Red, White and True Blue Mallory

Red, White and True Blue Mallory (Mallory #11)

Laurie Friedman, illustrated by Jennifer Kalis

Carolrhoda, 2009

$15.95, Hardcover

978-0822588825

March 6^th, 2012

Genre: Realistic

Age: 7+

Description: Mallory and her fourth grade class go on a field trip to Washington, D.C. Bit it’s not all fun and games for Mallory—she’s got a loose tooth that is bugging her and her best friend Mary Ann isn’t acting very best friend like since she’s spending all of her time with C-Lo who asks Mary Ann to be his girlfriend. When Mallory needs to go to the bathroom and Mary Ann, her buddy/partner, refuses to accompany her, she ends up getting left behind by the tour group and is lost. When she is found she lands in big trouble. Can the trip get any worse?

Opinion: Another excellent Mallory book. Friedman can truly capture the feelings of a young girl. I’m glad Mallory finally stood up for herself and didn’t let Mary Ann walk all over her because Mary Ann wasn’t being a good partner and should have received some blame for Mallory being left behind. The one thing that bugs me sometimes about the series is how Mary Ann can be a bit of a stuck up snob, caring only about her own feelings and not Mallory’s. She comes off as a fair weathered friend. Each book usually has Mary Ann doing something mean to her best friend—perhaps it is like that to give some drama to each story. Overall, this is a great series.