close friends Elizabeth, Pamela, and Gwen. Her father is about to marry Sylvia, whom Alice adores (her own mother died 10 years ago), and Alice happily anticipates that everything in her world will go as she has planned. Of course, life rarely does, and all sorts of changes are in the wind. Camp turns out to be a wonderful experience in many ways, but the girls in Alice's cabin never do form the "big happy family" Alice had hoped to create. They are realistically challenging--one persists in using the word "nigger." for example--and Alice must work hard at just keeping the peace. There are male counselors at camp. too, and Alice and her friends feel very daring when they go skinny-dipping with them. Anxious Elizabeth brings condoms to camp, just in case, but they are all surprised to learn how far one of their friends has gone with a boy. Meanwhile, Alice's father's wedding must be postponed, which is hard for both him and for Alice; her brother makes plans to move out; and Pamela's mother, who had run off with another man, tries to return home. Alice learns and grows from all these experiences, making big strides in empathy and understanding along the way, and, as always, serving as a role model for readers struggling with change and relationships in their own lives. This is the 15th book in the beloved Alice series, and those who have read the others will welcome it with open arms. It's easy enough to start the series here, though, for those new to Alice, her engaging friends and family, and her realistic struggles as she matures. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT