Including Alice    by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Order:  USA  Can Atheneum, 2004 (2004) Hardcover     Reviewed by Melissa Parcel Alice's dad is finally getting married! After Sylvia took years to make up her mind, the wedding is now just a few weeks away. Alice knows that life is going to improve with Sylvia in her home. But she doesn't count on the adjustments she'll have to make, such as how left out she'll feel in certain situations. And how strange it is to have someone new living in the house at the same time as her older brother Lester moves out. Along with all of the wedding excitement, Alice has to deal with other changes. Her closest friends are starting to date more, and Alice is unsure about her lingering feelings for Patrick - although she's angry with Penny for trying to steal him away in the first place. Can Alice be happy in a world that doesn't quite know how to include her? This is the eighteenth book in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series. It began with Alice in sixth grade, and now she's in ninth grade. There's a fair amount of forthright sex talk as Alice's friends begin to feel their hormones. The dialogue is quite realistic, and teens will identify with the characters and their dilemmas. Alice is an endearing heroine (although her whining and insecurity gets a little old after a while). But there are some very touching moments as she becomes more familiar with Sylvia, and the family figures out how they can all fit together. Although this is the first book I've read in the series, I could follow the storyline well and didn't feel that I was missing out on anything. Readers may want to start from the beginning to get the entire history of the relationships, but each book stands alone. If you're looking for stories with a heroine you can care about, whose problems and joys mirror your own, then jump into the Alice series, and don't miss Including Alice. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews