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Boy/Girl Battle #2
The Girls Get Even
As Halloween approaches, the three Malloy sisters find themselves continually trying to get even with the four Hatford brothers, who have been playing tricks on them since the Malloys moved from Ohio to West Virginia.
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
213 books1,047 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 14, 2018
داستان در مورد سه دختر بچه ست که به تازگی به شهر جدیدی اومدن و همسایه اونا چهار تا پسرن که با همدیگه شدیدا کل‌کل دارن و هر بار در حال نقشه کشیدن هستن تا حال همدیگه رو بگیرن و فضای بامزه‌ای رو ایجاد کردن!
در عجب بودم که چه‌قدر داستان ناگهانی وارد اصل ماجرا شد و ناتموم تموم شد که تازه از طریق گودریدز فهمیدم من جلد دوم رو خوندم و این کتاب در اصل یه مجموعه دوازده جلدیه! واقعا متاسفم برای ناشر (هرمس) که در این مورد هیچ اشاره‌ای نکرده و از خود کتاب به هیچ وجه نمی‌شه فهمید مجموعه ست!
در کل تجربه‌ی خوبی بود، ترجمه‌ی قابل قبولی داشت و نوع پرداختش به داستان سرگرم‌کننده بود.
در عجب بودم که چه‌قدر داستان ناگهانی وارد اصل ماجرا شد و ناتموم تموم شد که تازه از طریق گودریدز فهمیدم من جلد دوم رو خوندم و این کتاب در اصل یه مجموعه دوازده جلدیه! واقعا متاسفم برای ناشر (هرمس) که در این مورد هیچ اشاره‌ای نکرده و از خود کتاب به هیچ وجه نمی‌شه فهمید مجموعه ست!
در کل تجربه‌ی خوبی بود، ترجمه‌ی قابل قبولی داشت و نوع پرداختش به داستان سرگرم‌کننده بود.
September 20, 2012
Thoroughly and completely enjoyed this series, which I read to my daughters through Nov & Dec at bedtime. Love, love, love Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for elementary aged readers. Love, love, love this series for the Brady-bunch era of hijinx between children... Love, love, love that neither the boys nor the girls are clear-case winners of the "war", though, my daughters do believe there was a winner. Whole-heartedly recommend as a family read and to all elementary-aged readers.
January 9, 2020
I thought these books were gauranteed to be enjoyable, hilarious and a good read. This started out that way, but somewhere along the way, the antics weren't as funny.
I enjoyed learning about the widow's walk, which is a balcony on top of the house, where wives of sea captains would watch for their husband's ship on the horizon.
I hated that their big plan to steal the boys' clothes during the camping trip was spoiled. It would be nice to have a plan go off without a hitch.
I was so irritated when their plan to use Peter as spy, & them telling him they were going as gypsies was ruined when Peter gets back to his brothers and says he overheard them talking in the pantry, how they were going as centipedes. Then it was back in the girl's court when Eddie sees a drawing one of the twins drew of their Halloween costume ideas.
Before you have a chance to enjoy a victory, something else had happened. It's a bit too much back and forth.
I was so annoyed when the boys happened to see the girls gathering sticks,& guessed it was for their costumes. Thankfully their guesses were way off; they thought they were going as a tepee and Indians, so that was good.
I liked the turnaround, how this time it was the girl's mom who made the Hatford's pie so they had to bring the boys a pie over.
I hated that the parents get dragged into it, so there's bad blood between them and they dk what their kids are up to. Mrs. Hatford thinks Mrs. Malloy lied about her pie, cause the boys dug through it then ate it, and then bought one to cover it up,& their mom knew it was store bought.
It was a leap for the girls to think the boys bought a pie just because Mrs. Hatford said it tasted like the ones from the bakery.
Then the Hatford mom sees the girls buying chicken wire and tells her sons.
It was funny when Caroline said it was strange how, with their mom working at a hardware store, the Hatford boys couldn't think up an original costume themselves.
I didn't like the boys flattening their costume or Caroline popping their inner tube with scissors. Especially how she's the one who didn't go for them ruining the boys costumes.
They all got disqualified for ruining their costumes, so neither won, and no one had to be the others slave for a month, which was a bit disappointing even though it worked out for them. It was funny how the boys were really upset that it ruined their plans to take the tube to the river next summer.
The parade was a disappointment because nothing happened, because they got disqualified.
I thought the Georgia teacher of the Benson boys dressing as a belly dancer was a bit mature for this book.
I was so glad Caroline saw the boys taping things at the cemetery, so they knew they were behind the invitation, cause I felt so bad they would have showed up at the cemetery in their costumes. I do like when the girls are the ones to win.
I died laughing at the end. I can't believe when the boys decided to end the feud and call a truce because they ruined their Halloween on the girls, and they're smiling and go inside to see the girls at their home, claiming the boys invited them to a party,& their mom was mad that they didn't show up or tell her, and she took their candy and passed it to the girls after they'd only gotten a little candy. Then she told Jake to go buy some drinks and Josh was in charge of games.
It was a total shock. I thought all they'd done was the note in the spaghetti bowl, and they'd went to a party to enjoy their night, but they also used their Halloween night to get back at the boys. The ending was genius; it's amazing someone came up with all this.
I read at the end that the author wrote a book for each month the girls were in West Virginia, so that'll be exciting to read, and I'm glad it doesn't skip much time.
It started good, but wasn't as funny as it went along. But I loved the ending. I can't wait to see where the next book will pick up.
I enjoyed learning about the widow's walk, which is a balcony on top of the house, where wives of sea captains would watch for their husband's ship on the horizon.
I hated that their big plan to steal the boys' clothes during the camping trip was spoiled. It would be nice to have a plan go off without a hitch.
I was so irritated when their plan to use Peter as spy, & them telling him they were going as gypsies was ruined when Peter gets back to his brothers and says he overheard them talking in the pantry, how they were going as centipedes. Then it was back in the girl's court when Eddie sees a drawing one of the twins drew of their Halloween costume ideas.
Before you have a chance to enjoy a victory, something else had happened. It's a bit too much back and forth.
I was so annoyed when the boys happened to see the girls gathering sticks,& guessed it was for their costumes. Thankfully their guesses were way off; they thought they were going as a tepee and Indians, so that was good.
I liked the turnaround, how this time it was the girl's mom who made the Hatford's pie so they had to bring the boys a pie over.
I hated that the parents get dragged into it, so there's bad blood between them and they dk what their kids are up to. Mrs. Hatford thinks Mrs. Malloy lied about her pie, cause the boys dug through it then ate it, and then bought one to cover it up,& their mom knew it was store bought.
It was a leap for the girls to think the boys bought a pie just because Mrs. Hatford said it tasted like the ones from the bakery.
Then the Hatford mom sees the girls buying chicken wire and tells her sons.
It was funny when Caroline said it was strange how, with their mom working at a hardware store, the Hatford boys couldn't think up an original costume themselves.
I didn't like the boys flattening their costume or Caroline popping their inner tube with scissors. Especially how she's the one who didn't go for them ruining the boys costumes.
They all got disqualified for ruining their costumes, so neither won, and no one had to be the others slave for a month, which was a bit disappointing even though it worked out for them. It was funny how the boys were really upset that it ruined their plans to take the tube to the river next summer.
The parade was a disappointment because nothing happened, because they got disqualified.
I thought the Georgia teacher of the Benson boys dressing as a belly dancer was a bit mature for this book.
I was so glad Caroline saw the boys taping things at the cemetery, so they knew they were behind the invitation, cause I felt so bad they would have showed up at the cemetery in their costumes. I do like when the girls are the ones to win.
I died laughing at the end. I can't believe when the boys decided to end the feud and call a truce because they ruined their Halloween on the girls, and they're smiling and go inside to see the girls at their home, claiming the boys invited them to a party,& their mom was mad that they didn't show up or tell her, and she took their candy and passed it to the girls after they'd only gotten a little candy. Then she told Jake to go buy some drinks and Josh was in charge of games.
It was a total shock. I thought all they'd done was the note in the spaghetti bowl, and they'd went to a party to enjoy their night, but they also used their Halloween night to get back at the boys. The ending was genius; it's amazing someone came up with all this.
I read at the end that the author wrote a book for each month the girls were in West Virginia, so that'll be exciting to read, and I'm glad it doesn't skip much time.
It started good, but wasn't as funny as it went along. But I loved the ending. I can't wait to see where the next book will pick up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2019
B4 8:58am--11:38pm
It's so amusing to see the transformation, that they already enjoy feuding so much in the 2nd book they don't want it to stop. Caroline didn't want to move because then they would have no one to fight with in Ohio. Wally realized he was having fun trying to one-up the Malloy sisters.
The girls heard the boys were camping out and had the idea to steal their clothes in the night. I couldn't wait for them to pull it off, but as always, their prank as ruined before it could get started. Wally caught them trailing after and told the others, and they had the idea to lead the girls on a goose chase to get them lost in the woods.
It was hilarious when Wally woke up to a hand inside the tent and he screamed bloody murder.
Caroline was of course caught when she took it upon herself to search for the boys' clothes while her sisters were sleeping. Wally grabbed her hand and the boys tried to drag her to the river. The girls managed to get her back, but it rained through the night and they were soaked without a tent. Wally was actually worried about them getting home okay. But they had the Halloween costume contest in the parade to worry about. Whoever won were the masters and the losers their slaves to do whatever was asked of them for a month.
The boys sent Peter over to the girls' as a spy, under the guise of returning Caroline's missing sock and being worried about them. They wanted to find out what the girls were wearing. They recognized this and took advantage of the opportunity, pumping Peter for info and lying that they were going to be gypsies. He let slip that the boys were going to be pumpkin heads, and I was like finally! Some info the girls could use!
But when Peter got back he revealed that he'd heard them talking about their costume in the pantry. I was so mad the girls said their real costumes right there off the kitchen, knew he could hear. She had Peter have trouble remembering and I was hoping he wouldn't remember but he eventually did. So the boys tried to come up with a costume to beat a centipede, which was a vulture.
Eddie and Josh had to grade each other's assignments and she saw on the back of his assignment where he had drawn their plan to be vultures and attack the girls with vomit, pee, and crap. The girls had to change their costume, now to a tree.
The boys spied them looking for sticks and came to the conclusion that they were going to be Indians, a chief and squaw, and one would be a teepee. Definitely not PC, and with them having a bet to be master and slaves.
The girls' mom sent them with a pie in return, but the boys suspected it was full of "dog doo" and they massacred the pie. They knew they couldn't show it to their mom without explaining all their shenanigans so they ate the whole thing and replaced it with a store-bought pie. I was irritated that Mrs. Hatford knew it had come from the bakery and got so upset that Mrs. Malloy would lie about baking the pie herself and the boys didn't even say anything.
It was funny that the teacher made Wally participate in the play, and he acted out the footman to Caroline's Goblin Queen and had to say he obeyed her, and his face turned red.
During the play Wally pulled Caroline's chair out too far and she fell down and everyone laughed. I was so mad at him. But she went with it and had him carry her off the stage, so she won that round.
The boys smashed their lizard costume and even though they were able to fix it, Eddie saw red and insisted on revenge. Caroline took it upon herself and got her scissors and popped the inner-tube of the boys' alien costume. They were all taken to the principals office and disqualified from participating in the parade.
The boys made a fake invitation to a scavenger hunt from Eddie's friend to lure them into a cemetery on Halloween, and planned to dump spaghetti and worms on them. Thanks to Caroline trying to find the right route to get there, she caught the boys at the cemetery and warned her sisters. They got there early and scoped things out and discovered the worm plan.
The boys kept wasting trick or treating time waiting for the girls to appear. When they were finally going to leave, they discovered the spaghetti and worms were gone and a note from their mom said to get home this instant. Jake knew his mom wouldn't use the word instant and she always wrote, not printed. I was so annoyed thinking they had ruined the girls' prank.
I was getting so mad thinking the guys would get the last laugh as always. I was thinking that the pranks hadn't been so good, not near as good as the first book, or the 5th. And then it happened.
The guys were so upset that they had almost missed out on Halloween, barely got any candy because it was so late, and the fact that they had been spending so much time on the girls. They vowed to forget about the girls and the rivalry and get on with having fun again because they'd been so consumed with getting even. And then they got home and found all three girls were in their living room, their mom asking why they invited them over and didn't even have the decency to show up, and that they didn't even mention it to her. She told Jake to use his money on drinks, Josh to get some games, and she took all their candy and passed it out to the girls! Gold!
Finally the girls won!
It's so amusing to see the transformation, that they already enjoy feuding so much in the 2nd book they don't want it to stop. Caroline didn't want to move because then they would have no one to fight with in Ohio. Wally realized he was having fun trying to one-up the Malloy sisters.
The girls heard the boys were camping out and had the idea to steal their clothes in the night. I couldn't wait for them to pull it off, but as always, their prank as ruined before it could get started. Wally caught them trailing after and told the others, and they had the idea to lead the girls on a goose chase to get them lost in the woods.
It was hilarious when Wally woke up to a hand inside the tent and he screamed bloody murder.
Caroline was of course caught when she took it upon herself to search for the boys' clothes while her sisters were sleeping. Wally grabbed her hand and the boys tried to drag her to the river. The girls managed to get her back, but it rained through the night and they were soaked without a tent. Wally was actually worried about them getting home okay. But they had the Halloween costume contest in the parade to worry about. Whoever won were the masters and the losers their slaves to do whatever was asked of them for a month.
The boys sent Peter over to the girls' as a spy, under the guise of returning Caroline's missing sock and being worried about them. They wanted to find out what the girls were wearing. They recognized this and took advantage of the opportunity, pumping Peter for info and lying that they were going to be gypsies. He let slip that the boys were going to be pumpkin heads, and I was like finally! Some info the girls could use!
But when Peter got back he revealed that he'd heard them talking about their costume in the pantry. I was so mad the girls said their real costumes right there off the kitchen, knew he could hear. She had Peter have trouble remembering and I was hoping he wouldn't remember but he eventually did. So the boys tried to come up with a costume to beat a centipede, which was a vulture.
Eddie and Josh had to grade each other's assignments and she saw on the back of his assignment where he had drawn their plan to be vultures and attack the girls with vomit, pee, and crap. The girls had to change their costume, now to a tree.
The boys spied them looking for sticks and came to the conclusion that they were going to be Indians, a chief and squaw, and one would be a teepee. Definitely not PC, and with them having a bet to be master and slaves.
The girls' mom sent them with a pie in return, but the boys suspected it was full of "dog doo" and they massacred the pie. They knew they couldn't show it to their mom without explaining all their shenanigans so they ate the whole thing and replaced it with a store-bought pie. I was irritated that Mrs. Hatford knew it had come from the bakery and got so upset that Mrs. Malloy would lie about baking the pie herself and the boys didn't even say anything.
It was funny that the teacher made Wally participate in the play, and he acted out the footman to Caroline's Goblin Queen and had to say he obeyed her, and his face turned red.
During the play Wally pulled Caroline's chair out too far and she fell down and everyone laughed. I was so mad at him. But she went with it and had him carry her off the stage, so she won that round.
The boys smashed their lizard costume and even though they were able to fix it, Eddie saw red and insisted on revenge. Caroline took it upon herself and got her scissors and popped the inner-tube of the boys' alien costume. They were all taken to the principals office and disqualified from participating in the parade.
The boys made a fake invitation to a scavenger hunt from Eddie's friend to lure them into a cemetery on Halloween, and planned to dump spaghetti and worms on them. Thanks to Caroline trying to find the right route to get there, she caught the boys at the cemetery and warned her sisters. They got there early and scoped things out and discovered the worm plan.
The boys kept wasting trick or treating time waiting for the girls to appear. When they were finally going to leave, they discovered the spaghetti and worms were gone and a note from their mom said to get home this instant. Jake knew his mom wouldn't use the word instant and she always wrote, not printed. I was so annoyed thinking they had ruined the girls' prank.
I was getting so mad thinking the guys would get the last laugh as always. I was thinking that the pranks hadn't been so good, not near as good as the first book, or the 5th. And then it happened.
The guys were so upset that they had almost missed out on Halloween, barely got any candy because it was so late, and the fact that they had been spending so much time on the girls. They vowed to forget about the girls and the rivalry and get on with having fun again because they'd been so consumed with getting even. And then they got home and found all three girls were in their living room, their mom asking why they invited them over and didn't even have the decency to show up, and that they didn't even mention it to her. She told Jake to use his money on drinks, Josh to get some games, and she took all their candy and passed it out to the girls! Gold!
Finally the girls won!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2024
Yes I know this is a children’s book but my life has been CRAZY and I needed something easy. I loved this series as a kid. I got this book at the library book sale and it turns out it’s signed, so that’s cool!!
August 21, 2021
god their poor parents
November 21, 2007
it was very very funny. i wish i was as smart as the malloy girls. :) lol
March 12, 2008
Even more fun than boys start the war
June 6, 2008
Great continues the boys vs girls series!!
October 12, 2010
i read this book in about 5th grade and still have it.
i remeber liking it.its fun even if you arent in the 9-12 range it was written for
i remeber liking it.its fun even if you arent in the 9-12 range it was written for
January 9, 2011
I'ts a good book and I really enjoyed this book in the 4th grade.
August 27, 2020
A great follow up to The Boys Start The War. You will want to make sure you read the books in order, because it refers back to things that happened in the first book that might not make sense if you read it out of order. It was better than the first book, but the ending felt super rushed.
May 17, 2017
This book was good but it wasn't as funny as the last one
September 25, 2018
Loved by my daughter, tolerated by me.
December 1, 2021
A fun book about the rivalry between the boys and girls. This is book 2
May 3, 2024
Fun read aloud with my 10 year old.
September 15, 2025
ebook
not the nostalgia I was hoping for. kinda just blah
not the nostalgia I was hoping for. kinda just blah
May 10, 2026
Another good one in this series. Boy the things they are coming up with. Can't wait to see what happens next.
March 18, 2021
“The Girls Get Even,” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, is the second book in the ultimate boy vs. girl battle. The Hatford brothers and Malloy sisters are competing for first place in their school Halloween contest. Whoever wins the contest, will get to boss around the losers for one whole month. Neither side is above scheming, espionage, and sabotage to win this contest.
(Book 84 of 100) I remember my third-grade teacher reading this series and I was immediately hooked. I read the first and second books to my fourth-grade class and they loved it. They enjoy the constant boy vs. girl challenges and are always making predictions about who is going to win. I give this book a 4/5-star rating. I would recommend this series for 3rd grade and up. (Background image from "Circa Survive – Juturna Label: Religion Records EVR103, Equal Vision Records – EVR103)
If you enjoy books as much as I do, you can follow me on Instagram at @a_classy_rebel_reader for more book reviews and bookish content!
#TheGirlsGetEven #TheBoysStartTheWar #PhyllisReynoldsNaylor #100BooksInOneYear #Imaclassyrebelreader #lookatmyclassyrebelread #Children #MiddleGrade #RealisticFiction #Humor #TheGoblinQueen #AnUnknownHand
(Book 84 of 100) I remember my third-grade teacher reading this series and I was immediately hooked. I read the first and second books to my fourth-grade class and they loved it. They enjoy the constant boy vs. girl challenges and are always making predictions about who is going to win. I give this book a 4/5-star rating. I would recommend this series for 3rd grade and up. (Background image from "Circa Survive – Juturna Label: Religion Records EVR103, Equal Vision Records – EVR103)
If you enjoy books as much as I do, you can follow me on Instagram at @a_classy_rebel_reader for more book reviews and bookish content!
#TheGirlsGetEven #TheBoysStartTheWar #PhyllisReynoldsNaylor #100BooksInOneYear #Imaclassyrebelreader #lookatmyclassyrebelread #Children #MiddleGrade #RealisticFiction #Humor #TheGoblinQueen #AnUnknownHand
Read
January 3, 2026Book #2 of read-aloud to the goosies.
April 16, 2012
I liked this one a bit better than the first (The Boys Start the War), but I still didn't find much intellectual stimulation in it, so it was totally a reading-for-the-kids-sake book. It's hard to say no to a book that the kids laugh out loud at and beg for more when reading time is done. We'll probably be reading more in the series, or I will at least get them for the kids to read if they want.
December 28, 2016
Second installment in the Hatford vs the Malloys series revolves around the Halloween parade costume contest. The bet is on ... the losers have to the winners' slaves for a month. The boys are so desperate to find out what the girls are planning for their costume that they send Peter in as a spy. In the meantime, Caroline becomes the Goblin Queen in the school play, both groups are disqualified from the costume contest for destructive behavior and the boys Halloween party invitation backfires.
August 4, 2013
I thought it was amazing. I love how funny it was and how the girls got more revenge than "the boys started the war". I thought the boys were so cruel in that, I feel better about how the boys get in trouble I loved that not to be rude to them but, I hate how mean to the girls because they are not boys though.
January 17, 2016
Like the first book, this is a good, fun, quick read. I definitely recommend reading the first one first. There are a few places where this book is repetitive, presumably because the author feels the need to fill in background information, but the information has already been included in this book and is repeating itself from this book rather than the previous one.
Want to Read
February 4, 2008I wanna read this book so badly.
August 24, 2008
A funny sequel to "The Boys Start the War".
It's pretty much the same as the first one, so if you liked it you'll probably like this one.
It's pretty much the same as the first one, so if you liked it you'll probably like this one.
August 31, 2008
I enjoyed the other books by this author a lot more than this series.
January 19, 2009
These are kind of littleish kid books but they're really good and hilarious and the dynamics between the boys and the girls are genius. you should read them. all of them...
Read
September 13, 2009good
Read
November 11, 2010I dint realy get the point of the book because i noticed it was the 3rd one after i finished it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews