Pat Trattles (Children's Literature)
Brit got her driver’s license only eleven days ago, and like any new teenage driver, she cannot wait to use it. The last thing she wants is to be stuck staying with her grandmother, Nannie, while her parents vacation in Alaska. Brit’s grandmother wants to attend her 65th college reunion with her three best friends, and the last thing she wants is to baby-sit her sixteen-year-old granddaughter. Both get their wishes when Nannie , whose daughter has taken her license away because she is a hazard behind the wheel, rents a van and talks Brit into driving her and her friends to the reunion. So begins a hilarious romp across three states in which not only does Brit reluctantly (and illegally) get behind the wheel of the rental car, but she also gets herself deeply involved in a kidnap caper, “rescuing” one of the roommates from a nursing home where she has been left to die by her evil money-hungry son. Brit only went along with the plan at first because Nannie totally trashed the yard trying to get the van out of the driveway, and Brit fears her grandmother will never make it alive if she drives herself. Along the way, however, she grows to love “the girls” and is determined to get them safely to their reunion at all costs. A laugh a minute adventure, this heartwarming story of the exuberance of youth and the frailties and heartaches of ageing is sure to be a hit with teens everywhere. 2006, Delecorte Press, $15.95. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 8))
Cooney begins this latest outing as a rather sweet comedy that evolves into her patented suspense caper. Brit, 16, has just received her driver's license when she's thrust into a criminal enterprise concocted by her 86-year-old grandmother. Sent to stay with grandma while her parents take a trip to Alaska, Brit no sooner arrives than she learns that grandma intends to kidnap an elderly friend to help her escape the woman's apparently unloving son. Grandma has rented an SUV and talks Brit into driving on terrifying highways from Long Island to Massachusetts. Soon Brit learns that the son indeed is dangerous, and that Brit is far too involved in an enterprise that might ruin her whole life. Along the way, Brit learns to respect her grandma's fading generation for their courage and love. An unexpected, touching and effective sojourn from the always entertaining Cooney. 2006, Delacorte, 176p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janis Flint-Ferguson (KLIATT Review, May 2006 (Vol. 40, No. 3))
Brittany Anne Bowman is standing at her grandmother's house as her parents take off for a trip to Alaska. Dumped on the doorstep, or so she thinks. As it turns out, this is not going to be a dull stay--her Nannie Scott has other plans, plans that include illegal driving and kidnapping. Nannie and Nannie's dearest friends, Flo, Aurelia and Daisy, are planning on attending their college reunion in Massachusetts, even though they no longer have driver's licenses and Aurelia has been sent to live in an assisted living facility against her will. What's a granddaughter to do? Join them, of course. This is a delightful romp through the generations, from white gloves and tea parties through cell phones and the Internet. But what emerges is a sense of family values, of listening to each other and of respect for both teens and the aged. Nannie and her friends are determined not to miss their 60th college reunion and though Brittany isn't sure why, she comes to understand that the women see it as their last one together. That realization propels Brittany into the adventure as driver and kidnapper, wanting the four friends to have this opportunity. Along the way, Brittany keeps in touch with girlfriends and the crush of her life, Coop, through her cell phone and text messaging. Cooney delivers with humor the poignant interaction between young and old. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2006, Random House, Delacorte Press, 176p., $17.99. Ages 12 to 18.

Amy Hart (Library Media Connection, October 2006)
Couched in an action-packed comic plot, this is a poignant look at what it's like to be old. When 16-year-old Brit arrives at her grandmother's house for a summer visit, she learns that Nannie has rented an SUV and has plans to collect three college friends ("the girls") and drive to Maine for their 65th college reunion. Unable to see over the dashboard, Nannie agrees that Brit, although newly licensed, can be the weekend's chauffeur. After picking up Nannie's friend Flo, the women proceed to 'kidnap' a second friend, Aurelia, from the nursing home where her son Astin has moved her. When Astin calls the police, ostensibly because he is worried about his mother, Brit is faced with complex choices. Is she endangering these women's lives? Is Aurelia suffering from Alzheimer's? Does Astin have his mother's interests at heart or is he after her money? Brit's driving challenges and her umbilical-cord link to her cell phone and friends keep the plot lively. The author's depiction of a young girl's inner thoughts, her reactions and insights into the lives of her elderly companions, and her musings on her own life ring very true. Letting the girls win, while perhaps not realistic, keeps the tone of the story upbeat. Recommended. 2006, Delacorte Press (Random House), 192pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 12 to 18.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
Days after getting her license, Brit is co-opted by her grandmother to chauffeur the eighty-six-year-old and her three classmates to their college reunion. Oh, and they have to kidnap one from a nursing home along the way. Hilarious driving scenes are mixed with poignant moments as the women recall their heyday. Cooney's strong female characters are inspiring. Category: Older Fiction. 2006, Delacorte, 185pp, 15.95, 17.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Rebecca C. Moore (VOYA, October 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 4))
Brittany Bowman has had her driver's license exactly eleven days when she is shanghaied into chauffeuring her grandmother and friends to their sixty-fifth college reunion. It is not exactly a Sunday drive, and she soon finds herself illegally piloting a rental van, kidnapping one of the "girls" from her nursing home, and then evading police and the kidnappee's son-as well as getting an eye-opening view of old age and fielding sudden attention from a formerly unfriendly crush. As the escapade spins out of control, Brittany must decide whom to believe-a possible Alzheimer's patient or a son who claims to want the best for his mother. Before Brittany decides, however, everyone shows their true colors, and Brittany and "the girls" must act fast to save their futures. Although the would-be heart of this book is friendship, the more compelling themes are loss of power and choice in old age and the dilemma of the young about how best to serve the elderly. Unfortunately Brittany's revelations come across as a message to be delivered, and eliminating her need to choose between mother and son leaves the reader feeling somewhat cheated. In addition, the frenetic endgame strains credulity, turning realistic adventure into melodrama-complete with sneering villain and last-minute rescue by charming young heroes. Still thoughtful readers may come away with more sympathy for grandparental foibles, and others will just enjoy Brittany's hapless adventure and romantic quandary. For another look at kidnapping/rescuing an elderly woman for a road trip, see Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart (Simon & Schuster, 2004/VOYA August 2004). VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Delacorte, 192p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.