Mallory on the Move (Mallory)

Rating:
Summary: Mallory is MAGICAL!!
Review: Bravo to Mrs. Friedman - she has done it again! Mrs. Friedman knows children, how they think, and what motivates them. My daughters and I enjoyed reading this book together every night. Mallory's life inspired some great conversations and many laughs along the way. I can't wait to read the next installation and to discover what adventures Mrs. Friedman has in store for this fiesty young woman.

Rating:
Summary: Mallory is MAGICAL!!
Review: Bravo to Mrs. Friedman - she has done it again! Mrs. Friedman knows children, how they think, and what motivates them. My daughters and I enjoyed reading this book together every night. Mallory's life inspired some great conversations and many laughs along the way. I can't wait to read the next installation and to discover what adventures Mrs. Friedman has in store for this fiesty young woman.

Rating:
Summary: "Moving is a big deal!"
Review: Eight-year old Mallory McDonald is forced to move several hours away from her best friend. Mallory and Mary Ann are next-door-neighbors that do everything together. They love to paint their toenails blue, tell jokes about Mallory's older brother, and say everything three, three, three times! Mallory's family moves, despite her pitiful begging, to a new house where Mallory discovers her new neighbor is a boy! Yuck. Mallory promised Mary Ann that she would never become best friends with a boy.

Once the family is settled, Mary Ann comes to visit Mallory in the new house. Although Mallory is quite loyal to her old friend, she discovers it hasn't been that easy to make new friends, but Joey has certainly been a cheerful companion when she is feeling blue. Perhaps three isn't a crowd...

Mary Ann is quite deceptive with her many plots and schemes. Mallory is persuaded to do something that causes turmoil within the McDonald family. How far will she go to save this friendship?

Most children would enjoy the book, although I found the plot to be quite predictable. Mallory's school life is never mentioned, which is a huge issue for children moving to a new town. As an older reader, I wished the parents had played a more crucial role in Mallory's move. It seemed as though she had to deal with many of her feelings alone. Her father does share the moral of the story near the end of the book as Mallory and Mary Ann realize they will never be neighbors again. "True friends are still friends even when you move apart and meet new people." I recommend the book for grades 2-5.



Rating:
Summary: funny story of a determined girl
Review: Tamara Schmitz provides the engaging black and white cartoon drawings to Laura Friedman's story of Mallory McDonald, who does not want to move and change her life. Kids in grades 4-7 will find this a believable, funny story of a determined girl who decides to make the most of her new life under any circumstances in Mallory On The Move.