Alice is ready for eighth grade, but she isn't ready for this summer. All her friends are spending their days swimming in the neighborhood pool-all of them except Alice. Somehow neither curiosity about her widowed father's new girlfriend nor the thrill of reading a forbidden book can distract her from her greatest fear: the deep end of the pool. Brimming with high spirits and courage, Alice the Brave tackles some of the biggest problems of growing up: conformity, popularity, and independence. Along the way, it offers good-hearted lessons about how much friends and family can help when solutions seem far away. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, award-winning author of over 80 books for children, has earned a reputation for portraying young teens with honesty, compassion and humor. Alice is one her favorite characters. This lanky thirteen-year-old will win your heart, too.

Alice is ready for eighth grade, but she isn't ready for this summer. All her friends are spending their days swimming in the neighborhood pool-all of them except Alice. Somehow neither curiosity about her widowed father's new girlfriend nor the thrill of reading a forbidden book can distract her from her greatest fear: the deep end of the pool. Brimming with high spirits and courage, Alice the Brave tackles some of the biggest problems of growing up: conformity, popularity, and independence. Along the way, it offers good-hearted lessons about how much friends and family can help when solutions seem far away. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, award-winning author of over 80 books for children, has earned a reputation for portraying young teens with honesty, compassion and humor. Alice is one her favorite characters. This lanky thirteen-year-old will win your heart, too.