Your Questions Answered

Don’t Understand

Question:

Im a big fan of alice books – i read all of them lastsummer and recently read  alice on board twice. I can’t wait for always alice and i was rly sad to find it will be the last book.
I myself am a writer and language arts  is my favourite subject.
You are a great inspiration even tho i  normally enjoy magic books. I am even writing my own book and have a wordpress writing blog.
Id like to know one thing i couldn’t figure out:
I dont umderstand that game alice plays with her father
Like me
Rivers
Love me
Oceans
Plz explain

 

Phyllis replied:

It’s one of those nonsense family things that only mean a lot to the two people themselves.  It’s a little ritual to show how fond they are of each other.   When Alice asks her dad, “Like me?” she’s asking how much he likes her.  And his answer is “Rivers,” as in “rivers and rivers of liking her. ” And still not satisfied, she asks, “Love me?” to which he replies, “Ocean,” as in “oceans of love.”  It’s lame, it’s corny, but it means a lot to them because it started when Alice was very young.

From France

Question:

Hello! As you can guess, I am a great fan of your Alice books (i wouldn’t email you if I wasn’t)! I want to thank you for writing them, because I really enjoyed reading them (I didn’t read them all because I started with I like him he likes her but i’ll definately read the other ones at some point) I am always looking for some good books to read in english (i am french and i feel it’s a good way to improve my english) and I found exactly what I was looking for in your books. Even though I don’t have a lot in common with Alice I really felt close to her. She is so nice and thoughtful, it really made me think about how selfish I acted sometimes, complaining while doing the laundry or things like that. She is slightly older than me in the last books (I am entering the french equivalent of junior year) and I hope I’ll grow as altruistic as she is! I also have to say, your books really gave me an insight of how american life in the suburbs can je like, and of how an american high school is for an average teenager (and it felt à lot more realistic than some movies :p)
So really I would like to thank you for your books and I’m looking forward to reading the last volume! I was actually wondering if it was going to be longer than thé others, considering that it covers a big part of alice’s life?)
Bye! (as you can see, i don’t really know how to end an email in english :p so i’ll just say i hope you will continue writing great books and enjoying it!)

Phyllis replied:

Yes, the final book in the series will be longer than the others.  I’m not sure of the number of pages, because once it appears in print, it’s much different than the numbered pages in the manuscript.  All I can tell you is that the final manuscript was about twice as long as the usual one I submit.

I’ll Cry for Days

Question:

I know you get comments like this every day, but I want to say thank you with all my heart for writing these books.  I have managed to get my hands on all of them (about 5 times now! I have read every published Alice book, start to finish, during the summer ever since I was about 10 I think.) until this year though, I hadn’t cried in any of them. But reading Reluctantly Alice, I just sobbed. Probably didn’t help that I had my period at the time either, but that’s not the point. I FELT everything Alice felt, it was the strangest thing. I think it was nostalgia and the weird feeling when your favorite book character is younger than you in half the series (I’m turning 16 in a month.) I was trying to think “why this time?” and it’s not even that I’m watching Al grow up, or that I’m growing up, it’s that all of the funny things and tragedies that occur, in many ways, I am Alice and I don’t want to get too old to appreciate her. The books could not have been written better (although I did find a mistake in the Agony of Alice! Liz has pierced ears in that book and then she just….doesn’t in the others.) I know I’m going to cry for days (no exaggeration) when Always Alice comes out, but I know the book will be worth it. Thank you Mrs. Naylor for giving me the gift of my favorite books. I’ll always love them and I plan to own the whole series some day. The words of Alice McKinley are immortal, and even though the series with her may come to a close, my adventures with her never will.

Phyllis replied:

I’m afraid you will need a whole box of tissues for the last Alice book, coming out next year.  At least, that’s what my agent seems to think.  But hopefully there will be enough funny scenes and happy events and wonderful people to keep you happy for weeks.  Thanks for writing.

Will Alice Follow Me Into College?

Question:

I am a huge fan of the alice series! i have read every single book. I love how when I’m reading them i feel like i am growing up with alice and in every book i find something in her to relate to myself.

From New Zealand

My Sister

Question:
Its been a long time since I’ve written to you, and something happened that I thought I could share with you.
Last summer I started reading the alice books to my sister who is now 10 years old. She really enjoyed them (I read her the prequels) but she is a slow reader and i never expected her to continue it on her own. Last fall I moved into a friends house because of problems at home, but I stayed in touch with her. I was disappointed that I couldn’t continue to read the books with her and talk about the things that come up like puberty or sex.
A few weeks ago I was talking to her on the phone and she mentioned something from an Alice book, the one where Pamela meets the older man on the train. I asked her how many of the books she read and she told me that she read all the ones in her elementary school library. She went on to tell me her favorite parts of each book, like when mark put potato salad in Pam’s swimsuit bottoms or when Alice learned how to swim, and I felt such a great connection to her even though she and I had been apart. She is moving with the rest of my family to California, and I stopped by that day with all my Alice books to give to her. She has always kept to herself, and I was so glad she had found a friend just like I had when I was her age. She has gotten better at reading too and reads other books frequently. Thank you so much for all the girls hearts that you have touched, you are truly amazing!

 

Phyllis replied:

What a wonderful story!  I’m so touched that the Alice books have strengthened the connection between you two sisters.  I’m forwarding your email to my editor.  Thank you so much for writing.

 

Failing the driving test

Question:

I've been reading the Alice books since right before I began fifth grade, and I'm about to be a senior in high school. I've always loved them, and I've finished them all except for the latest one, which I'm currently reading. (I also really enjoyed Ice; it's one of my favorite books of all time.) I live in Maryland, so
I've always liked reading about places I know of, and I also just love reading about someone like myself!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I failed my license test. I was devastated, as I'd practiced repeatedly and perfected everything. I got anxious and failed on the parallel parking. Afterwards, I got home and was sitting around feeling bad about it all, and I remembered that in Alice on Her Way, she had the same experience I did. I decided I deserved to feel better, so I immediately got on Amazon and ordered It's Not Like I Planned It This Way, so I got three books for the price of one. It came the next day, even though I hadn't even ordered next-day shipping, so yay Amazon! Going through the books made me feel a lot better, and I'm scheduled to take the test again soon, so hopefully I'll get it the second time. It was nice to read about someone going through the same thing as me, so thank you for that. I can't wait to read the last Alice book, sad as it will be for me, but the great thing about your books is that they don't get old. They're easy to reread, which I plan on doing!
-A fan!
PS, I'm really sorry about your husband.

Phyllis replied:

I can sure empathize with you.  I remember how scary the driving test was for me, 
especially parallel parking.  I almost never parallel park anymore, but it's nice 
to know I can do it if I have to.  Thank you for your email, and best of luck when 
you take that test again.  I'm sure many other readers have taken it several times!

Do I NEED to read the previous books?

Why does it end at Always Alice?

Question:

I am a big, big fan of the Alice series….but why does it have to end at Always Alice?  Why cant it follow her through college. 

 

Phyllis replied:

It DOES follow her through college, and on into her thirties and forties and all the way up to sixty!!!

 

Alice and Anastasia

Question:

 just wanted to say first I am so sorry to have read of your
husband’s passing. Although I don’t know you, you have brought so much
joy and wisdom into my life through your books – and so much to the
lives of others – that I cannot help feeling so much sorrow and
sympathy for your loss.

My other comment is much, much less important, but I will say it
anyway so as not to waste your time with two separate messages. I
think I read years ago that you and your friend Lois Lowry did not
read each others ‘Alice’ and ‘Anastasia’ books because people had told
you they were so similar that you each didn’t want to feel influenced
by reading the other series. Is that true, or have I mis-remembered?
In a way, I hope it is true, because I like thinking that once you
have said goodbye to Alice you will have Anastasia to look forward to!
Is that silly? Probably – but I still like to think it! They are both
wonderful series – I remember when I first discovered Alice, she and
her family reminded me a lot of Anastasia and the other Krupniks, but
not as much anymore as Alice has continued to grow up, but Anastasia
never really aged. If it’s true you never read the books, then I’m
sure you will love it when you finally get to read them. I hope so,
anyway!

Phyllis replied:

Lois Lowry is my very good friend, and I think we had discussed this once when someone suggested it, but neither of us wanted to do it.  I’m not sure exactly why.  I guess that it seemed sort of gimmicky, not quite in character of either girl, and we’d both have to work on it.  But of course I’m familiar with Anastasia, and Lois knows Alice, but most of our chats back and forth have to do with our personal lives, not our characters.  I’m delighted that you love both series so much, and thank you for the kind words about my husband’s death.