Wally Hatford dreams of long lazy days far away from school and Caroline Malloy. But Wally, the best speller among the Hatford brothers, gets roped into helping them with a summer newspaper project that will earn the twins school credit.What does that get Wally? When he hears scratching noises coming from Oldakers’ bookstore cellar, Mr. Oldaker trusts him to keep a secret that could turn into a scoop for their newspaper. Wally worries that the secret may be too scary to keep to himself. What’s worse, the Malloy girls have horned in on the newspaper. If there’s one person Wally won’t spill his secret to, it’s nutty Caroline Malloy. No matter what it is!
Phyllis 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.
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.
The tricks and plans between the Malloy girls and the Hatford boys continue in this second-to-last book of the series "Boys Rock". This book, this series made me want to be part of the story itself.I really like the series. This book is good for both the girls and boys.
Parental warning: I'm giving this one 3 stars simply because a lot of the story focused on a scary ghost story that Wally read and Caroline is determined to find her "aura." While topics such as these are often mentioned in passing, this time they nearly take center-stage. I didn't mind Beth's hunt for the haunted house or even Wally thinking that Oldaker had a monster in the cellar. But the descriptions of his book were really disturbing and Caroline's obsession with her aura were at best annoying, and inappropriate at worst, depending on your views on the subject.
This is just a head's up for parents. Obviously it's up to you what's appropriate for your children. I myself did not care for these topics in this story.
Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. They are from different worlds, but when they really try and work together, wondrous things can happen.
In Boys Rock! by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, I was quite pleased to find this conflict between two families of four boys versus three girls. Both sides are conniving, yet when it comes down to the end, they both want the same thing . . . to do the best job they can. Even though they see things differently, working together adds something neither could come up with on their own. I really enjoyed this story and the quick pace of the book. The dialog is fast and furious and the story can be very funny at times.
Overall, Boys Rock! is an excellent story that all kids will love. I look forward to reading more about these two families in the future.
Boys Rock was a entertaining book right from the beginning, with a good and funny plot. It had a good hook for you to keep reading. It was a classic boys vs girls book. The fight never stopped until everyone was on the same page. However if you are looking for a challenge I don't recommend this book.
Family of boys and family of girls work together during the Summer to produce three editions of a neighborhood newspaper. Reporter errors and possible haunted areas. No signs of affection between the two groups.