When Alice begins 8th grade in the book Alice in Lace, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, she is surprised to find herself already planning a wedding. Fortunately for her, the wedding plans are an assignment for her health class during their unit on Critical Choices. Her friends and classmates get assigned to various other activities that help them see what life is like as an adult, such as dealing with a teen pregnancy, buying a car, and arranging a burial for a family member. Throughout the novel Alice also deals with a number of other life issues, such as her father dating one of the teachers in her school, her brother’s girlfriend troubles, and even one of her teachers being accused of sexual harassment.
Teenage girls will be able to relate to Alice, as she is portrayed as an average 8th grade female, dealing with typical middle school situations such as having a boyfriend and kissing, working on a school project, having a small weekend job, and hanging out with friends. We also see more liberal and conservative social views and attitudes in her friends Pamela and Elizabeth, respectively. All the girls have flaws, but in the end they are good friends and supportive of each other.
Many titles from the Alice series have been banned or challenged, and in Alice in Lace a few controversial topics are mentioned, such as teen pregnancy, abortion, teacher/student sexual harassment, and sex. However, it’s done in a way that is natural and even tame for teens. None of these things are actually happening to the thirteen year olds, they are just learning about life. Middle school students will inevitably have questions about these sorts of topics, and the message of the book is that it’s important to address them before it’s too late and they’re already experiencing them unprepared. And Alice does learn an important lesson – she realizes the importance of planning major life events and thinking through decisions, and the book certainly belongs in both school and public libraries. For the most part the issues are dealt with very subtly – although sex is brought up once or twice, Alice’s major concern is how to initiate a kiss with her boyfriend. However, Alice’s 21-year-old brother, Lester, does hint at what goes on in some of his own relationships, and there is a somewhat uncomfortable situation when he tells her about a dream he had in which she was naked.
Naylor manages to tie in these important topics and subtly teach a lesson while keeping the story entertaining and engaging. The ways that Alice and her friends do research for their projects are at times both hilarious and touching. For example, her friend Pamela goes to a clothing store with a pillow under her shirt to do research for her project on teen pregnancy. Although the girls spend plenty of time giggling while shopping, we also see a more serious side of things when the saleslady’s attitude changes once she learns that Pamela is an unmarried teenager. Throughout the book the reader will find him or herself in the midst of the teenage laughter and activities, but will also get a glimpse of prejudice, hard times, and tough moral issues.
Though for the most part the book seems very natural and realistic, there are a few events that are hard to believe, affecting the realism and impact of the story. For one, when the students are out in public dealing with adult issues such as buying a car or furniture for a new apartment, all of the adults they interact with constantly believe that these 8th graders are really 18 or older. It’s tough to believe that a car salesman would really offer to let 3 girls who are thirteen test drive a car without asking for a license or anything. There is also a plot point at the end of the book involving Lester’s ex-girlfriend that feels somewhat out of place and random. Though it teaches Alice yet another lesson about life in the real world, it seems unnecessary to the plot overall.
The Alice series covers most of the years of Alice’s life, and Alice in Lace is the perfect book for those growing up and beginning to discover what it means to be an adult. The book seems most appropriate for grades 5-8. Naylor does an excellent job capturing the middle school experience in a way that seems mostly true to life and will be something that teenage girls will not only relate to, but also really enjoy reading.