Alice on Board

Gr 8 Up—Naylor takes readers through another adventure in Alice's life in which she will encounter fun, disappointment, challenges, and emotional confusion-all part of growing up. It is the summer after high school graduation and Alice, Pamela, Gwen, and Elizabeth take jobs on a cruise ship as their last hurrah before they scatter for college. Through the girls and their male crewmates, Naylor shows what is required to serve on the ship. It is hard work and fraught with surprises: Alice is accused of theft, confronted by a passenger who exposes himself, copes with Pamela's mom when she shows up to ruin the cruise for Pamela's dad and stepmother, and faces the difficulties when the generator quits and the ship is without power for several days. Patrick is leaving for Spain and Alice is feeling terrible for not making time to call and say goodbye. It is Mitch, her new friend and fellow crewmate, who points out that Patrick could have called her, too. Certainly this title is more meaningful for those who have followed Alice through the years. As a stand-alone, it provides a breezy picture of life on a cruise ship with many entertaining but one-dimensional characters making their way through another period of growing up. Avid Alice fans will want this next-to-last installment.—Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY