Who Won the War?

September 1, 2006
Gr 4-7 -The battle began when the Malloy girls moved from Ohio to West Virginia for a year, staying in a house across the river from the Hatford boys. In this final volume of the series, a power failure in Ohio causes the girls to remain in Buckman longer than expected, and they move in with the Hatfords. Rivalry, silliness, and pranks occur during the big underwear switcheroo, the invasion of the ladybugs, and the frying of eggs on the sidewalk. When the girls and boys secretly explore an abandoned coal mine on a double-dare, they become witnesses to an explosion caused by a stranger and ultimately aid the police in solving the mystery. The characters are well developed through their dialogue, actions, and relationships with one another. Fans of the earlier books will want to read this engaging novel to decide for themselves who really wins the war." -Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2006
The rivalry began in " The Boys Start the War" (1993)," "when the Malloy girls moved to West Virginia and met the Hatford boys. Ten books later, the Malloys are returning to Ohio. When a widespread power outage hits their new home just after their moving van has rolled away, Mrs. Hatford kindly invites Mrs. Malloy and the girls to stay for the duration. When the boys find the girls on their own turf in the longest, hottest days of summer, their reaction is a little less than kind. Fans of this always amusing and occasionally hilarious series wouldn't have it any other way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2007
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.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)