The Alice series is a young adult book series written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, consisting of 25 books and three prequels, and it has been frequently challenged, as documented in the American Library Association's lists of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990 to 2019. The main character is Alice McKinley, and the Alice series covers her development through adolescence and puberty to the final book, Now I'll Tell You Everything, where Alice turns 60 years old. Through intimate relationships, jobs, disastrous accidents, and accidental parental meetings, the journey from a child into a grown woman is narrated in the Alice series.[1] Important and notable characters are Alice's three best friends, Pamela, Gwen, Elizabeth; her first love, Patrick; her aunt, Sally; her brother, Lester; and her father. Dating, sex, friendship, familial matters, religion, and homosexuality are some of the controversial themes that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor uses to narrate the life story of Alice McKinley.[citation needed]

Background

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Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in 1933 in Anderson, Indiana.[2] Naylor has written over 125 adult and young-adult novels, 28 of them in the Alice novel series.[2] Naylor was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1984 by the Mystery Writers of America for Night Cry.[3] In 1992, Naylor won the Newbery Medal for Shiloh.[4]

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was raised by both her parents, Eugene and Lura Reynolds, who fostered a conservative and religious upbringing.[3] As a teenager, Naylor wrote for her Church paper and certain school celebrations.[3] Naylor later attended and graduated from Joliet Junior College in 1953.[3] During her first marriage, Naylor worked for the Board of Education's philosophy office in Rockville, Maryland, and for the Montgomery County Education Association.[3] After her divorce, Naylor achieved a B.A. in psychology from American University in 1963.[3] Naylor considered a Ph.D. in the psychology field, but redirected her career path since she was more interested in becoming a professional writer.[3]

The foundation for the Alice series, The Agony of Alice, was originally planned as a novel with no intentions for it to be developed into a series.[5] In an interview with Elizabeth Devereaux in 2002, Naylor said: "I just wanted to write about a motherless girl looking for a role model who finds it not in the most beautiful teacher at school, the one she had hoped to get, but in the homeliest".[5] Then, as she explains in the interview, Naylor started reflecting on her own personal moments, which became an inspiration for a series of books based on the original Alice character.[5]

The Alice series

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The Alice prequels

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Characters

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Reception

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Analysis

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The Alice novel series, which includes 28 books, has 2.5 million copies in circulation.[5] Naylor's ability to narrate Alice McKinley's life as she ages across 28 books is highlighted by Edie Ching, an instructor who specializes in children's literature at the University of Maryland, who remarks: "The fact that Phyllis could write a series in which her main character went from childhood to adulthood over time — and in each book was fully realized at that particular stage of her life — shows her depth and talent as a writer".[8]

In 2003, the Alice novel series, according to the Baltimore Sun, was the most controversial novel series because of the illicit sexual content.[9] The American Library Association's list from 2000 to 2009 states that the books in the Alice series were the second most frequently banned books in the decade, following the Harry Potter series.[1] The series covers many controversial topics that are included in young-adult literature like masturbation, menstruation, and the evolution both physically and mentally of the main character.[8] In The Grooming of Alice, Alice inspects her genitalia in a manner common to teaching the audience, most often a child, about sex.[10] In the fourth book in the series, All But Alice, Alice, Lester, and her father converse about a song called "My Necrophiliac Lover"; school libraries in a Minnesota district banned the book.[1] In Webb City, Missouri, multiple Alice books were removed from the shelves of school libraries in 2002 due to the use of homosexuality in the narrative.[1]

Awards

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The Alice series has received the following accolades:

Controversy

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The Alice series has been the center of much controversy:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e O’Brien, Rebecca Davis (October 16, 2013). "Growing Up with Alice". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Phyllis Reynolds Naylor". Britannica Kids. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 1933– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  4. ^ ""Newbery Medal". The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English, edited by Victor Watson, Cambridge University Press, 1st edition, 2001. Credo Reference". Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Lodge, Sally. "Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Bids Goodbye to Alice". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Dangerously Alice". Plugged In (publication). Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Sarah, Admin (August 16, 2016). "Almost Alice By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor". More Than a Review. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Hesse, Monica (October 13, 2013). "Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Oracle for Teenagehood, Says Goodbye to 'Alice'". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds (May 31, 2012). "Many Books Challenged, Banned for Sexual Content". The Baltimore Sun.
  10. ^ "Hager, Kelly. "Body". Keywords for Children's Literature, edited by Philip Nel, and Lissa Paul, New York University Press, 1st edition, 2011". Credo Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Outrageously Alice | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  12. ^ KRBROWNE (January 13, 2017). "2003 Amelia Bloomer List". Round Tables. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  13. ^ admin (March 26, 2013). "100 most frequently challenged books: 1990-1999". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  14. ^ admin (March 26, 2013). "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  15. ^ KPEKOLL (September 9, 2020). "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  16. ^ admin (March 26, 2013). "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
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