Pre-teenagers Beth Lambert and Philip Hall were first introduced to readers in the 1970s. Now there is a nostalgic small-town feel as the two deal with the ins and outs of their friendship. Beth’s friends in the Walnut Ridge Irritated Oysters club reluctantly bid her goodbye as she returns from her grandparents’ home to her good ole hometown of Pocahontas, Arkansas. A little jealousy and curiosity come between the two and before Beth knows it, Philip is preparing to arm-wrestle a non-existent foe from Walnut Ridge. When the town’s mayor issues a challenge to the mayor of Walnut Ridge to send the foe or any arm-wrestler who is better, Mama Regina (Beth’s grandmother) arrives in town, and after much drama, the townspeople reluctantly match her up with the town’s champion: Philip Hall. The climax is predictable and the drama contrived. Only a few readers will find the setting or events credible—even if viewed in a historical context. (Fiction. 8-10)
