Sometimes it's easy to understand why a book is a Newbery Award winner. ( )

Even though Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. was a Newbery Honor Book back in 1975 (when I was a kid), for some reason, I had never heard of it until recently. I probably never would have found it on my own if I hadn't been introduced to Bette Greene through her wonderful young adult novel, Summer of My German Soldier. After reading that and its sequel I decided to check out Ms. Greene's other works. I'm so glad I did, because my exploration led me to this wonderful little gem of a children's book. It is a very light-hearted story that is quite different in tone from Ms. Green's young adult books, and in my opinion, showcases her versatility as an author.

Beth Lambert, the main protagonist and first-person narrator of the story, is cute as a button, smart as a whip with lots of imagination, spunky, determined, and oh, so funny. She had me almost constantly chuckling, if not laughing out loud through the entire book. I just loved reading about all of her adventures, or misadventures, as the case may be. The main focus of Beth's narration is her relationship with her best friend, Philip Hall, “the cutest boy in school.” I was positively tickled by how Philip goes from being “the sweetest boy ever,” to doing or saying something dumb which turns him into, “a dirty, rotten polecat.” Then does or says something nice that gets him back in Beth's good graces. These two also have a friendly rivalry going, each trying to one up the other to be the best or smartest at everything, as well as a bit of a battle of the sexes. It was like reading a love/hate romance between two twelve-year-olds, and it was absolutely adorable and hilarious. However, interspersed between their intellectual and verbal duels are some very sweet, tender moments that are full of heart.

There are lots of other characters too, including Beth's family who are very loving and supportive, her girl's club, The Pretty Pennies, and Philip's boy's club, The Tiger Hunters. Whether she was trying to catch turkey thieves, getting a new puppy only to find out she's allergic to it, standing up for what's right, rescuing Philip from the mountain, or raising a calf for 4-H, Beth was always in fine form. Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. was a fast-paced and throughly fun read. It had just one mild profanity and other than that was a completely “clean” book that I would highly recommend to kids, parents, teachers or anyone who likes to read a good children's story. Although there doesn't appear to be an official series designation, Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. is the first of three books about Beth and Philip. The other two are Get on out of Here, Philip Hall and I've Already Forgotten Your Name, Philip Hall!. With yet another winner, Bette Greene is solidifying her place on my favorite authors list, and I can't wait to read the other two books in the series. ( )

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Beth Lambert is an Arkansas country girl who lives on a turkey farm. She has a crush on Philip Hall, who lives on the neighboring dairy farm. She is sure Philip must like her too.
And Philip does like Beth, but he hates that she seems to beat him at everything. No matter what they're doing, he always seems to be overshadowed by Beth, and he's embarassed by that.
The book is really a series of seven short stories. Light and humorous. You'll love Beth, and in spite of his boasting before any contest and his sourness after losing it, you can't help but like Philip too. ( )

Beth has a crush on Philip Hall, a boy in her 6th grade class. She fluctuates between being confident that he likes her, too (he does let her come over and do his chores for him (ugh)), and being not so certain, especially when he gets annoyed when she proves more successful at certain things. She works her way toward a realization that her self-worth means more than what a boy thinks of her.
I suspect that this one can be inspiring for young girls, but I was irritated with Philip from the beginning and exasperated with Beth for not realizing how amazing she is much earlier. ( )