Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Five friends in a quiet Irish town investigate an old cabin in the woods, leading to an encounter with a honey badger and the apprehension of criminals. Strong characterization, snappy dialogue, and lots of action define this engaging middle-grade mystery. The characters' backstories are revealed slowly, adding depth to the high jinks and making readers hope for more adventures with the Misfits Club.

Kirkus Reviews

When her unreliable mom is hired to cook and clean for a wealthy Alabama family, Mavis is hopeful they'll stay long enough for her to have a best friend.The Tullys' daughter, Rose, is just Mavis' age, and things looks promising, but the timid girl has been so browbeaten by her overbearing, haughty mother that she's forgotten how to have fun. Mavis may be poor, but she has spirit enough for both of them. Rose spends most of her time with the elderly gatekeeper of Magnolia Estates, but ever since Mr. Duffy's dog died he's been slipping up at work, and Rose's mother is anxious to have him fired. Mavis and Rose hatch a scheme to unite him with a stray dog they call Henry, who's actually an escapee from Wonderland, a dog track, and who may be euthanized since his racing days are over. O'Connor, a master storyteller, presents this moving tale from the alternating viewpoints of the girls and Henry, using their unique narrative voices to craft an affecting story of loneliness and the redemptive powers of the human (and dog) spirit. The racial identities of Mr. Duffy and Mavis are kept deliberately vague (although she is pale-skinned on the cover, just like Rose), but it's very clear that they are the underclass, evocatively contrasted against Mrs. Tully's mistaken sense of superiority that even Rose learns to fight.A richly satisfying exploration of the logic and determination with which children work to make things right. (Fiction 10-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Featuring sympathetic characters and a gratifying resolution, this novel by O-Connor (Wish) celebrates friendship human and canine alike. Fourth-grade graduate Mavis is tired of moving from one town to the next, following her mother-s every whim, but they-re on the road again, headed from Hadley, Ga., to Landry, Ala., where her mother will be housekeeper for the -rich- Tully family. Mavis-s one hope is that they will stay in Landry long enough for her to find a real best friend, and her wish comes true quicker than she expects when she meets Mrs. Tully-s daughter, Rose. Although the girls are complete opposites (Mavis is impulsive and daring; Rose is fearful and keen to follow rules), they have a common goal: finding a new hound for kind Mr. Duffy, who has been sad since his dog, Queenie, passed away. Meanwhile, Henry, a runaway greyhound hiding in the woods, is looking for a new owner. Told in alternating perspectives by Mavis, Rose, and Henry, the book highlights the girls- differences and the positive impact the friends make on each other-s lives. Ages 8-12. Agent: Barbara Markowitz, Barbara Markowitz Literary Agency. (Aug.)