One-of-a-Kind Mallie

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Mallie is so tired of being an identical twin, she could scream! To everyone in Cedarville, she's just the second half of Hallie and Mallie, the adorable pair. Mother sews them matching dresses, and their teacher has even assigned them the same poem to recite together at the school picnic. It may look as if the twins are the same child twice, but inside, Mallie feels as different as the Gypsies who have set up camp nearby. If only her family and her best friend, Ruthie, understood.

Mallie's summer will bring more than its share of struggle and disappointment. But with the help of a surprising new friend and the joy of a secret hobby, it may also bring its share of discovery and wonder. It just may be one of a kind.

Tender, lively, and rich in details of Midwestern life during World War I, this is a charming companion to the acclaimed novel Ruthie's Gift. Mallie is an endearing, memorable heroine in an exuberant tale of individuality and the comfort of family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's next book, The Night War, will be published April 9, 2024. She is the author of nineteen previous books, including the Newbery Honor winners Fighting Words and The War that Saved My Life. The sequel to the latter, The War I Finally Won, appeared on many state-award and best-books lists and was described as “stunning” by The Washington Post and “honest” and “daring” by The New York Times. She is also the acclaimed author of She Persisted: Rosalind Franklin. Kimberly and her husband have two grown children and live with their dogs, two highly opinionated mares, and a surplus of cats on a fifty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. Visit her at kimberlybrubakerbradley.com.

Reviews

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Ruthie's Gift and wanted to read this companion book, but there wasn't much to it. In Ruthie's book, we read much more about the effects of the Great War on her family. This tale of a twin wanting to be her own entity could take place in most any setting.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story about twins set in mid-western America during the time of World War I. Gives kids a good glance at how people in a small town lived during the Great War, and also gives a little insight into twins. My twin and I were in 4th grade, same as these twins, when we chose to dress differently.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mallie is so tired of being an identical twin, always dressed exactly like her sister Hallie. Why must the two of them recite a poem together, instead of each doing one on their own, like the other students? Why should they always be dressed alike? Mallie begins her rebellion in ways that hurt both Hallie's and their mother's feelings, but she cannot back down. She must find a way to be different, to be her own person. Excellent story, set against the background of the first world war, in the same area that one of my grandmothers spent her early childhood a few years earlier. Recommended.

[Danni Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is heavily based in elementary school me and the happiness I had when reading this book. I grew up, being forced to dress similarly to my sisters and desperately wanted to be my own person. Didn't help that the culture I grew up in was heavily collective. The review is higher then most people'
s since I just understand where she's coming from, but thinking back, it's a bit rushed honestly and doesn't end very well.

[Julieann Wielga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jefferson's Sons told the Sally Hemmings story so that Sally was a working mother who did what she needed to do to to take care of each of her individual children and was tender toward the distant Jefferson. So Brubaker Bradley already has tremendous respect from me. This books feels a bit dated, but the problem of one twin being tired of being a twin was tenderly told and nicely resolved.

[Asuka0278 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one to my daughter since it's still a bit above her reading skills. WE both really enjoyed the story. She liked getting to learn more about Ruthie's friends. (from Ruthie's Gift) I liked the character development of Malley. Here she is 11 years old and she's trying to find an identity separate from her twin sister. When the whole world looks at the two of you as a whole and not two individual people I can see where her frustration comes from. Both my daughter and I have enjoyed this author. We're looking forward to reading more from her.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like this book. The main character has a horrible attitude and deals with her problems in all the wrong ways. The issues are never really resolved. Don't recommend.

[Ashley-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but not as much as Ruthie's gift. I didn't like the inclusion of the Gypsies, I feel like they were an excuse for Mallie's behaviour when anything else would have worked.

[JennLynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twin longs to be different from her sister; unfortunately some of the ways she tries to distinguish herself bring undesirable consequences.

[Katrina Mundt · Rating 3 out of 5]

World War I, Red Cross