(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. In her second adventure (Roxie and the Hooligans), Roxie accompanies best friend Norman and world-traveling Uncle Dangerfoot on what she thinks will be a beach vacation. Complications accumulate, and the children discover a secret jet pack Dangerfoot is testing. The shenanigans ramp up, culminating in a kidnapping. The pace is bouncy and the sensibility jokey, good-natured, and mildly anarchistic. Pencil drawings capture the mood perfectly for newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Vivienne To. Nine-year-old Zack, tired of being pushed around by an aggressive turkey when he helps out at his grandparents' farm, sets out to build a "turkey-blaster trouble-shooter." When neighbor Josie and Zack's friend Matthew get roped in, the turkey-blaster takes on Rube Goldberg–level proportions. This story of eventual triumph over a manageable challenge features an engaging hero and well-rounded secondary characters.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old rural-Virginia boy Buck's best friend, David, has moved away; Buck is bullied at school for his stuttering problems; and, in typical preteen fashion, his family gets on his nerves. Buck's passion is caving, but a cruel prank quickly turns this hobby into a harrowing survival adventure. Naylor, as always, is deft at combining action, dialogue, and theme in a compelling package.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(2) 4-6 This is a Christmas story, but first Marty, Shiloh, and their family must get through a new-school routine, Halloween, and Thanksgiving--and a drought and subsequent wildfire. As in the three previous books centered on now-iconic dog Shiloh, the rural West Virginia setting and the relationships among its inhabitants are warmly but unsentimentally drawn. The conclusion provides the best kind of heartwarming: earned.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(4) YA This overly ambitious concluding series installment begins with Alice McKinley headed off to college and the rest of her life: wedding, career, children, and on and on until she's a sixty-year-old grandmother. Because of its scope, the narrative reads at times like a primer for Life Events or a Passages 2.0. But fans desperate to know how everything turns out may be satisfied.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) YA Alice and her friends work as ship's stewards the summer before they sail off for college and the rest of their lives. What does the future hold for Alice and her boyfriend Patrick? We'll have to wait for the final book, which promises to reveal how Alice's story finishes. Until then, this nautical adventure provides readers with a map for navigating life's rough waters.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Ross Collins. Emily and Jackson's second comic Wild West adventure (Emily's Fortune) continues with more ridiculous disguises and tomfoolery. Although the kids are happily settled in with Aunt Hilda in Redbud, Uncle Victor is still sniffing around for Emily's fortune. Fans of the first book will want to know: "What in the dabble dooby" are Emily and Jackson going to do about it?

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) YA It's the last semester of high school, and everything's on the verge of change. In this twenty-sixth Alice book, there are plenty of hurdles for her to jump, including waiting for college acceptance letters and acting in a play. Alice fans will see her through this tumult as she attempts to sort out who she is and what she wants.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(2) YA The school newspaper staff, including Alice, has a decision to make: acknowledge anonymous comments from a white supremacist hate group or censor views the editors disagree with. In this twenty-fifth series entry, Alice (and Naylor) also manages to fit in lighter moments including homecoming and co-ed skinny-dipping. Senior year is a bittersweet time, and Alice's fans are sure to savor every experience.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Ross Collins. After her mother's death, Emily musters up the courage to make the stagecoach trip to her Aunt Hilda's, dodging an evil uncle and the Catchum Child Catching Services along the way. Written in a comically overblown style, this tale will keep readers turning pages to find out, "How in flippin' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?"

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) YA In this twenty-fourth series entry, Alice hatches a plan to visit Patrick--overnight; Naylor gets Alice's nervous/excited anticipation about the event just right. The author packs a lot of issues into the rest of Alice's summer: volunteering at a soup kitchen, encountering a born-again Christian's zealotry, and, finally, trying to make sense of a senseless tragedy. Hopefully, senior year will be less hectic.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(2) 4-6 Seventh graders Ivy June and Catherine participate in a student exchange program between the poor Kentucky mining town of Thunder Creek and the relatively well-to-do city of Lexington. Naylor hits the right notes for the relationships between the girls and community members. The setting is richly realized, and the differences between the two ways of life are illuminated with both realism and diplomacy.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(3) 1-3 Simply Sarah series. Illustrated by Marcy Ramsey. Sarah Simpson returns and, as always, she wants to stand out from the crowd. When Mrs. Gold announces that the class will be working on country reports, Sarah tries to choose a place she thinks is interesting enough. Sarah is a feisty Everygirl whose humor and tenacity will resonate with young readers. Lighthearted ink and wash drawings accompany her exploits.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(3) YA Eighth grader Kenny calls himself "Cricket Man" for rescuing crickets from his family's swimming pool. He'd love to be someone's real hero--especially sixteen-year-old Jodie Poindexter's, a neighbor whose sadness only he seems to see. When Jodie's pregnancy is revealed, Kenny gets his chance. Kenny relates the slowly unfolding story in an engaging way.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) YA This series entry finds Alice struggling with self-doubt. Her ex-boyfriend Patrick is back in the picture, but everything recedes into the background when her friend Pamela discovers she's pregnant. Naylor confronts head-on the seriousness of unplanned pregnancy; the lack of blame and judgment is realistic and commendable. The book ends on a hopeful note, but everyone--including readers--takes away a valuable life lesson.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(3) 1-3 Simply Sarah series. Illustrated by Marcy Ramsey. Sarah is the "Idea Girl," out to solve everyone's problems. But what to do about her friend's wish for a dog when his grandma says no? Though the plot is more conventional than in the other Sarah books, this installment still maintains a lighthearted sense of humor and warm, relatable characters. Ink and wash illustrations support the story.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(2) YA Emotions run high in this twenty-second Alice book. Trying to shake up her reputation, Alice gains thrilling and unexpected attention from a smooth-talking senior. Meanwhile, tensions brew with her stepmother. Alice flirts with a number of risks, allowing Naylor to make the point that growing up involves taking chances, but with increased independence comes responsibility for your decisions.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(4) 4-6 It's the last inning for the Hatford boys and Malloy girls, as the girls are finally moving back to Ohio after a year (and ten books) in small-town West Virginia. The faux-feuding and practical jokes that have fueled the series are more tepid in this final entry, but the characterizations that have sustained it remain solid and appealing. P.S.: It's a draw.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) YA Sophomore Alice is furious that her father signed her up (without asking) for a class about sexuality at church. However, the class turns out to be a much better experience than Alice expects and provides a convenient vehicle for Naylor to convey valuable information about the complexities of intimacy. Alice's honest voice drives home the messages about self-respect and self-worth with ease.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2005

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Alan Daniel. In this accessible feline adventure, Marco and Polo's mother, who abandoned them as kittens, suddenly reappears. She and the other members of the Club of Mysteries challenge each other, fend off the neighborhood dog, and face off against a rival gang of cats. Lively black-and-white illustrations accompany the story. Cat lovers will enjoy this final installment in the series.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen