Most of us can point to a time or two when our friends saved us in some way, maybe cheering us up after a broken heart with a pint of chocolate ice cream or a funny greeting card or just the right word or even lifting our spirits after a devastating loss. It’s likely that most of us can recall hours spent chatting with a good friend about nothing particularly important, consulting about which outfit looks best on us, whiling away the hours imagining the possibilities that await us in the future or even philosophically pondering the meaning of life. No matter the case, there’s no question that friends add immeasurably to our lives. A reminder that friends sometimes arrive unexpectedly and can help or even once in awhile hinder growth, this week’s book reviews by members of the International Reading Association Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group all have friendship at their heart.
GRADES K-3
DiCamillo, Kate, & McGee, Alison. (2012). Bink & Gollie: Two for one. Illus. by Tony Fucile. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Friends come from unlikely places and in surprising forms, and some friendships may be hard to explain. In the case of Bink and Gollie, on the surface no two friends could be more different. Daredevil Bink wears t-shirts, cares little about her messy hairdo, and is interested in having fun while more prim and proper Gollie with her neatly combed hair is much more cautious. Despite their differences, the two girls are friends, and that's really all that matters. In this follow-up title to the inaugural Bink & Gollie (2010) that won a Theodore Seuss Geisel Award, the two friends head to the fair. There Bink tries to win a prize by throwing a baseball at ducks and ends up hitting the vendor accidentally several times, Gollie tries and fails to participate in the talent show, and the two have their fortunes told. With each mishap, the friends are there for each other. The text and digital illustrations make it clear that no matter what the future holds, the bond between this unlikely due is sure to hold. It’s nearly impossible to resist the appeal of these two friends.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
DiPucchio, Kelly. (2012). Crafty Chloe. Illus. by Heather Ross. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Although her classmates seem adept at just about everything, including sports, ballet, and video games, that’s not the case for Chloe. Rather than feeling bad about her inadequacies, Chloe focuses on her talent, which is being good at making things. When another classmate buys the present she planned to purchase for her classmate’s Emma's birthday party, she decides to make something for her friend. She eventually creates the perfect gift and rescues London, a snooty classmate who often belittled Chloe in the past, from disaster on the way to the party. The pencil and digitally colored illustrations depict perfectly the girls’ personalities as well as the crafty nature of Chloe. In the end, Chloe just might have made a friend out of an enemy.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Eversole, Robyn. (2012). East dragon, west dragon. Illus. by Scott Campbell. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Dragon East and Dragon West are introduced through humorous and anachronistic illustrations. Dragon West lives in his boy cave with video games and an assortment of balls and is often bothered by pesky knights seeking adventure. On the other hand, Dragon East enjoys a rather refined life spent learning to paint and write. After Dragon West sends those bothersome knights on a fool’s errand that takes them to the lands of Dragon East, the two dragons eventually meet and agree to get rid of the knights that are pests for both of them. However, they must face each other first, and each is somewhat fearful of what the other dragon’s powers might entail. As the two overcome these initial fears, they learn to become friends. Although the dragons come from vastly different backgrounds and cultures, they form a friendship that is real as well as respectful. Teachers can extend this book with the lesson from the Learning to Give website at http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit194/lesson4.html.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Root, Phyllis. (2009). Toot toot zoom! Illus. by Matthew Cordell. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Pierre lives all alone at the foot of a mountain and longs for a friend. He sets out to drive to the other side of the mountain to find one. Up and up the road Pierre zooms. At every curve he honks his horn, “Toot! Toot! Zoom!” in warning for anything ahead of him. As children read this picture book, they will want to move their fingers along the zigzag road and follow Pierre’s little red car. As Pierre gets closer to the top of the mountain he meets a goat, a sheep and a bear. Once he explains that he is on a mission to find a friend, these animals hop into his car to help. When the little car cannot make it over the mountain, the animals push the car to the top. After his vehicle crashes, Pierre realizes he doesn't need to look any further since he has three new friends. This book reminds readers that friends can be found in unexpected places.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Siegel, Randy. (2012). My snake Blake. Illus. by Serge Bloch. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Sometimes a best friend can come in the form of something slithery, which is exactly what happens when a young boy receives a long green snake for his birthday – a gift from his father, no less, with a bit of skepticism from his mother. However, the snake turns out to be not only intelligent, but also truly clever especially when he spells out his name, Blake, in cursive writing. The family quickly learns that Blake is helpful on many levels as he opens doors, helps with homework, finds lost items and sometimes cooks! Serge Bloch’s playful illustrations make Blake’s antics even more fun as this unlikely friendship blossoms. Young readers and writers might enjoy practicing cursive writing at this website: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/cursive.html.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
GRADES 5-7
Airgood, Ellen. (2012). Prairie Evers. New York: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books.
Ten-year-old Prairie Evers loves her grandmother and her country home in the South and isn't particularly thrilled when her parents move to the North to live off the land her mother has inherited. Once her mother takes a job to make ends meet, she can no longer home school Prairie. Prairie hates everything about her new school, including her unfriendly classmates and the loud yellow bus that she must ride. She’d much rather spend her days with the chickens she is raising on the farm. She eventually becomes friends with Ivy Blake, a classmate whose mother is preoccupied with a new romance and her own dark secrets from the past. Prairie's innocence and gratitude are heart-warming as she counts her own daily blessings while reaching out to others. Nevertheless, the author makes it clear that friendship has its ups and downs, and part of being a good friend means being patient with others. Both Prairie and Ivy come to realize that as similar as two individuals may seem, there are also areas where they are quite different. This book is filled with wonderfully descriptive passages that make Prairie, Ivy, and those chickens appealing. The author skewers the small-mindedness of those in small towns who refuse to let the past remain in the past.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Losure, Mary. (2012). The fairy ring or Elsie and Frances fool the world. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
This fascinating story about two girls, friends who swore each other to secrecy, and then didn't break the pact for sixty years, almost a lifetime, returns readers to the early decades of the twentieth century. When Frances, 9, and Elsie, 15, claim to see fairies near where they live in Cottingley, Yorkshire, England, their parents press them for proof, and as a lark, they end up photographing paper cutouts of fairies painted by Elsie and then staged outdoors. Little did they know that the photographs would rouse so much attention, even attracting the attentions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the clever detective Sherlock Holmes, who yearned to see one of the fairies whose image the girls claimed to have captured through their camera. Perhaps most astounding of all is how boredom and a yearning for respect from the adults in their lives prompted the girls’ actions. After all, they never meant to fool anyone. When readers look at the photos now, they may be puzzled as to how anyone believed the girls’ stories, but then again, many often see what they want to see. Back matter includes an acknowledgment and source notes, attesting to the author's thorough research of this intriguing historical tidbit.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Moulton, Erin E. (2012). Tracing stars. New York: Philomel Books.
Set in small town coastal Plumtown, Maine, this book chronicles a summer of self-discovery for fifth grader Indie Lee Chickory. Not only is she trying to find her pet golden lobster, but also to figure out her own self-identity. It appears she is a constant annoyance and often an embarrassment to her very popular older sister Bebe. When Bebe lands a starring role in the summer production of “The Sound of Music,” she also wrangles a spot working on the stage crew for Indie. In addition, Bebe plans a makeover of sorts for her somewhat socially clueless sibling. Bebe wants Indie to be more like her, which means having friends from a select group defined by Bebe. Indie meets nerdy Owen Stone, who is not on Bebe’s select list, and the two develop a friendship when he offers to help find Indie’s missing lobster. After a cruel prank is played on Owen, Indie learns what it truly means to be a friend as she eventually stands up for Owen. Well-developed characters give this book ‘tween appeal. Teachers might like to extend this book with a lesson from the ReadWriteThink website entitled “Write Letters to Friends and Family.”
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Standiford, Natalie. (2012). The secret tree. New York: Scholastic.
Mystery surrounds a “secret tree” in the nearby woods where Minty discovers notes from individuals who have expressed their deepest heartfelt secrets on notes left in the tree. This is how Minty’s summer begins after sixth grade as she and her would-be roller-derby friend Paz start their break from school. Minty feels a little abandoned, however, when Paz starts to hang out with a cooler group of friends. When Minty meets a boy named Raymond in the woods and learns that he is a runaway living in one of the model homes in a nearby housing development, an odd sort of friendship develops. Raymond and Minty share some of the mysteries of the neighborhood, including Raymond’s connection to the “Witch Lady” from the far side of the woods. Strong and interesting middle school characters who endure shifting friendships will make this book appeal to middle grade readers. Teachers might enjoy using this lesson on cryptology after reading this book with students.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Stead, Rebecca. (2012). Liar & spy. New York: Wendy Lamb/Random House.
In September Georges’ every-day-after-school friend, Jason, begins to ignore him and sit with the cool students at lunch. After moving into an apartment building with his parents, Georges attends a “Spy club” meeting and becomes friends with another twelve-year-old boy named Safer and his sister Candy. Together they begin to spy on Mr. X, a tenant in the same building, who is definitely up to something evil. They use different spy equipment such as a lobbycam and gum wrappers to track when Mr. X enters and leaves the building. When Safer insists that they break and enter into Mr. X’s apartment, Georges has to determine if Safer really is a friend. While this mystery is unfolding, Georges is also dealing with a couple of bullies at school, learning about the senses in science and playing capture the flag in P.E. Throughout the novel Georges and his mom communicate with each other by leaving Scrabble-tile messages. Reminiscent of Stead’s earlier novel, When You Reach Me (2009), all signs, suspicions and uncertainties raised in the book are answered in the end. Intermediate students will definitely enjoy this funny mystery.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
GRADES 8-12
Andrews, Jesse. (2012). Me and Earl and the dying girl: a novel. New York: Amulet books.
For his writing debut author Jesse Andrews has crafted a YA novel that will leave readers trying to figure out whether to laugh or cry. Greg Gaines has entered his senior year in high school and has purposely tried to maintain a low profile. His passion is filmmaking, especially with his one foul-mouthed friend, Earl, who hails from the wrong side of town. When Greg’s mother finds out that Rachel, a former friend and classmate from Hebrew school days, has been diagnosed with leukemia, she nudges Greg to rekindle the friendship and perhaps help Rachel to deal with her life-threatening illness. Through their crazy and irreverent movies, Greg and Earl do just that although they have no idea what they are actually doing. With an unusual mix of narrative techniques, the author uses bulleted lists for facts, passages written in screenplay style, and wordy and explanatory chapter titles that create a text filled with a humorously unique hodge-podge writing style. This book will be an interesting discussion companion with John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (2012).
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Backer, M. Molly. (2012). The princesses of Iowa. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
When they were younger, Paige Sheridan and her best friends Nikki and Lacey dreamed of one day becoming members of their Iowa high school homecoming court. But after being involved in a drunk-driving accident, Paige’s priorities change. No longer is she content with being popular and having a good-looking boyfriend after the accident and a summer spent in Paris. As she examines her own goals, Paige must reconcile what really matters with how much she and her friends actually have in common. As in the case of this teen princess, readers will realize that sometimes having it all looks different from the inside. What will Paige gain by letting go of what she once thought she wanted more than anything?
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Fitzpatrick, Huntley. (2012). My life next door. New York: Dial.
Even though Samantha Reed has a privileged life as the daughter of a state senator running for reelection, she longs for the connections found in the family that lives next door. Obedient, proper Samantha is intrigued by them and sometimes wishes she could trade her life for their messier lives. Unexpectedly, Samantha falls in love with Jase Garrett, one of the older sons, someone of whom her mother would disapprove. Samantha watches in dismay as her mother turns into someone she no longer recognizes, the consummate politician intent on winning at all costs, someone who follows the dictates of Clay, a wily political consultant from the South. As she struggles about one night’s events, Samantha must choose between her mother and her boyfriend. Her decision parallels what she learns about her best friend Nan and her brother Tim, both caught in their own struggles and dishonesty. The friendship she cherished with Nan turns out to be less than reliable, hiding jealousy, deceit and resentment. The characters’ moral dilemmas makes this title much more than a book about a summer romance, raising questions about culpability and the consequences of our actions. Sam’s decision to do the right thing even when it hurts someone she loves isn't an easy choice.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Friend, Natasha. (2012). My life in black and white. New York: Viking Juvenile.
As sophomore year draws near, Lexi has everything going for her. She and her best friend Taylor are as tight as ever, she's dating handsome and well-mannered Ryan, and she is drop-dead gorgeous. Everyone tells her so. But one night changes everything. Taylor and Ryan betray her at a party, and she is injured in a car wreck while fending off advances from Taylor's older brother. Beautiful Lexi awakens to facial disfigurement, surgery, and an inability to face the world as less than beautiful. After a lifetime of being defined by her looks, Lexi must come to terms with her identity now that the thing she and others have used to define her has changed. Lexi’s anger, jealousy, and desire for revenge against Taylor are described realistically, building sympathy while also humanizing her as she lashes out at those around her. Interestingly, the Lexi who evolves over the course of the book has much more depth than the Lexi before the accident since she learns to squeeze lemonade from the lemons life has handed her. All of the characters are complex and not as easy to pigeonhole as readers might think on first glance. For instance, both Taylor and Ryan are much more than they seem to be on the surface. As Lexi eventually learns, even a friendship that seems broken beyond repair may be mended with patience and care.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Henry, April. (2012). The night she disappeared. New York: Henry Holt/Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books.
One night Kayla, a Pete’s Pizza delivery girl, goes out to deliver two pizzas and never returns. This disappearance causes coworkers Drew and Gabie to become friends and work together to make sense of this tragic event. The chapter titles such as “The Day It Happened” or “The Second Day” help readers understand the timeline of events. In addition, the chapters are brief and told from different perspectives such as those of Drew, Gabie, or other coworkers from the pizza parlor. Interspersed throughout the book are expository writing pieces such as a Pete’s Pizza order form, a 911 transcript call, police evidence, newspaper articles and a to-do list. All of these unique writing touches, along with dashes of suspense and romance, will insure that young adolescents will hungrily read this fast paced novel.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Price, Nora. (2012). Zoe letting go. New York: Penguin/Razorbill.
Clearly in denial, rising junior Zoe Propp has no idea why she is at Twin Birch, which seems to be an elegant recovery facility for girls with eating disorders. As she journals and writes letters to her best friend Elise Pope, she tries to make sense of her world. To her dismay, Elise never writes her back. Through Zoe’s letters describing scenes from their lives, readers are given glimpses of the origin and progression of the eating disorders shared by the two somewhat fragile teenagers. Because Elise is much taller than Zoe, surviving on smaller and smaller amounts of food takes a faster toll on her, and her hair begins falling out in clumps. The author's handling of the topic is skillful, hinting at the tragedy to come even in the first chapter when Zoe goes to great pains to prepare the right birthday cake for Elise, only to throw it away uneaten after blowing out its candles. During recovery, as Zoe begins eating foods that she hasn't eaten in years, her awareness that she needs to eat in order to live is juxtaposed with her fear of being unable to lose the weight she's recently gained before going back to school. Clearly described here, the bond between friends that strengthens them may also destroy them. Although Zoe’s reliability as a narrator is questionable, once she finally accepts the truth about herself and Elise, she is well on the road to recovery.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Rubin, Sarah. (2012). Someday dancer. New York: Scholastic/The Chicken House.
Eighth grader Casey Quinn loves nothing more than dancing and dreams of leaving her small South Carolina town behind. When she hears about a dance audition in New York, she takes a cleaning job at the hospital to earn money for a bus trip to New York. Although she doesn't make the cut, her innate dancing skills are noticed despite her lack of training, and she ends up with a scholarship to study dance with Martha Graham. The scenes in which Casey interacts with the great dancer and choreographer are especially poignant while the descriptions of the dances and dancers themselves are quite lyrical. As Casey learns to navigate the Big Apple, she becomes friends with a girl she met at the audition and even gains a grudging respect for Priss Ann-Lee, her former classmate, who has more empathy than Casey originally thought.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman