During the summer before Alice and her friends Pamela and Elizabeth enter 7th grade, they cope with the difficulties of having boyfriends. Elizabeth is prudish and cautious, Pamela flirtatious and reckless, while Alice tries to walk a line in-between the two with Patrick.
Alice remains likable and sympathetic, while remaining a realistic character.

The Alice series is among the books frequently banned in school libraries. This is probably the first in the series that might upset those who try to keep their children from learning or reading anything about sexuality. Alice learns about French kissing, a friend loses her bikini top at the beach with boys watching, there are several little practical jokes of a sexual nature, and we learn second hand that her college age brother, Lester, has been "entertaining a girl in his father's bed" while Dad was out of town. So far in the series, and I have only read this far as of yet, the Alice books seem a wonderful way to teach preteen or early teen girls about the puberty-related issues they will face, without lecturing. The books are quick, easy reads, but don't talk down or preach to their audience. The reader learns through a funny, entertaining story with believable characters. I expect it would be worthwhile for boys to read the books too, but I doubt you would find many boys willing to read such obviously girl-targeted books. ( )

I loved this when I first read this way back when I was younger than Alice's 12 years of age and I love it now. This is a fantastic book dealing with a lot of the inevitable changes that come with growing up, mainly the changing relationship between girls and boys. I love that Alice stays true to herself and realizes that she is not ready for a boyfriend. Too many kids are growing up way too fast and her example is greatly needed. ( )

The summer between sixth and seventh grade, the start of junior high, is an eventful one for Alice McKinley and her two friends Pamela and Elizabeth. For the start, they all have boyfriends. Alice’s boyfriend, Patrick, is extremely smart and has traveled a lot, so he knows a lot of things.

Patrick may be knowledgeable, but Alice—who has lived with her father and older brother Lester since she was five, when her mother died—couldn’t be more clueless, or so she believes. She doesn’t know how to do her hair so it makes her look pretty, or buy nice-fitting clothes for herself, and she certainly doesn’t know how to act around Patrick. Especially the kissing thing. Alice doesn’t know how she feels about it. She likes Patrick, certainly, but is she ready for him as a boyfriend?

The wonderful Alice, first introduced to us in THE AGONY OF ALICE, returns to a summer of confusion and more growing up. Readers will cheer along as this extremely likable and flawed girl lightens up our lives once more and warms us with the remembrance of what the awkward years were like. ( )

i LOVED the alice books growing up! i definitely recommend them to all girls around 9-10 and up, and the good news is that she's still writing them! so the series starts out when alice is in elementary school and now she's in high school! ( )

This book is very funny. Alice is living with her dad and brother and is having a hard time. ( )