Alice Blog

Desperate search

Comment:

Dear Phyllis, I’m father of a 12yo girl who’s anxious to read a book from Alice’s series. We’re italian and we can’t find it anywhere. It’s cover of the italian version is this one : http://image.anobii.com/anobi/image_book.php?item_id=01bca477bcb05cd62c
We can manage to read the english version, but I’m not sure which one is it, can you please help?
I think is the one before “Alice is in love (maybe)”, it was released in 1998…
Might it be “The agony of Alice”?
Thanks in advance

 

Phyllis replied:

 

Yes, I went through my own collection, and find the one copy in Italian.  I would send that to you, but it’s the only one I have.  Get the English version, THE AGONY OF ALICE, and yes, it is the book that comes before ALICE IN RAPTURE, SORT OF, which the Italian version calls Alice is in Love (Maybe).  If you can read the originals in English, I think you will enjoy them more.  I’ve heard from readers that the translations usually aren’t as frank and funny as the English.

My favorite author

Comment:

I just wanted to let you know you’re my favorite author! I love the Alice books. I feel like Alice is a real person. I’m 25 and I prefer an Alice book over anything else. How did you get the inspiration for Elizabeth and Pamela? Did you know people like them. I also like the relationship Alice has with Lester. The Alice series is one I didn’t want to end. Please write back. 🙂

 

Phyllis replied:

Thank you so much for your email.  I think I get more fan mail from women in their twenties, who have been reading the Alice books for years, than any other group.  It’s wonderful to have such a dedicated audience.  I didn’t know any girls exactly like Elizabeth and Pamela–they are mostly from my imagination, with bits and pieces of girls I grew up with.  My favorite scenes to write were those episodes between Alice and Lester.  They made me laugh out loud.

 

Thank You…..

I’m 10 years old (on 7/18/17) and I’ve just finished Now I’ll Tell You Everything. The Alice series was the BEST book series I’ve ever read. These books taught me so many things about how to prepare for middle school( I’m going to 7th now), high school, and on, and on. Thank you SOOOO much. (;

Phyllis replied:

You’re just now going into 7th and you’ve already read the 28th book of the Alice series!   Wow!   I’m impressed.

Typos

Comment:
I don’t have a question, it is more of a comment. I have just recently finished “I Like Him, He Likes Her” and while I was reading I came across 2 typo errors. On page 38 about half way down the page it reads “‘Alice, ex-cuse me, but I though you said a coed sleep over!’ she gasped.” In the sentence, the word though should read as the word “thought”. Also on page 319 towards the top of the page it reads “We were just finishing the last of the pizza and were going to stack the scenery and take all the stuff to the storage room when we saw Ron walk in though a side door.” In that sentence, the word though should read as the word “through”.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and have currently purchased all the books that follow. It was a great read and I would definitely suggest to my friends, just thought I would offer my findings, if they are at all important.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful series!

 

Phyllis replied:

You’re a good editor.  Those typos escaped me, my editor, and the copy-editor!

Alice Fan

Comment:

I love your Alice books! I’ve been reading them since I was in the 5th grade. My friend introduced “Alice in April” to me after she finished reading it. I’m 20 now and am just starting to finish the last couple of books in the series. I just want to say thank you for opening my eyes to this wonderful series. This series is the reason why I have such an immense infatuation with teen love stories and this ideal love story with romantic comedies. I feel like I’ve grown with her and that she will continue to be an important part in my life. Did you have anything to do with the production with the 2008 movie “Alice Upside Down?” Do you happen to know the girl who modeled on the covers from “The Agony of Alice” to Simply Alice?” I grew up seeing her as the cover girl for Alice, so I based my imagination about what Alice looked like on her. She’s beautiful and fits the Alice image well. I just don’t happen to know her name. I’ve looked All over. Anyway,I thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do.

 

Phyllis replied:

I’m so glad you like the series!  I was able to make a few changes to the screenplay, but had nothing to do with the casting or directing.  And no, I don’t know the name of the girl who modeled for many of the Alice books.  Agencies don’t send names–only photos of girls, which are numbered.  We choose by number, not by name.

What order do I read them?

Comment:

Hi! I love your books and have just finished outrageously Alice and saw that there are Alice collections as well the books. Should I read the collections including; I like him, he likes her, in between somewhere of the books or do they come after? Thanks so much and I’m so glad you wrote these books!

Phyllis replied:

I like him, he likes her  is a boxed set of the three books  of Alice’s freshman year in high school, beginning with Alice Alone.  (fall semester, spring semester, and summer).   It’s not like I planned it this way are the three books of her sophomore year; Please don’t be true, junior year, and You and me and the space between, her senior year.   Now I’ll tell you everything takes her from age 18 to 60.  All of these books came out originally in hardback, then paperback.

 

Love The Series!

Comment:

I was wondering if you have any suggestions about where to find the first five books, I have only read the books Achingly Alice and am reading Reluctantly Alice. My local library only has a few of your Alice books, and they are my new book obsession. I love the Shiloh Series, and when I found your Alice series, I thought ” I HAVE to check these books out ” I would like to read the whole series, and over summer break is the perfect time.

 

Phyllis replied:

The entire series is available in paperback as a collection (3 boxed sets)–check out Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  If you just want to read, not own them, ask your public library to “special order” them for you from another library.  They can easily check to see who has them.  It may take awhile if too many people are on the reserved list, but you should get them eventually.

A book about Alice fans?

Question:

You should write a book involving the readers and fans of your books. We can help you with the idea and characters, and it doesn’t have to be like a 1000 page book, it could be short. (Ok, that sounds kind of unrealistic, but it’s worth a try.)

 

Phyllis replied:

Well, my fans include guys, grandmothers, teens, fourth-graders, young marrieds, and readers in Denmark, Japan, Germany, Britain, Indonesia, Italy, France, Turkey and Portugal, among other countries; girls living on ranches, apartments in New York, small towns in Kentucky, and every other place you could imagine.  I think it would have to be 500,000 pages at least!  But thanks for your interest.  Why don’t you write the book?

 

Dangerously Alice

Comment:

Is it true you get a cat in your Dangerously Alice book?

 

Phyllis replied:

I’m not sure I understand your question.  Are you asking if Alice gets a cat in this book?   I don’t remember that she had a cat except in the three prequel books, when she had a cat named Oatmeal.   In the later books, and perhaps the one you mentioned, she has to coexist with her stepmother’s cat.  Perhaps that’s what you were referring to.  Read the book, and you’ll find out.

Alice’s love life

comment:

 

Why’d you start Alice’s love life at such a young age? Yes she is quite mature for her age as a sixth grade. As for myself I enjoy reading your books about Alice through her middle school stage. As a middle schooler like me it helps me through the ups and downs of being a seventh grade girl. Go Alice you slay!

 

Phyllis replied:

 

If by “love life” you mean sitting on a porch swing eating chocolates with a boy, well….I know a lot of girls these days who have boyfriends a lot younger than that.  In kindergarten, I remember, I printed “Phyllis loves Tommy” on our front sidewalk with chalk, and a newspaper reporter picked it up as a “sign of spring.”   From the mail I get, I know there are girls who are sexually active with boys in middle school; I also hear from plenty of girls who did not date or get their first kiss until they were in college.  So there is no “normal.”  But I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Alice books.  Hope you can find all 28.