Life, Alice McKinley feels, is just one big embarrassment. Here she is, about to be a teenager and she doesn't know how. It's worse for her than for anyone else, she believes, because she has no role model. Her mother has been dead for years. Help and advice can only come from her father, manager of a music store, and her nineteen-year-old brother, who is a slob. What do they know about being a teen age girl? What she needs, Alice decides, is a gorgeous woman who does everything right, as a roadmap, so to speak. If only she finds herself, when school begins, in the classroom of the beautiful sixth-grade teacher, Miss Cole, her troubles will be over. Unfortunately, she draws the homely, pear-shaped Mrs. Plotkin. One of Mrs. Plotkin's first assignments is for each member of the class to keep a journal of their thoughts and feelings. Alice calls hers "The Agony of Alice," and in it she records all the embarrassing things that happen to her. Through the school year, Alice has lots to record. She also comes to know the lovely Miss Cole, as well as Mrs. Plotkin. And she meets an aunt and a female cousin whom she has not really known before. Out of all this, to her amazement, comes a role model -- one that she would never have accepted before she made a few very important discoveries on her own, things no roadmap could have shown her. Alice moves on, ready to be a wise teenager.

Since Alice McKinney burst onto the scene in 1985, she has addressed the issues tween girls care about with humor and sensitivity. Now, the first two books in Naylor's beloved series are reissued with a fresh new look.

Alice McKinley comes home on the first day of junior high with a list of seven things about seventh grade that stink. Just about the only good thing she can think of is that she’s friends with everyone. Maybe that’s how to survive seventh grade—make it through the entire year with everyone liking her. That turns out to be easier said than done, when Alice gets on the wrong side of the school bully, Denise “Mack Truck” Whitlock. But Alice’s problems with Denise pale in comparison with the romantic entanglements of both her father and her older brother, Lester. And when Alice decides to help them out…life gets even more complicated.

This is where it all started! Eight-year-old Alice McKinley wants pierced ears, really long hair, a pet, and, most of all, a mother. Oh, and some friends would be nice. As the new girl in third grade, Alice doesn't know a single person in Takoma Park, Maryland, except for her next-door neighbor Donald Sheavers, who not only is a boy, but also seems to be a little bit peculiar! Desperate to meet people, Alice learns that making friends is harder than it seems when she runs into a group of girls whom she nicknames "the Terrible Triplets" after they make it very clear that they do not want to get to know Alice. On top of all this, Alice also has to keep an eye on Donald's recently divorced mom, who seems to have her eye on Alice's dad! This is the first of three prequels to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's beloved Alice series. Now younger girls can get to meet the girl everyone wants to be best friends with, and older girls will enjoy finding out how Alice came to be the Alice they know and love.

"The summer of the first boyfriend" is what Alice's father calls the summer before Alice starts junior high. And because Pamela's cousin from New Jersey says starting seventh grade without a boyfriend is the worst thing that can happen to a girl (even worse than not having pierced ears or a leather skirt), Alice is grateful she's got Patrick. The trouble is, Patrick the boyfriend is a lot more complicated than Patrick the friend. What's an appropriate present for Alice to give Patrick for his birthday? What should she do if Patrick wants to kiss her and she hasn't brushed her teeth? Alice really likes Patrick, but sometimes she thinks life would be a lot simpler if they were still just friends. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor does it again with Alice in Rapture, Sort Of, the sequel to The Agony of Alice, proving that she knows how real girls think, act, and feel. Book jacket.

While trying to survive seventh grade, Alice discovers that turning thirteen will make her the Woman of the House at home, so she starts a campaign to get more appreciated for taking care of her father and older brother.

Includes a reading group guide for the Alice series.

Seeking one last adventure before going off to college, Alice and her friends find summer employment on a Chesapeake Bay cruise ship.

Is it possible to be too good of a friend—too understanding, too always there, too much like a doormat? Alice has always been a best friend to Pamela and Liz. But she’s starting to wonder where that leaves her: What am I? An ear for listening? An arm around the shoulder? And then there’s Patrick—after ending their relationship two years ago, he’s suddenly calling again, and wants to take her to his senior prom. What does that mean? As Alice tries to figure out who she is in relation to her friends, she learns one thing: Aometimes friends need you more than they let on...especially when the unthinkable happens

Alice must choose between Patrick and Sam in this beloved series. How can someone be in love with two people at the same time? It doesn't make sense to Alice—until Sam, her friend from Camera Club, starts to pay attention to her. Sam is quiet, gentle, and a terrific dancer, and Alice likes being with him. But Alice has been Patrick’s girlfriend for almost two years—so why is she interested in another guy? As Alice stumbles her way through the minefield of early adolescence, there are plenty of bumps, giggles, and surprises along the way. Every girl should grow up with Alice, and with this irresistible new look, a whole new generation will want to.