(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Fifth grader Mallory's new neighbors offer her and a friend a babysitting job for their five-year-old twins. While thrilled with the responsibility and opportunity, Mallory discovers how difficult it is to manage the adorable boys while also balancing school work and other interests. The upbeat, fluffy twenty-seventh Mallory story is complemented by black-and-white spot drawings, text-message screenshots, and appended babysitting tips.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Mallory decides to make Thanksgiving extra special by running a food drive for needy families at her school. The project, while well-intentioned, causes unexpected conflict within Mallory's friend group and the whole school. Creative problem-solving and teamwork prevail, and the students' hard work leads to a successful project. An as-usual amiable installment, twenty-eighth in the series; includes black-and-white spot art and tips for community service.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. It's the summer before fifth grade, and Mallory's family is taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon. But Mallory is less than thrilled about her know-it-all cousin, Kate, tagging along, plus Mallory's big brother Max seems to be hiding something. The illustrated-travel-journal format includes facts about local landmarks and offers a nice change of pace for this amiable long-running series.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Mallory experiences a rocky start to fifth grade as her best friend distances herself and excludes Mallory from plans. But through trial and error, Mallory establishes a strong group of friends, both new and old. Friedman's focus on the changing nature of friendships adds depth to this longtime series. Black-and-white spot illustrations expand the story, along with text exchanges and diary entries.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. It's the end of fourth grade, and that's just one of many changes affecting Mallory's life: she's moving across town, away from her best friends and next-door neighbors; her cat is sick; and another friend is spending the summer with her grandma. Previous series installments have focused largely on friendships; this one offers a nice change by focusing on Mallory's relationship with her mother.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Mallory series. Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Mallory is psyched about her town's new girls' basketball league but dismayed when her best friends don't share her enthusiasm. Mallory joins anyway, and even though she's not the best player, she moves outside her comfort zone and makes new friends. Readers will learn a little about basketball and may be inspired to try something new. Friedman's long-running series continues to be enjoyable.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. As her best friends Mary Ann and Joey prepare for the arrival of a sibling, Mallory prepares to be left out of all the attention they'll be giving the new baby. Jealousy, misunderstandings, and happy endings are common themes in this long-running series. This installment, however, also appends baby-calming tips and an easy recipe that will appeal to aspiring babysitters.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Mallory and her best friend Mary Ann have always been inseparable, but when Chloe Jennifer moves to the neighborhood, jealousy kicks in: Mallory worries that the new girl will steal Mary Ann's affections and change the dynamic of their friendship. In her twenty-first showing, Mallory's likable voice narrates a realistic scenario with a satisfying, albeit expected, outcome.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Aspiring ten-year-old fashion designer Mallory wins a design contest--and an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to appear on her favorite show. But Mallory pinky-promised Mary Ann they'd go on the show together. Satisfyingly (but unsurprisingly), Mallory figures out how to keep her word, and the friends have a blast exploring the Big Apple. The concerns in this nineteenth installment are relatable, as usual.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. In her twentieth outing, Mallory once again has to make the best of a bad situation. This time it's a six-week arts program, which Mallory had been eagerly anticipating...until she's assigned to play the tuba in the school band. How the reliably likable protagonist, with a teacher's help, deals with the humiliation makes for an enjoyable story.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Ready or not, fourth-grader Mallory is growing up, but she's feeling not so ready these days. Although her friends think she should be thrilled when a fifth-grade boy expresses interest in her, Mallory's not sure she's ready for boys. As usual, her desire to please everyone makes nobody happy. Written as a diary, Mallory's story is a familiar but relevant tale about varying rates of maturity.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. In her eighteenth outing, ten-year-old Mallory's curiosity gets the best of her as she wonders what her older brother and his girlfriend are up to--and why they never want Mallory around; her snooping soon gets her into trouble. Well-presented lessons about privacy, growing up, and feeling excluded are leavened by the genial tone and illustrations.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Mallory, turning ten, decides to mark the occasion with the greatest sleepover party ever. When her best friend Mary Ann gets involved with the planning, things quickly go from super to super-messy. Mallory's self-absorption can be a little tiresome, but her willingness to accept some blame for the events demonstrates maturity. Humor and happy endings prevail in this sixteenth installment.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. In her fifteenth adventure, Mallory is determined to get her crush (her brother's friend JT) to notice her. She's so obsessed with drawing attention to herself that she fails to pay attention to things that matter--like math. As usual, the book's dynamic design, including numerous line drawings, emails, and journal entry–style pages, help enliven the story.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. After landing the title role in Annie, Mallory can't figure out why her best friend, Mary Ann, doesn't seem happy for her. Could Mary Ann be jealous of Mallory's newfound fame, not to mention her new (and kind of mean) actress friends? Mallory learns important lessons about friendship; the story's focus on the excitement of staging a musical helps mask the message.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. When her fourth grade teacher unveils the school's new environmental awareness program, Mallory takes the campaign very seriously. But her classmates have different ideas about how to go green, and Mallory learns lessons about both conservation and compromise. In her thirteenth adventure, Mallory is, as always, a realistically flawed, likable heroine whose earnestness will appeal to idealistic young readers.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Lively writing and humorous illustrations will make readers happy to tag along on a class field trip to Washington, D.C. Taking the form of a school-assignment journal (complete with doodles and reproduced photos and mementos), this eleventh book starring Mallory sees the fourth grader worried about her best friend's growing interest in a boy--and waning attention to Mallory. Mallory's concerns continue to be relatable.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. Everything's planned out for the bash of the year, as bunkmates from camp join Mallory and her best friend Mary Ann for a multi-day sleepover and New Year's party. Mallory didn't, however, plan on having appendicitis and missing (almost) the whole thing. Kids will sympathize with Mallory's disappointment at being excluded; astute readers will likely guess the story's surprise ending.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. In her ninth book, nine-year-old Mallory and her friends head to summer camp. Mallory's nervousness about being away from home for the first time is compounded by jealousy over her best friend's new cabin mate. All's well that ends well, of course, but this familiar story is enlivened by Mallory's exuberant narration and endearing personality.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Kalis. In this tenth book in the series, Mallory, complete with new computer, new shoes, and best friend Mary Ann, is ready to start fourth grade. She gets more than she bargained for, though, when she and Mary Ann develop crushes on the same boy. Longtime fans will appreciate Mallory's realistic balance of growing maturity and endearing vulnerability.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl