Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Books in Order

A girl admires a visiting evangelical preacher and trusts the faith he represents. As she learns more about him, troubling discoveries force her to reconsider the man behind the sermons and her own beliefs.

After staging a fake school fire to protest authority, John is expelled from junior high. He and his friend Lee seek a place of their own while confronting the contradictions in the adults around them.

This guide examines the search for a partner and the challenges of relationships, from marriage to separation and divorce. Examples encourage readers to understand themselves and consider what they need from life with someone else.

Jed comes from a West Virginia family of coal miners, but he wants to carve wood. With encouragement from his teacher and aunt, he looks for a future that his father might accept.

A teenage girl rebels against her divorced mother's double standards and searches for freedom in a commune. Meditation and communal living promise a different life, but she encounters troubling contradictions in her new surroundings.

Billie Tommie becomes the first member of his Seminole family to attend school. Growing up in Florida's Everglades, he must navigate the modern world while learning the traditions his grandfather wants to preserve.

A portrait of the Stoltzfus family explores Amish life in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Everyday routines, religious beliefs, weddings, funerals, and barn raisings show how family and community sustain a way of life facing outside pressures.

Lynn and Mouse suspect that Mrs. Tuggle is a witch who wants Lynn's sister Judith in her coven. When the adults leave the girls in Judith's care, their suspicions become an urgent family problem.

This guide discusses problems that arise within families and the importance of communication. It encourages young readers to consider how family members relate to one another and how talking can help them work through difficulties.

During the Depression, Ruth Wheeler's hopes for college and teaching become uncertain as her family loses its security. Encounters with other people's poverty challenge her assumptions and make growing up more complicated than she expected.

Naylor recounts her first marriage and the effects of her husband's schizophrenia on their shared life. Seeking help while earning a living, she faces the emotional strain and difficult choices involved in loving him.

Lynn and Mouse remain convinced that Mrs. Tuggle is a witch, although adults dismiss their fears. When crows begin following Mouse and a protective object is destroyed, the girls try to uncover Tuggle's plans.

Lynn's mother plans to move her writing studio into Mrs. Tuggle's house for the winter. Convinced that the woman is a witch, Lynn and Mouse must protect her before their fears become reality.

With their parents away, the five Megglethorp children face a week under Miss Brasscoat's strict supervision. Her rigid approach leaves little room for imagination, setting off a contest between an uncompromising babysitter and resourceful children.

These humorous essays draw loosely on Naylor's own family life, with names changed along the way. Everyday experiences become occasions to explore the frustrations, surprises, and absurdities that emerge when people share a household.

After years caring for her mother, Mary Martha lives within the strict rules of her church. The arrival of her orphaned nephew and a visiting preacher unsettles her routines and awakens hopes for independence.

Eddie wants to run his own business and recruits two friends to help. Recycling, lawn mowing, and delivering newspapers bring unexpected setbacks as he searches for an enterprise that will finally make him the boss.

This guide explores what friendship means and how young people can build relationships while remaining themselves. It considers feelings, behavior, and other people's perspectives, helping readers understand the part they play in getting along.

A sudden family trip to York, England, brings Dan into contact with Roman ruins and mysterious figures. What begins as a vacation becomes a disturbing encounter with the past and a secret within his family.

As the oldest child, John is expected to manage his younger brother and sister during a supermarket trip. Keeping one out of mischief and the other out of his way makes responsibility feel decidedly unfair.

Back in York for the summer, Dan stays at his grandmother's farm and sees a familiar face in a cellar spring. Strange voices and visions draw him toward another unsettling encounter with the past.

Determined to stop his mysterious visitors, Dan instead finds himself drawn into the time of the Black Death. Survival and a troubling family secret become entangled as he faces a past he cannot simply change.

Sixteen-year-old Evie spends the summer with relatives whose beliefs differ from her preacher father's strict faith. New experiences and family troubles force her to question familiar answers and decide what she believes for herself.

Fifteen stories portray teenagers carrying out acts of kindness without expecting rewards. Everyday decisions to help others place compassion at the center of these portraits of young people discovering what it means to act unselfishly.

When a doctor accidentally injects Jonathan with helium, the seven-year-old begins to float. Escaping a bully suddenly seems easy, but staying on the ground presents a far stranger problem for a boy with ordinary worries.

Someone is releasing terrible smells across Middleburg, and Bernie fears the culprit could be staying at his family's hotel. With his father's job at risk, he sets out to investigate the town's stinking mystery.

Brothers Ted and Nory grow closer at summer camp while their parents move toward divorce. When a custody plan threatens to separate them, they must confront adult decisions that could undo their strongest source of support.

Thirteen stories follow young people navigating shyness, pregnancy, divorce and jealousy. Their encounters with difficult personal and family situations explore the uncertainty of growing up and the choices that shape relationships with others.

Ellen fears the horse involved in her brother's death and struggles with loneliness in rural Mississippi. When strangers occupy an abandoned house and a kidnapping occurs, she must confront dangers beyond her familiar fears.

A bear looking for food visits Old Sadie, whose poor eyesight keeps her from recognizing her unusual guest. Cinnamon buns and the prospect of company bring a lonely woman and a wandering animal together.

Growing up without her mother, Alice searches for a woman who can show her how to become a teenager. School embarrassments and an unexpected teacher complicate her plans for finding the perfect role model.

High school senior Craig faces his mother's failing health while his uncle organizes a mock nuclear emergency. Family worries and alarming preparations leave him searching for courage amid both personal uncertainty and official confusion.

Bodies appear and disappear at the Bessledorf Hotel, where Bernie's father works as manager. With the hotel's reputation and his father's job threatened, Bernie tries to untangle a mystery involving a missing corpse.

Nick tries to live like an ordinary eighth grader while his father's worsening mental illness destabilizes their Chicago household. As his mother struggles to conceal the problem, school and family responsibilities pull him in different directions.

Sixteen-year-old April hopes an older bridge builder can offer escape from her abusive family. Their unequal relationship brings new dependence and difficult choices as she struggles to build a life she can call her own.

In this interview with Kay Bonetti, Naylor discusses her upbringing, writing for different audiences, and experiences with censorship. She also considers her first marriage and the way personal problems can become material for fiction.

Baby Molly cries, leaving her family puzzled about what she wants. Her two older brothers watch closely as she tries to take her first steps, searching for a way to understand their little sister.

George's parents expect him to attend an elite college, but he quietly sabotages his applications. Taking jobs instead, he tests a different future and faces the conflict between their ambitions and his own wishes.

Growing up among seven children on an Iowa farm, Maudie longs to be noticed. Her efforts to impress Aunt Sylvie compete with her lively temper as family troubles offer a chance to find her place.

Jimmy belongs to a club that prizes toughness and dismisses his cousin David as weak. Dangerous dares and trouble closer to home challenge the boys' ideas about bravery, vulnerability, and what makes someone worth respecting.

Alice has a boyfriend, but dating Patrick makes their friendship unexpectedly complicated. As seventh grade approaches, worries about gifts, kissing, and expectations leave her wondering whether having a boyfriend should really be this difficult.

Andy wants to win a fifth-grade essay contest and see his picture in the newspaper. An idea about eating insects launches an unusual cooking experiment, but success could create problems when his unsuspecting family discovers what he has served.

Four-year-old Michael promises to keep his father’s Christmas present secret, then accidentally reveals it during dinner. Upset by his siblings’ reactions, he searches for a way to create a fresh surprise and show he can be trusted.

Naylor offers advice for developing a novel, including keeping the central character’s problem in focus and building obstacles that deepen emotional tension. Her guidance on plot encourages writers to connect suspense, turning points, and supporting storylines.

A troubled ghost is haunting the hotel Bernie Magruder’s father manages, threatening both his job and the family’s home. Bernie and his friends investigate the strange visitor, hoping to learn what it wants before they must move again.

Fifteen-year-old Beth longs to finish school and escape the endless chores of her crowded family trailer. An older man’s affection offers an apparent way out, but marriage could repeat the life she hopes to leave behind.

Lynn and Mouse believe their troubles ended when Mrs. Tuggle’s house burned down. Strange behavior from Lynn’s little brother suggests the witch’s influence remains, forcing the friends to confront a danger they thought had finally disappeared.

Lynn hopes for a peaceful summer after disposing of Mrs. Tuggle’s glass eye, but strange purple plants appear near the creek. When schoolgirls form a possible coven and draw Mouse toward them, Lynn fears the witch’s influence persists.

Kevin wants to enjoy the playground, but Sammy claims to rule it and threatens anyone who uses the equipment. Talking with his father helps Kevin consider how to face the bully without giving up a place he loves.

Alice begins seventh grade determined to get along with everyone, until a school bully challenges that plan. Trying to untangle her father’s and brother’s romantic problems creates more complications as she struggles to find her place in junior high.

Eleven-year-old Marty Preston befriends a beagle he believes is being abused by its owner. When his parents insist he return the dog, Marty hides it instead, creating a painful conflict between honesty, ownership, and protecting a vulnerable animal.

After a disastrous talent show, Alice wishes she had a sister to help her through embarrassing moments. Her idea of a wider sisterhood promises companionship, but fitting in brings new problems as she navigates school and growing up.

New best friends Josie and Sarah accidentally break a piano bench and must earn money to repair it. Their attempts to start a pet-care business bring unexpected complications, testing both their resourcefulness and their still-developing friendship.

Lynn and Mouse suspect that an elderly newcomer is Mrs. Tuggle, the witch they believed was dead. Fearful that her powers have returned, the friends search for help in resisting a threat their neighbors may not recognize.

Approaching thirteen, Alice takes her aunt’s advice about becoming the woman of the house seriously. Planning her father’s birthday and arranging medical checkups adds to her worries about changing bodies, classmates, and the demands of growing up.

Still embarrassed by their neighbors’ Halloween victory, the Hatford boys try frightening the Malloy sisters with stories of a legendary creature. The girls answer with schemes of their own, turning another round of retaliation into a contest of ingenuity.

The Hatford brothers hope boys will replace their departed best friends across the river, but three sisters move in instead. Determined to drive the newcomers away, they launch pranks that the Malloy girls prove fully capable of answering.

A company executive disappears with a pension fund just as Middleburg’s funeral home introduces a drive-through viewing window. Bernie hopes solving the theft will make him a record-breaking detective, but his clues lead toward the unsettling funeral parlor.

As Halloween approaches, the Malloy sisters plan revenge against the Hatford brothers’ relentless tricks. A costume contest raises the stakes of their neighborhood feud, giving both sides another chance to outwit each other and claim the upper hand.

House cats Marco and Polo escape through an open door, hoping to find a ranch and a long-lost mother. Surviving outdoors leads them to a feline club whose leader demands they solve three dangerous mysteries before joining.

Newly thirteen, Alice feels caught between childhood and adulthood. A night out with her brother and a train trip to Chicago with her friends expose the pleasures and risks of trying to grow up faster than she feels ready.

Jennifer Jean loves her crossed green eyes and resists the idea of having them changed. As kindergarten approaches, she faces medical treatment and unfamiliar expectations, raising questions about feeling comfortable with herself while adjusting to something new.

Doug and his brother are left at a wilderness campsite when a family emergency calls their parents away. After Gordie vanishes following an argument, Doug must search for him near the narrow mountain ledge he is terrified to cross.

The Hatford boys and Malloy girls continue their feud as Christmas approaches. Forced to partner on a school project, Caroline and Wally must decide whether their determination to annoy each other matters more than earning a passing grade.

With eighth grade approaching, Alice’s friends spend their summer at a swimming pool, unaware that she fears deep water. Keeping her secret means excuses and isolation, leaving Alice to decide how she might begin confronting that fear.

After their parents’ divorce, T.R. follows his older brother Danny closely through life in a restrictive housing development. Their volatile new friend Paul pushes against its rules, and T.R. worries that Danny will be pulled into serious trouble.

Angry and withdrawn after her father’s disappearance, Chrissa spends a year with her grandmother in the rural community where he grew up. Searching for answers about his departure uncovers further secrets and challenges her assumptions about her family.

An eighth-grade health assignment asks Alice and Patrick to plan a pretend marriage while classmates confront other imagined adult problems. The exercise raises uncomfortable questions about responsibility, relationships, and how prepared any of them are for growing up.

A bomb explodes at the Bessledorf bus depot, and suspicion falls on Bernie Magruder’s sister, then his brother. Bernie teams up with Georgene and Weasel to investigate before the crime permanently damages his family’s reputation.

Marty hopes owning Shiloh will end his troubles with the dog’s former owner, Judd Travers. When Judd begins drinking and hunting on the Preston family’s land, Marty fears that protecting his beagle may require confronting the man again.

Willie watches a mother duck and her ducklings in a motel courtyard, then realizes the little birds are disappearing one by one. With nearby adults ignoring his concerns, he must find out what is happening and persuade someone to help.

Amy Audrey’s spills and stumbles make her relatives reluctant to take her anywhere. As one outing after another ends in mishaps, she struggles with their impatience and the feeling that she will always be the family’s clumsy child.

Eighth grade feels less exciting than Alice expected, so she decides to replace her ordinary image with something outrageous. Experiments with her appearance and behavior bring unexpected embarrassment as she searches for a more interesting version of herself.

As Judd Travers recovers from an accident, Marty tries to believe his dog’s former owner deserves another chance. Neighbors blame Judd for fresh trouble, leaving Marty caught between community suspicion and his hope that people can change.

Texas Jake’s injuries leave his feline club searching for ways to help him and perhaps claim leadership. Marco and Polo undertake a risky mission for healing leaves at the city dump, territory controlled by a feared rival gang.

Alice is confused when attention from her gentle Camera Club friend Sam makes her question her long relationship with Patrick. Enjoying both boys’ company forces her to examine what she wants and whether affection can point in two directions.

Strange lights, coded messages and fresh holes revive rumors of pirate treasure buried in Middleburg. Bernie and his friends investigate as a supposed pirate descendant arrives with a map, drawing the whole town into an increasingly suspicious treasure hunt.

Paul’s beloved cat returns after traveling fifteen miles, but the housing development where he lives forbids pets. T.R., Danny and their friends devise a plan to keep the animal without getting themselves or Paul into deeper trouble.

After being robbed and beaten while hitchhiking, Josh wakes in an isolated village without modern technology. As buildings and landscapes shift around him, he questions whether its inhabitants rescued him or trapped him somewhere he may never escape.

Ordered to treat the Malloy girls like sisters, the Hatford boys find ways to continue their rivalry within the rules. Their youngest brother, Peter, complicates every scheme by befriending the girls and freely revealing his brothers’ plans.

Alice feels increasingly out of step with friends focused on clothes and makeup, while her relationship with Patrick raises new uncertainties. Trying to understand her own feelings becomes harder when everyone seems to expect her to feel something else.

An elderly couple makes a weekly trip to town to sell fish, but the husband's constant complaints spoil the outing. When he refuses his wife's request for strawberries, her reaction forces him to reconsider his treatment of others.

Ryan Walker wants to become a cowboy, but his brother's involvement with an anti-immigrant militia unsettles him. As tensions grow in their Wyoming community, Ryan must examine familiar beliefs and decide where his loyalties belong.

Josh Hatford claims he's spying on Beth Malloy to escape his brothers' teasing about their romance. Meanwhile, a science-fair project and Caroline's curiosity about love create new opportunities for the rival families to cause trouble.

Bernie tries to match his sister Delores with a hotel guest, hoping marriage will free her bedroom for him. Her work at a parachute factory and a plan to test her own parachute complicate his scheme.

Carlotta's five kittens give the Club of Mysteries cats a responsibility they're unsure they can handle. Protecting them from dangerous rivals, teaching survival skills and finding good homes become urgent tasks as the pound threatens.

Orphaned Judith Sparrow moves into her uncle's South Carolina home, where anything green is forbidden. Hiding her mother's photograph in its green frame seems harmless, until disturbing events raise questions about the house and Judith's sanity.

Alice, Pamela and Elizabeth want to start high school feeling confident, so they plan a summer transformation. When Elizabeth takes their weight-loss efforts too far, Alice begins to question what being ready to grow up really means.

Starting high school is unsettling enough for Alice, but new girl Penny's interest in Patrick threatens their long relationship. As Patrick responds to the attention, Alice struggles to recover confidence and imagine herself outside the couple.

The visiting Benson brothers join the Hatfords in planning to frighten the Malloy girls, who have tricks of their own. A cougar roaming nearby eventually draws the rivals into a shared adventure more dangerous than their pranks.

The Morgan children and their friend Deeter agree to look after No-Name, an exceptionally ugly chicken. Their hopes for an amusement-park visit become entangled with camping, a fox and abductors in an increasingly complicated summer.

Kate Sterling remains withdrawn and angry after her mother's death, while newly released prisoner Zeke Dexter fears returning home. A North Dakota blizzard brings their lives together, confronting both with questions of grief, survival and another chance.

Percy refuses to leave his stuffed bears behind on a family beach trip and quietly makes room for them. When the family discovers what he removed from the cooler, his packing threatens their plans for the day.

Alice is adjusting to life after Patrick and filling her time with theater and the school newspaper. A secret admirer, troubled relationships around her and neglected friendships make newfound independence more complicated than she expected.

Eight-year-old Alice moves to Takoma Park and wants friends, a pet and a mother. Starting third grade among unfamiliar classmates proves difficult, especially when a group of girls makes clear that she isn't welcome.

A baseball position, spelling-bee honors and a bottle race give the Malloy girls and Hatford boys new reasons to compete. Distrust fuels their schemes until an attempt to interfere with the river race puts Caroline in danger.

Garden-shop owner Harry Gill faces his first year as a widower with grief, anger and unexpected romantic attention. A new boarder and his children's problems complicate his efforts to understand life after his wife's death.

Fourth grade brings Alice a string of embarrassments, made worse by her brother Lester's convincing invented stories. Lunch-table disasters, a snow-cave mishap and an unwanted singing performance leave her wondering how much more can go wrong.

Middleburg is losing sleep over church bells that ring around the clock, while mysterious posters warn of dangerous bats. Bernie and his friends investigate the warnings and the creatures in the belfry, searching for an explanation.