Your Questions Answered

From Germany

Question:

I can’t believe how much the Alice series influenced my whole life. I am from Germany and I started reading the Alice books when I was seven, now I’m almost seventeen, next year I’m going to finish school… Now remembering me, reading the Alice books and thinking I would never come out of school, it is a really strange feeling. You can’t imagine how much I owe to you. It is like Alice grew up with me, helped me… when my first boyfriend broke up with me, I read the book where Patrick leaves Alice. Alice comforted me.
To me, the Alice books are my childhood. I could flee to them when I was sad, Alice always chaperoned me. With this mail, I just want to thank you so much. Just, unbelievable much. I think, it also due to you, that I am now that close with my best friend. We had a lot of problems in the past (her parents divorced, school grades, self harm…), but when we found out, that there are more books after Intensely Alice, we couldn’t stop ourselves from crying and laughing at the same time. Alice means past to us, remembering the good things and all the problems you had to survive. I am full of gratefulness.

Phyllis replied:

It was so good of you to write to me.  I’m going to forward your email to my editor.  It will make her happy too.

Alice Books in French

Question:

I’m a french student, and when I was 12, a friend offered me one of your translated book. In France, they are only 4 and I bought all of them. Recently, I really wanted to read about Alice’s life and I was glad to know that I’m still having fun reading them… So, first of all, I want to congratulate you. Your books are interesting, they touch on a lot of topics, they are mostly written for young people (especially the ones which are translated in French), but I can still enjoy reading them. When I was 12, I really felt related to Alice, whereas the fact that I’m French (so we don’t have the same culture or the same education system). Today, I’m just curious about what happened to her. And now that my English is better, I want to read them the way you wrote them, so I was wondering where I can get all of your books? Maybe there is an internet site? Or maybe I can find them in England?  Thank you for these books. Even if I only read 4 of them, they hit me.

Phyllis replied:

You can find them on the Internet by going to Amazon or the Barnes and Noble website.  I think you’ll find that you like them even better in their original language.

Alice Upside Down

Question:

IM WATCHING ALICE UPSIDE DOWN ON NETFLIX!!!!! IT’S SO GOOD!!! THEY SHOULD MAKE EPISODES!!!!! ANYYYYYYWHOOOOO!!!!!!! I HOPE U KEEP WRITING MORE BOOKS!!!!!

Phyllis replied:

Many people love that movie.  “Alice Upside Down” is loosely based on “The Agony of Alice.”  You’ll recognize many of the characters, though some have been changed completely from the way they were in the book.  If you approach the movie as its own thing, not just a copy of the book, you can enjoy it much more, and obviously you are able to do this.

Why Can’t We Talk About It?

Question:

I know u r getting a ton of messages about the new Alice book. Some great some mean. But I <3 this series a whole lot :3). I am a 13 year old girl who is moving to Orlando, Florida in August. My mom is pregnant… Again. I have a 2 year old sis. And a 15 year old brother. And everyone is giving me and my family a hard time about moving. We aren’t even allowed to talk about it in front of my aunt. She is way to close to my sibs. It is very weird. How can I tell my aunt to shut up & face the music??? But kind of nicely. :/ l8r

Phyllis replied:

There is obviously a lot of emotion connected to this move, and if anyone needs to discuss it with your aunt, it’s one of your parents.  Holding feelings in, however, is both hard and harmful for everyone.  The more everyone can understand the why of things, and talk about what’s going to happen when you get there, the easier the move will be.

Books are Amazing!

Dear Mrs.Naylor,

I just wanted to tell you that your books are AMAZING! Most of the realistic fiction books I used to read were unrealistic and the main character was all perfect. Alice feels like a genuine person from the mistakes she makes, the rude things she says, her embarrassing moments and her emotions. Shes like the friend I never had. Thank you so much for writing these books, I read them over and over again and every time its great. Sincerely, A very thankful reader P.S. I happened to have just checked out two of the Alice books from the library, Achingly Alice and Outrageously Alice.

Phyllis replied:

This is probably the comment I hear the most–that Alice is so real.  I appreciate this very much, and thank you for writing to me.

Change in Pub Date for Alice

Question:

I have had the final book pre-ordered on amazon for quite some time but recently noticed the release date has been pushed back to October?  Is this correct?  I’m 22 and I’ve been reading these since the 3rd grade.  I’ve grown up with Alice so I can’t help but feel a little disappointed for having to wait even longer.

Phyllis replied:

I share your frustration.  Yes, almost every Alice book to date has come out in the spring, but this time, because it’s twice as long and needed far more editing and checking and revising, the publisher decided to postpone the book to August 27th.  But recently, a glitch in the editing process and a change of cover design–meaning a new photo shoot–have unavoidably delayed publication.  It may reach your bookstore a little sooner, so it’s quite possible that those who have pre-ordered it will receive it earlier than October 15th.

Will There be a New Bind-Up?

Question:

Will you be combining the three most recent books like you have for the past several?

Phyllis replied:

Yes, and it is already on the market.  “You and Me and the Space In Between” is a large paperback containing the three books of Alice’s senior year:  “Alice in Charge,” “Incredibly Alice,” and “Alice on Board.”   Enjoy!

Alice and Anne

Question:

Before really hitting my teen years, I felt like Anne Shirley of Anne of  Green Gables was me.  She was the imaginative, romantic writer that I longed to be, and I would well up if she shared a romantic moment with her love Gilbert or have a touching moment with her friend Diana.

I still love the Anne series with all my heart, but I feel so glad that Alice is here to be the literary spokesperson of my teenage years.  She has a tight friendship with Liz and Pamela like I do with my friends and she is realizing herself.  When she has self-realizations or questions, I totally relate to her and my heart is right where she is (It’s fitting Alice wants to be a psychologist, because that’s what she can feel like).  I understand her flaws and I love her for her triumphs.

I would have to say my favorite character, other than Alice, is Lester.  I feel like Lester is beside me, talking to me when he has moments with Alice.  When those moments do occur, I well up in a similar fashion as I do with the Anne series.  I love Alice’s family and wish they existed.

Thank  you for writing such a good series and giving me friends to share my teenage years with.  When I’m not with my real friends, I love hanging out with Pamela, Liz, Lester, Patrick and Alice.  Although I don’t agree with everything Alice does, I love seeing her grow up.

Phyllis replied:

I must admit that Lester is probably my favorite character too, next to Alice.  I had the most fun writing the dialogue between the two, whenever they had one of their famous discussions.  I’m so glad that this series meant a lot to you.

Did I Pick the Right College?

Question:

I was wondering if you would mind giving me a little advice?  It seems so petty to say this, but I feel really bad that I didn’t end up going to a better university.  I ended up going to my safety school, and although I’m happy to be saving my parents money, I still feel bad.  My brother was accepted into almost every school he applied to and went somewhere very prestigious.  In my mind, I feel like I’m always compared to him and other students like him.  I know I should be grateful for everything I have, but every now and then this bothers me.  I don’t know what I should do to stop feeling this way.

Phyllis replied:

The first two years of my post high-school education were taken at a local junior college.  Later, I got my BA from a good, but not prestigious, university.  During those junior college years, and in the years between those and my last years of college, I credit most of what I learned from a book, still on the market, called “Good Reading,” given to me by a friend.  It lists the best-known books in a number of fields and tells a few sentences about them–The 20th Century Novel, Religion, Psychology, Biography, Drama, Politics, Anthropology, Biological Sciences, History, etc. etc.  With no particular plan, I looked up the fields that interested me most, read a bit about each recommended book, then went to the library and checked out the ones that appealed.  I read book after book on psychology, anthropology, sociology, Russian novels, French novels, history…  Most of them I read from cover to cover because I really liked them.  If I found a book dull or uninteresting, I took it back and checked out something else.  Finishing college is important because it shows prospective employers that you could be counted on to show up for class, complete assignments, write a paper, think a problem through…..  But what I learned on my own affected me more in my daily life.  You will find in your post-college life that no one will ask you for a critique of Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury.”  No one asks you to compare Freud’s theories to Adler’s.  But you will recognize references to literature; you’ll have an understanding of why people often do things in groups that they wouldn’t do on their own; you’ll be fascinated at how early cultures tried to explain the universe; you’ll be able to join in conversations on a wide number of subjects, and to ask intelligent questions in a debate.  No one will care whether you got this background of learning from an elite university, a state college, or a public library. Trust me.

Can You Tell Me Anything?

Question:

I have been waiting for the new book to come out by reading the other Alice books….. ALL of them. And its starting to the point where I can almost tell what Alice and her friends are going to say. Can you tell me ANYTHING about the book?? I already know its about Alice from 18-60. Please help me!!!

Phyllis replied:

Only four more months to wait!  August 27th is the pub date.  It’s possible, if bookstores get them early, they might reserve one for you.