Once again [with "Second Nature"] Mary Stolz has taken a familiar teen-age situation and, eschewing the easy ending, has turned it into a wise commentary on life. The book is moving without being sombre, witty and knowing in its portrayal of teen-agers and grown-ups alike. And, like nearly all of Mrs, Stolz's books, it calls for more maturity than does the average novel for girls, provoking, at the same time, mature thinking. (p. 34)

Ellen Lewis Buell, in The New York Times Book Review (© 1958 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), May 18, 1958.