Alice Blog

Should I Read the Younger Books?

Question:

Hi! I have just heard about your Alice books, and I would love to give them a try. The thing is, though, I’m going into grade 8, and I’m in the gifted program, so I read highschool level books most of the time, and usually quite easily. Sometimes I do read younger books just for the fun of it, and whenever I start a series I always start at the beginning, but do you think I’m a bit to old for the first Alice books? I probably will read them anyway, because of course they will take me to the older books, but do you think I will still enjoy the younger books?

Phyllis replied:

I think you will enjoy the books in whatever order you read them. The first Alice book was actually “The Agony of Alice.” After I had written that one and several that followed, we discovered how many younger girls were reading them, and I decided to write three prequels. Those who already knew Alice had a good time going back to see what she was like in 3rd grade (“Starting with Alice”), and especially to see what Lester was like as a teenager. Since there are 25 books out, and in them Alice goes from 8 to 17, I can’t tell you where to begin. Let your friends suggest a good title. Enjoy.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

A New Roommate?

Question:

Hi Phyllis! I just wanted to ask a question. In Intensley Alice, Patrick’s roomates at college were Abe, Kevin, and Spencer. In Alice in Charge, when he was on the phone with Alice trying to find the moon after it dissapeared, he told his roomate Jonah to water his plant. Did he get a new roomate? Or was it just a friend that was visiting?

Phyllis replied:

A new roommate, because he’s in a new dorm. In “Intensely Alice,” Patrick was in a dorm used to house summer students. But in “Alice in Charge,” he’s in another dorm with new roommates.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

Question:

hi i have been reading your books since i was 7 no affence but i thought you were a boy cos i couldnt say your name. i totally love your books. my quesion is where do u get your insperation is this your life story or do you just have a realy great imagenation and excused the spelling mistakes.

Phyllis replied:

I get ideas and inspiration from things that happen to me, all mixed up with imaginings. The front page of the newspaper itself is full of ideas for stories, but not necessarily for me. Probably most of what I write is simply from imagination.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

Did an Alice Book Report at Eleven

Question:

I would like to tell you how much I love the Alice series. I first read The Agony of Alice for a book report when I was eleven, and it quickly became one of my favorite books. I am twenty-two now and still buy the new Alice books every year. Since I have been reading them for eleven years, I feel like I have grown up with Alice in a sense. She has been a good literary friend! I have re-read all of the books many times and I’m sure I will continue to for a long time. One day down the line I hope to be able to share the Alice books with my daughter.Thank you for writing such a lovely series.

Phyllis replied:

It’s wonderful to hear from someone who started with Alice when you both were about the same age, and have followed her ever since. I hope I’ll hear from you again when you read them to your little girl.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

Cover Girl’s Name?

Question:

I was wondering if you thought the girl on the cover of “Lovingly Alice”, “Alice Alone”, “Simply Alice”, and a few other Alice books looked like what you imagined Alice to look like. I’ve always marveled at how similar that girl is to what I have always thought Alice looked like. Do you know her name?

Phyllis replied:

Yes, she does look a lot as I’ve imagined Alice would look. I don’t know the model’s name. When my publisher sends me photos of possible characters for my books, I am never given the names.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

Embarrassing things

Question:

How often do you update your website? In Alice in Charge Alice seems to stop doing embasssing things besides the college trip thing, do you plan to keep doing embarassing things or does ALice out grow it? Even though in real life that can’t happen.

Phyllis replied:

I’ve been up to my ears in work lately, working on the next Alice book, “Incredibly Alice,” and have not had a chance to get to this website for a while. Sorry about that. I try to keep Alice true to her age, and she naturally will not be doing the same embarrassing things she did in the younger books. I think most readers want to see her evolve and mature, so there will be other things about her you may want to see, not just her goofs.

Posted on: July 20, 2010

Book Titles?

Question:

I recently finished Alice in Charge. It was a great book. You mentioned there are going to be twenty-eight books in the series, and Alice in Charge is the twenty-fifth. The twenty-eighth book is Always Alice. Do the other books have titles?

Phyllis replied:

The 26th book will be called “Incredibly Alice.” I don’t know the name of the 27th yet. The 28th and last will be “Always Alice.”

Posted on: July 20, 2010

What Inspired You?

Question:

What really inspired you to start writing the alice books? I’ve just been really curious about that.>.<

Phyllis replied:

I thought about how much I loved my mother when I was growing up, but I didn’t exactly want to be like her. Like most of us, I think we look at other women and think, “I’d like to laugh like her,” or “I’d like to walk like her,” and that’s what was going on with Alice.

Posted on: July 19, 2010

Questions:

Question:

is there going to be any books coming out between incredibly alice and always alice?
anyway iam a huge fan.
which book will have alice in 60 years in it?
and when is incredibly alice coming out/
how is alice ging to marry?

Phyllis replied:

There will be one book between “Incredibly Alice” and the very last book, “Always Alice,” but I haven’t written or titled it yet. “Incredibly Alice” will be out next June. The very last book, “Always Alice,” will take Alice from ages 18 to 60.

Posted on: July 19, 2010

A Better Person Because of Alice

Question:

I love Alice!!!I’m going into the 7th grade next year and i just started reading Alice books in the 6th grade after my friend said likes them.I can’t stop reading them I read them in like a day.I’m planing to reread them!And read your new book Alice in charge when our library gets it….please oh,please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T STOP WRITING THEM!I couldn’t live with without them.I just started getting hormones and i’m always crying,one day i told my mom “I need to go to the library and reread the Alice Books it’s the only thing that will make me stop crying.”please dont stop making them when she turns 18.I dont care if shes 15,18,33,60,or 150 i want to grow up with alice i want to read them when shes 50 and im 50.DONT STOP NO PLEASE DONT STOP when i’m really old like 65 or something instead of watching “Young and the Restless” I’ll be reading the 65 year old Alice.I’ve gotten like 3 different friends stuck on Alice.SO YOU CANT STOP WRITING THEM PLEASE DONT STOP!!!!!Thank you so much because im a better person because of her.Thanks for your time!!!!!!

Phyllis replied:

You do sound a bit desperate! You will be able to live without them, and you’ll do just fine, I’m sure. If I had two heads and four hands I might write them forever, but there are many other kinds of books I’d like to do. After you read the last book in 2013, when Alice goes from 18 to 60, you’ll simply read them all over again, and that will see you through.

Posted on: July 10, 2010