Alice the Brave

A month before eighth grade begins, Alice realizes she is going to have to face something she's been afraid of forever. Everybody, she knows, is afraid of something: elevators, dogs, planes, spiders . . . but her fear is worse. It's going to bring absolute disaster to the rest of her summer, maybe to the rest of her life. The truth is she's afraid of deep water!

It's a hot August, and everyone in Alice's gang goes to Mark Stedmeister's swimming pool almost every day. Alice sits at the shallow end. She plays badminton. She makes excuses, and keeps her problem secret.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Pamela, Alice's two best friends, tackle problems of their own, and are more or less successful. Life is changing for everyone but Alice.

Bravery begins in little ways, with small steps. That's what Alice finally discovers. And after she faces this particular fear, she knows she can summon the courage to face other fears as well.

As in her previous adventures, Alice tackles some of the big problems of growing up with humor and enterprise and learns once again that a brother, a father, and friends can offer amazing amounts of help.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor says that Alice McKinley is one of her favorite characters. Whenever it is time to write another Alice book, it is always a joy. She has a notebook full of ideas for the next book and the next and the next, but with each new story things happen and people appear that she did not know were going to be in the book, and that is the fun part.

Mrs. Naylor has written over eighty books for both children and adults, and lives with her husband, Rex, in Bethesda Maryland. They have two grown sons, Jeff and Michael.

Other books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor include The Agony of Alice; Alice in Rapture, Sort of; Reluctantly Alice; All but Alice; Alice in April; Alice In-Between; NIght Cry; A String of Chances; Send No Blessings, and Shiloh, which was awarded the 1992 Newbery Medal.