Naylor’s Alice Series – Whatta Makeover!

During the last ten minutes of my shift, I always like to walk through the Children’s area to make sure all is right with the world (and that no icky book has somehow ended up on display).

Tonight I had a horrible realization.  We don’t have Alice in Rapture, Sort Of !!!

If I could fire myself, I would.  In my defense I’ve only been at this job for five months.  But still.  STILL.

Part of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s epic Alice series, Alice in Rapture, Sort Of is one of my top ten favourite books of all time.  Actually, probably top five.  I LOVED it is a kid and I still LOVE it.  I love it with a passion that makes me weepy.  No other book so perfectly captures middle grade romance.  My stomach gurgles just thinking of it.  From the Lift Up Spandex Ahhh-Bra to Alice’s cute new bikini to the country club date with Patrick.  There’s nothing better! I still haven’t finished the series because I can’t bear for it to be over.  And I can’t stand the thought that Alice might not end up with Patrick!  (don’t put spoilers in the comment field or I’ll cut you)

Well, I busted on over to Amazon to get the ISBN to order it from ULS and saw that most of the Alice books have had a makeover.  A seriously dern CUTE makeover.  Now, the series has had several incarnations but I think this is the best yet.  Here’s Alice how I knew her in the 1990s:

And here she is now:

Here’s another version.  I’m not crazy about photos of kids on covers but these kids are pretty legit:

And another.  Quite vague and stock photo-y:

But I do have to say that I think this newest look is the best.  Here are some of the other titles all spiffed up:

I think there is something delightfully vintage about these covers and I like that Alice actually looks her age.  But does this look too vintage?  Are my 1950s/early 1960s tastes atypical?  I think real live 9-11 year olds might be into this – it’s sort of reminscent of  Charice Mericle Harper’s Just Grace books but less cartoony.

I do think that the images could have incorporated a bit more humour.  Alice is a klutz and is quite funny, and she looks quite sweet and a wee bit saccharine here.  But overall, I think I’m sold.

I’m rarely happy with cover makeovers as I form pretty intense attachments to the originals.  But I can’t wait to re-read the new beuts on Capri Island this summer when they are released in early May.