As in all the Beany Malone stories, [Come Back, Wherever You Are] is a smooth pastiche of family life and the problems of Beany's circle of friends and acquaintances. Here the crucial situation is that of a small, disturbed child whose mother, Beany's old friend, dies of leukemia. Beany's efforts to make little Jodey feel secure are partially successful…. Although the story has a burden of subplots and minor characters, it is realistic, warm, and capably written. (p. 135)