Girls Rule!
It's boys against girls and this time "GIRLS RULE!" The tenth installment in Phyllis Reynolds Haylor's series centers around the Hatford boys and the Malloy girls. It has the rivalry between the siblings as high as ever.
The annual Strawberry Festival parade is an highly anticipated event in Buckman, Virginia, and Caroline Malloy wants to be smack-dab in the middle of the glamorous Strawberry Queen's float. The local hospital is hosting a fund-raiser and all those who collect $20 or more for the children's wing can choose to ride a float in the parade.
This is Caroline's chance to ride with the queen, but earning $20 proves to be harder than expected. Even her two sisters and the 4 Hatford boys are striking out when it comes to filling their charity banks.
Deciding to put aside their long-time feud, the 7 rivals resolve to work together washing cars to earn the money they each need to ride in the parade.
"Girls Rule!" is an entertaining tale of elementary aged children overcoming their differences for a good cause. In the process of working side by side washing cars, they band together to defeat neighborhood bullies threatening to shut down their business.
One negative point in the book has the group creating "white lies" and justifying their use. Fortunately, their deceit does catch up with them, but the parents do not demand retribution from the children. However, the kids do the right thing in the end to make up for their trickery, showing strong moral character.
Phyllis Reynolds Haylor has created a series of children's books written for the 3rd - 6th grade age range. She manages to write in a way that seems applicable to today's youth while appealing to older kids and adults at the same time. It was easy enough to understand and follow "Girls Rule!" without having read any of the other books in the set. You won't need to have prior knowledge of the Hartford/Malloy exploits to enjoy the story, but you will probably want to read the other volumes because this one was delightful and leaves you longing for more. An excellent series to start collecting for your family or give as gifts.
