The introductory book of the Beany Malone series. Mary Fred spends the fifteen dollars that is intended for a new formal to buy her beloved Mr. Chi...
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Dec 17, 2009
CLM
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The Malones - Elizabeth (now married), Mary Fred, Johnny, Beany and almost always absent father Martie Malone - are an Irish Catholic family living in Denver, just prior to World War II. While their father is off writing columns for Denver's Evening Call, the children cope with running the family household and the pressures of Harkness High.
"Why couldn't the young Malones do the homework and the cooking and the laundry which Mrs. Adams had done so capably? It would mean getti More...
"Why couldn't the young Malones do the homework and the cooking and the laundry which Mrs. Adams had done so capably? It would mean getti More...
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Mar 15, 2011
Susan
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I wavered between attaching a 3 or a 4 to this book, but in the end, I gave it a 4, because *by* the end, I really cared what was happening to these characters. People who know me know that I love-love-LOVE the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. What strikes me as a little strange is that I think those BTs -- set between 1896 and 1917 -- actually hold up better for me, in terms of "datedness," than some books written a little later and set in a little later a time period, and I
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Feb 17, 2011
Melody
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There's a lot here to like. I especially liked the Catholicism of the family- that's a religion that gets a lot of ink via memoirs but in my experience, not so much in kidlit or YA. As a kid I knew way more about Jews and Episcopalians than I did about Catholics.
I also loved the way the war was woven through the narrative. When the father tells his kids that their house must always be open for the soldiers to visit, I admit to tearing up a bit. When did we lose that commitment, and More...
I also loved the way the war was woven through the narrative. When the father tells his kids that their house must always be open for the soldiers to visit, I admit to tearing up a bit. When did we lose that commitment, and More...
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Sep 04, 2011
Joellen
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Why did I not know about this series?? I'm giving 5 stars just because that's what I would have given it when I was twelve. I love the innocence and morality in this era. However...this book was obviously written long before the "Back to Sleep" campaign for infants! Elizabeth's baby sleeps in a makeshift crib consisting of two armchairs pushed together with a pillow added for good measure. If that's not enough, she describes a nightgown that she makes for the baby as having too large o
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Dec 17, 2009
Betsy
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I always wondered why LMW abandoned Mary Fred as her main heroine after this book and focused on Beany instead, but I guess Beany was more fallible and thus more interesting. Mary Fred sometimes pissed me off in subsequent books because she was so charmingly imperfect.
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Feb 04, 2009
Julie
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This is an old favorite! I was recently reminded of the series while reading "Don't Bother Me - I'm Reading" and the description of it was quite different than what I remembered. So I thought I would refresh my memory!
I named one of my favorite dogs after the main character, Beany Malone. On this "adult" reading, I found I liked her sister Mary Fred better! It was interesting! - a walk down memory lane ........ I think I can see where I got some of my " More...
I named one of my favorite dogs after the main character, Beany Malone. On this "adult" reading, I found I liked her sister Mary Fred better! It was interesting! - a walk down memory lane ........ I think I can see where I got some of my " More...
Jun 10, 2011
Teresa
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I can't believe I've lived over half my life without ever cracking a "Beany Malone" book!! My public library during my growing up years did not own these books. This series has come highly recommended to me by my "Betsy-Tacy" friends. Lenora Mattingly Weber's books were published by the same publisher and had the same editor as the Betsy-Tacy books, so it's a natural that "if you like one, you'll like the other." Both deal with family dynamics, domestic issues, scho
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Aug 11, 2011
Josi
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These books make me laugh. Not because they are funny, but merely because sometimes they are about the cheesiest of topics, but they are still better than a lot of new books. Meet the Malones gets four stars...it really is a five star book, but Mary Fred is not a very interesting character, frankly. The rest of the series is about Beany. I read these over and over again and never tire.
Jan 26, 2010
Suzanne
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I read straight through the entire collection of Beany Malone books. I enjoy visiting a time when life was a little slower. Miss Mattingly gives her characters challenges and they rise to the occasion.
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Jan 29, 2011
Shelley
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Charming and fun. This is more what I wanted the Melendys to be like.
Dec 21, 2008
Maria
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An old-fashioned wholesome tale in the style of Estrid Ott. I feel like I ought to have loved it instead of just liked it, and I probably would have if I'd been younger when first reading it, because it fits right in with the other books I read in my tweens. Even without the nostalgia I spent a cosy evening snuggled up in a chair in the company of the Malones. I really wish they'd been better at standing up to Nonna though - she really bugged me. But of course all's well that ends well... especi
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Feb 16, 2008
Sara
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I didn't come to the Weber YA books until I was an adult, but have liked them a great deal. This first in the Beany Malone series is actually not typical since Beany is a "supporting" character, rather than the main one. Set during the early days of WW II, there are some (now) odd things, but the story is a good one.
Mar 17, 2008
Melissa
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These books are continually recommended by some of my favorite people. I've tried one other Beany book and wasn't impressed. Still not captivated or charmed, so will probably stop being curious about these. They recommend so many things--I can't like everything they like!
Nov 04, 2011
Audrey
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This book is very cute and fun, even if it is very predictable in parts…and some characters seem a little too caricaturish. All in all, it’s an enjoyable comfort read about a family learning and making-do on the home front.
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