Glad that Alice is Average

Question:
 
I started reading the Alice books in Middle school, and I loved the awkward, realistic way she was written. It made her incredibly relatable, and when I had problems, or felt alone, reading about Alice, and how she felt a lot of what I felt, made me feel better, and less alone.

I just graduated from High school, and now Alice has as well, and I’ll be in college when I read the last Alice book. These books were a great source of joy for me, and I loved that Alice was smart, and spunky, and pretty, but not unrealistically so. Her character is extraordinary in its averageness, and I’m so glad you wrote her this way, because she feels like someone I actually know.

I don’t really have any questions, I just wanted you to know that these books made my life a little bit happier, and a little bit easier. Thank you so much for writing them, because they were incredibly fun to read.

Phyllis replied:

Thanks so much for writing to me.  Alice isn’t “every girl,” but I did want her to be average, and I’m so glad that she seems to be someone you actually know.