Friends Forever
- Downloads：2470
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-04 01:21:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shannon Hale
- ISBN：B099QGKHYM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Eileen
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5 starsAnother winner by Shannon Hale and her illustrator best friend LeUyen Pham！ This is the third book in the Real Friends series and it chronicles Shannon's 8th-grade year。 I loved the humor， illustrations， and tackling of real and serious issues。 In 7th grade， she learned that it was perhaps not always good to stick with one group of "best" friends and she learned to expand her friend group to be more inclusive。 She begins 8th grade with a lot more optimism， knowing that she has many friend 5 starsAnother winner by Shannon Hale and her illustrator best friend LeUyen Pham！ This is the third book in the Real Friends series and it chronicles Shannon's 8th-grade year。 I loved the humor， illustrations， and tackling of real and serious issues。 In 7th grade， she learned that it was perhaps not always good to stick with one group of "best" friends and she learned to expand her friend group to be more inclusive。 She begins 8th grade with a lot more optimism， knowing that she has many friends。 But she has always been a straight-A student and tries to be a good person， kind and caring to others。 I remember 8th grade as being the year when more kids started to be interested in the opposite sex， but I felt a lot like Shannon。 I liked guys， but I wasn't really interested in dating them。 Here she struggles with feeling out of place， not good enough， loved by her parents only because of her good grades， and feeling like her hopes and dreams for her adult life are not appropriate。 She tackles the many mixed messages that kids receive from their parents， teachers， friends， and even random strangers （like the Santa in the mall）。 And just like in the previous books， she talks about her mental health （in this case she tackles depression and anxiety） and how she wishes her younger self could have been told different messages and had a better fit with a therapist。 She did eventually find her way out of the hole she was in， and this book is written for all those girls who need to hear those messages。 As I said， I loved the illustrations and I loved the behind-the-scenes stuff at the end， including a letter she writes to us the reader。 This story brought back a lot of memories for me， and I remember feeling some of the things she did。 I was an emotional read for me， but really good。 I highly recommend these three books for anyone， but especially for middle school girls who may need to see themselves in this book。 。。。more
Tara Aldredge
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Graphic memoir about Shannon’s life in eighth grade。 Entertaining and informative， Shannon deals with friendship， family， and depression as she tries to follow a plan to fulfillment。
Sarah Hay
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Third book about author Shannon Hale's middle school experience。 In Friends Forever Shannon is in 8th grade and is friends with a few different groups of people。 She spends the school year trying to figure out herself and where her focus should be， is it popularity， success， boys， perfection？ The stress of middle school adds up until Shannon finds herself unsure and overwhelmed。Good for fans of Raina Telgemeier。Good for ages 11 and up Third book about author Shannon Hale's middle school experience。 In Friends Forever Shannon is in 8th grade and is friends with a few different groups of people。 She spends the school year trying to figure out herself and where her focus should be， is it popularity， success， boys， perfection？ The stress of middle school adds up until Shannon finds herself unsure and overwhelmed。Good for fans of Raina Telgemeier。Good for ages 11 and up 。。。more
Leonard Kim
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I love Hale when I feel like she is just letting herself be her awesome self， though it feels like she doesn't let always let herself （which is consistent with the person portrayed in this book。） So I feel similarly towards this to the way I felt about Kind of a Big Deal: I liked the 2nd half much better than the first， which makes sense as Shannon works out how to be Shannon instead of Everyteen （which I was less engaged by）。 And of course this is a completely unfair critique as I am just proje I love Hale when I feel like she is just letting herself be her awesome self， though it feels like she doesn't let always let herself （which is consistent with the person portrayed in this book。） So I feel similarly towards this to the way I felt about Kind of a Big Deal: I liked the 2nd half much better than the first， which makes sense as Shannon works out how to be Shannon instead of Everyteen （which I was less engaged by）。 And of course this is a completely unfair critique as I am just projecting my preferences and it would be dumb to suppose that Shannon isn't authentically Shannon throughout。 。。。more
Erin
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This series has been great， but this one especially reminded me of my mental health struggles in eighth grade。 Tears may have been involved in the reading of this graphic novel。 I love how honest Shannon is and how much she shares with young readers。 We definitely need to continue the trend of providing personal experiences and information on dealing with mental health challenges。 I am grateful that these books exist now， so fewer children have to wonder "what's wrong with themselves。" This series has been great， but this one especially reminded me of my mental health struggles in eighth grade。 Tears may have been involved in the reading of this graphic novel。 I love how honest Shannon is and how much she shares with young readers。 We definitely need to continue the trend of providing personal experiences and information on dealing with mental health challenges。 I am grateful that these books exist now， so fewer children have to wonder "what's wrong with themselves。" 。。。more
Magaly C。
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This books follows Shannon Hale as she goes into 8th grade and the pressures of doing well in school， being popular， being talented， and being subject to male attention。 This follows Hale’s journey into self-acceptance while she navigates junior high school: with friends and family while still dealing with depression and anxiety。 Loved this book！ Such a great follow up to the Friends series。 A great middle school read！ I pre-ordered for my little sister entering 6th grade who already read the fi This books follows Shannon Hale as she goes into 8th grade and the pressures of doing well in school， being popular， being talented， and being subject to male attention。 This follows Hale’s journey into self-acceptance while she navigates junior high school: with friends and family while still dealing with depression and anxiety。 Loved this book！ Such a great follow up to the Friends series。 A great middle school read！ I pre-ordered for my little sister entering 6th grade who already read the first two graphic novels。 I love the illustrations and Hale， as a character， was so empathetic。 Great for fans of Raina Telgemeier。 。。。more
Jasmine from How Useful It Is
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A fantastic read， another installment with good humor and real life crisis。 Excellent illustrations！ I can imagine it’s hard to make individual faces， hair， body image and clothes for so many characters。 Love the glimpse into the illustrations process at the end of the book！ Love seeing the publicity team’s eighth grade photos！ Thanks for sharing！ I like how this book influenced my son in a good way。 Shannon was a straight A’s student who strived to win and be the best student。 She wanted to mak A fantastic read， another installment with good humor and real life crisis。 Excellent illustrations！ I can imagine it’s hard to make individual faces， hair， body image and clothes for so many characters。 Love the glimpse into the illustrations process at the end of the book！ Love seeing the publicity team’s eighth grade photos！ Thanks for sharing！ I like how this book influenced my son in a good way。 Shannon was a straight A’s student who strived to win and be the best student。 She wanted to make her parents proud but at the same time she wanted to do something and be somebody instead of thinking herself as a homemaker， a job most men think women should settle。 This book followed Shannon starting eighth grade。 In seventh grade she made some friends， boys and girls so she continued the friendship in eighth grade。 Even though she has friends， she still felt like she’s not good enough。 She wanted to be beautiful， famous， successful， liked by boys， etc。 She begged her mom to take her to a salon for a new hairstyle just to feel beautiful as her friends。 Her friends all coupled up with boys except her。 She worried if something was wrong with her when she had no boyfriend while her friends had many。 She had a lot of emotions and constantly worrying that she’s not good enough。 This worry spiraling downhill and made her depressed。 Eventually she figured out a way to feel better and out of the depression hole。 Friends Forever was very well written and illustrated。 It brought back a lot of memories for me。 I felt exactly like Shannon with the boyfriend situation and the not beautiful。 I do love those notes I passed back and forth with my friends too。 There’s a book I read on this topic called Folded Notes from High School。 This friends series is an awesome idea。 A must read for kids everywhere。 I liked how Shannon reached out to make friends and in the drama team despite how she usually doesn’t like the spotlight。 An example is her runny nose in math class。 She avoided at all costs to get up in front of the class to get a tissue off a teacher’s desk but she able to perform on stage。 I like the issues of feeling not good enough vs feeling just enough。 Reminding kids to love themselves and who they are is so important and I’m glad my son got the teaching from reading this book！ I highly recommend everyone to read this series！xoxo， Jasmine at www。howusefulitis。wordpress。com for more details Many thanks to MacKidsBooks for the opportunity to read and review。 Please be assured that my opinions are honest。 。。。more
Susan
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The third graphic novel in a series by Shannon Hale。 In this book we have skipped ahead to eighth grade with flashbacks to seventh grade。 Shannon has made new "better" friends from her drama class。 She is still worried about fitting in and wondering if boys like her。 This confusion comes fro undiagnosed anxiety and depression。 This graphic novel is warm， funny （in parts） but mainly very real。 Shannon reminds me of myself at that age and I wish a graphic novel like this existed when I was in juni The third graphic novel in a series by Shannon Hale。 In this book we have skipped ahead to eighth grade with flashbacks to seventh grade。 Shannon has made new "better" friends from her drama class。 She is still worried about fitting in and wondering if boys like her。 This confusion comes fro undiagnosed anxiety and depression。 This graphic novel is warm， funny （in parts） but mainly very real。 Shannon reminds me of myself at that age and I wish a graphic novel like this existed when I was in junior high。 I would have felt less alone knowing that there were more girls out there worrying about the same things。I would recommend all of Shannon Hale's Friends series to any tween and young teen struggling to fit in and worrying about all kinds of relationships platonic， familial， and romantic。 。。。more
Caitlyn Hernandez
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was an good book as the others follow。
Julie
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With thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an early copy in return for an honest review。I liked how the book was set up with each of the chapters in the book dedicated to an area of her life she was trying to work on， rather than simply telling the story in a chronological way。 Shannon's emotions came through well and I think kids will relate to the feeling of not being enough。 That being said， I don't think I would recommend this to early middle grade readers。 Middle grade is 8-12 year With thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an early copy in return for an honest review。I liked how the book was set up with each of the chapters in the book dedicated to an area of her life she was trying to work on， rather than simply telling the story in a chronological way。 Shannon's emotions came through well and I think kids will relate to the feeling of not being enough。 That being said， I don't think I would recommend this to early middle grade readers。 Middle grade is 8-12 years old， which is generally 3rd-7th grade， and since Shannon was an 8th grader in this book， it dealt with more mature topics。 I think it dealt with the topics well， I probably just wouldn't recommend the book to 3rd-5th graders。 。。。more
Darla
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Young Shannon is starting her 8th grade year， certain she will have more confidence than she did in 7th grade and in her first year of Middle School。 As we all know， hopes do not always translate into reality。 I love the panels LeUyen Pham uses to illustrate Shannon's daydreams。 They have a fairy tale quality and are clearly in contrast with real life -- which can sometimes be a disappointment in comparison。 The notes she and her friend passed back and forth are reproductions of actual notes sav Young Shannon is starting her 8th grade year， certain she will have more confidence than she did in 7th grade and in her first year of Middle School。 As we all know， hopes do not always translate into reality。 I love the panels LeUyen Pham uses to illustrate Shannon's daydreams。 They have a fairy tale quality and are clearly in contrast with real life -- which can sometimes be a disappointment in comparison。 The notes she and her friend passed back and forth are reproductions of actual notes saved from middle school and without fail include a reminder to W/B （write back）。 Shannon honestly shares her struggles to be all that she wants to be。 Her faith life sometimes makes it harder， yet her church life is also a source of hope。 After all， it is her Creator who made her to be of such great value。 I know young readers will be able to relate to Shannon's inner struggles even though they were in a different time。 The author's note at the end is an extra reinforcement for readers who need hope in the midst of their teen years。 I wish I had been able to read this book when I was her age。A big thank you to First Second books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lilly
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I cant rate this yet a havent read it。 BUT IT LOOKS GOOD and i really want to read thissss
Cheriee Weichel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 It will be released August 31， 2021 by First Second Books。Forever Friendship is a continuation of the Real Friends series。 Hale's earlier memoirs， with brilliant artwork by LeYuen Pham， captured the social dynamics of girl friendship and bullying in elementary school。 This one addresses Shannon's internal turmoil in middle school。 Like the first two， it ends up being a template for how to survive and thrive through a tumultuou Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 It will be released August 31， 2021 by First Second Books。Forever Friendship is a continuation of the Real Friends series。 Hale's earlier memoirs， with brilliant artwork by LeYuen Pham， captured the social dynamics of girl friendship and bullying in elementary school。 This one addresses Shannon's internal turmoil in middle school。 Like the first two， it ends up being a template for how to survive and thrive through a tumultuous time in your life。 Older girls and women might learn a thing or two from it。 It highlights the numerous ways girls get socialized into the 'beauty myth。' It explores the roles of magazines， television， movies， church， religion and schooling。 It's full of the complex ways we hurt one another。 Starting grade eight Shannon feels pretty good about her friends。 Despite this she still worries and is plagued with feelings of not being good enough。 She has numerous goals for this new year。 She begins grade eight thinking that fulfillment is based on beauty， success， and fame。 Add being a good person and being liked by boys into the mix。 It's kind of like a recipe for disaster。 Following the introduction， six chapters focus on an area connected to this。 Most end with an important message to young girls。 Beautiful As if it's not enough that Shannon has to deal with her body changing， she attempts to mold herself into society's model of what beauty is。 She wears contact lens， gets braces， and perms her hair。 Before others can make fun of her， she makes fun of herself。 Any critique by others emphasizes that she's not good enough。 In the end she halfheartedly decides she doesn't care if she isn't beautiful and will instead， pursue her other dreams。Fame Shannon thinks that fame will cover her in emotional armor。 She wants to feel special， yet at the same time thinks that if only she can learn to play the correct part - to become the right kind of person， fame is possible。 Unfortunately， doing this involves burying her own dreams。 This leads to all kinds of complicated feelings。 She appreciates her friends' successes and at the same time， is jealous of them。 She's terrified that if she makes any mistakes she will lose all her friends forever。 Thankfully she decides to dig up her dreams again and follow them。 She doesn't get a part in the school drama production。 Instead she becomes student director。 Ultimately she learns that being a part of something is enough。 Being famous isn't necessary。 BoysThis chapter addresses emerging sexuality and negotiating through the messiness of it。 One of Shannon's best friends is Andrei。 They are not romantically involved。 Yet everyone expects them to be。 Because of this， she assumes that there is something wrong with her。 I loved the complexity in Shannon's relationship with Jane。 They are on the cusp of becoming young women， but they are also still kids。 Jane is shown exploring her sexuality with different boys， and getting slut shamed for it。 There are creepy older men to deal with。 Shannon starts to think， "You're not allowed to feel sad。 If you feel sad you're wrong。" In the end though， she learns that it's enough for a boy just to think you are cool。 Success"No matter how hard I worked， it never felt like enough"Shannon comes to see her value is in how others perceive her。 She wonders if her parents only love her because of her grades。 She decides to run for class president and loses。 The role of fathers in how girls see themselves is articulated clearly in this section。 In spite of his comments about the role of women， Shannon dreams of having both a family and a satisfying career。 She learns that she wants to 'be successful - but in the ways that make me feel good - not in the ways everyone expected。"PerfectThis section highlights the role of religion and church。 To be perfect is to be good enough， to be kind enough。 Her attempts to follow through end up in mishap after mishap。 Rather than bringing comfort， church ends up exaggerating her so called flaws and exacerbating her feelings of being a bad person。 Everything falls apart for her after an altercation with her friends。 NothingShannon ends up deep in depression。 If she is loved based on her accomplishments， what happens when she fails？ She gives up on her friends， school， and violin。 Eventually her parents send her to see a psychiatrist。 He's a dud。 EnoughShannon becomes her own therapist and begins to love herself。 "It felt like an act of rebellion。 To choose to love myself even if I wasn't sure anybody else did。 Even if I wasn't sure I was worthy enough。 Even if I wasn't sure that I actually did。 To try to love myself。 That felt like a lot。" It makes all the difference。 Grade eight turns out to be a pretty good year。 I wish this book， and the others in the series had been around when I was in my preteen and teen years。 I'm sure glad they are here today to help young girls navigate the potential minefield of adolescence。 As it is， they have helped me resolve issues connected to those times in my life。 I'm sure that women of all ages will be able to connect to Shannon's experiences。 I recommend you purchase numerous copies of this for your school libraries。 Encourage boys， parents， and teachers in your school to read it too。 。。。more
Becky B
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Shannon continues her life story， this time telling about the highs and lows of 8th grade， learning how to navigate friendships， figuring out who she was， and navigating the complex emotions of an early teen with undiagnosed anxiety， OCD， and depression。I love Shannon Hale’s guts to share the roller coaster of emotions she experienced in middle school。 I 100% know there are other 8th graders now who need this book。 Who need to know they aren’t alone in their insecurities and wondering if they ar Shannon continues her life story， this time telling about the highs and lows of 8th grade， learning how to navigate friendships， figuring out who she was， and navigating the complex emotions of an early teen with undiagnosed anxiety， OCD， and depression。I love Shannon Hale’s guts to share the roller coaster of emotions she experienced in middle school。 I 100% know there are other 8th graders now who need this book。 Who need to know they aren’t alone in their insecurities and wondering if they aren’t good enough to get friends， have boys notice them， or just good enough as a person。 And Shannon doesn’t just leave them with questions; she offers solid hope and help too。 （Make sure you read the author’s notes at the end！） Highly recommended to anyone in middle school。 I’m going to need to get multiple copies for our Secondary library。 Shannon’s other autobiographical graphic novels are insanely popular。 And for good reason。Notes on content: No language issues。 Shannon experienced a mall Santa who said and did something inappropriate （it isn’t graphic， totally presented in a way appropriate for the target audience， and important for kids to realize this kind of behavior is not ok）。 One of Shannon’s friends is super boy crazy at the beginning of 8th grade and is kissing any boy around。 She complains about a boy pushing her to do more。 （No details。） Eventually she admits to Shannon she doesn’t like how the boys view her and cuts back on the kissing。 A boy at a party Shannon knows has a girlfriend tries to put his arm around her and kiss her， and she ditches him。 At that party boys also bring alcohol and Shannon says no to it and eventually leaves early。I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Leanne Ellis
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I think my middle school girls will love this。 She definitely captures the challenges of being an eighth grade girl。 My only issue is with the ending。 （Spoiler ahead， although I don’t think this in any way ruins the book。） Young Shannon imagines how things might have gone better if she had been upfront with the psychiatrist。 Then she writes herself some positive notes and messages， and she feels much better。 I see that the author is trying to show kids that it’s a good idea to seek help and be h I think my middle school girls will love this。 She definitely captures the challenges of being an eighth grade girl。 My only issue is with the ending。 （Spoiler ahead， although I don’t think this in any way ruins the book。） Young Shannon imagines how things might have gone better if she had been upfront with the psychiatrist。 Then she writes herself some positive notes and messages， and she feels much better。 I see that the author is trying to show kids that it’s a good idea to seek help and be honest， but she’s also showing them that writing yourself positive notes can seemingly fix your problems。 That’s not going to be enough for some kids struggling with strong depression/anxiety。 。。。more
Kayla M
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I have loved all of Shannon Hale's "Friends" books and this was no different。 I cannot wait to recommend this to my middle school readers。 This graphic novel memoir focuses on Shannon's struggles with depression and anxiety through middle school， trying to fit in with friends， and finding how she fits into her family。 This book is amazingly well suited to the age of it's readers， who may be struggling with the same challenges as Shannon。 I feel that the illustrations will help readers identify f I have loved all of Shannon Hale's "Friends" books and this was no different。 I cannot wait to recommend this to my middle school readers。 This graphic novel memoir focuses on Shannon's struggles with depression and anxiety through middle school， trying to fit in with friends， and finding how she fits into her family。 This book is amazingly well suited to the age of it's readers， who may be struggling with the same challenges as Shannon。 I feel that the illustrations will help readers identify feelings they can't name。 I appreciated the letter from the author at the end， in essence "debriefing" the reader of what happened in the book， and providing resources if they are facing similar situations。 。。。more
Christie
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In the third installment in this series， we follow Shannon into her 8th grade experiences with middle school， friendships， relationships， and the struggles that come with this particular season of life and trying to figure out who you are。 It also makes topics that can sometimes be heavy or hard for teens to talk about， approachable in a way that would make readers not only understand but also feel like it is okay to open up about them。 The artwork gave awesome nods to middle school 80s with the In the third installment in this series， we follow Shannon into her 8th grade experiences with middle school， friendships， relationships， and the struggles that come with this particular season of life and trying to figure out who you are。 It also makes topics that can sometimes be heavy or hard for teens to talk about， approachable in a way that would make readers not only understand but also feel like it is okay to open up about them。 The artwork gave awesome nods to middle school 80s with the magazines， the book covers， and the note styles。 I also really loved the author's note and details coming through in the yearbook style at the end of the story。 Additionally， the artwork did a great job of mirroring the motions felt by Shannon。 This books has so much to say and so much worth discussing。 。。。more
Potterhead Aanya
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This was one of the best comics I have ever read！As a huge fan of Shannon Hale's book I was elated when my request was approved on NetGalley， this book follows Shannon through her 8th grade as she faces ups and downs and tries to sort a huge mess called life。A humorous， relatable and inspiring read！！Thank you Netgalley and First Second books for a copy :D This was one of the best comics I have ever read！As a huge fan of Shannon Hale's book I was elated when my request was approved on NetGalley， this book follows Shannon through her 8th grade as she faces ups and downs and tries to sort a huge mess called life。A humorous， relatable and inspiring read！！Thank you Netgalley and First Second books for a copy :D 。。。more
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusVery much in keeping with the other two books in the series。 Readers who like graphic novels with lots of anxiety and trauma will definitely gobble up this autobiographical tale of Hale's experiences in 8th grade。 There are helpful end notes about dealing with a variety of mental health issues。 E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusVery much in keeping with the other two books in the series。 Readers who like graphic novels with lots of anxiety and trauma will definitely gobble up this autobiographical tale of Hale's experiences in 8th grade。 There are helpful end notes about dealing with a variety of mental health issues。 。。。more
Evangeline C
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I want to read this so bad！！ I can't wait until it comes out！ I want to read this so bad！！ I can't wait until it comes out！ 。。。more
Shari
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Shannon Hale's third installment of her popular Friends graphic novel memoir series is relatable， funny， and realistic in its portrayal of middle-school friendships， crushes， and mental health issues。 I'm so grateful for these books that help young readers recognize their own struggles and give them hope。 Friends Forever is not just about those awkward years， but about the friendships that shape who we are and reflect who we want to be。 This will be well-loved in school libraries， classrooms， an Shannon Hale's third installment of her popular Friends graphic novel memoir series is relatable， funny， and realistic in its portrayal of middle-school friendships， crushes， and mental health issues。 I'm so grateful for these books that help young readers recognize their own struggles and give them hope。 Friends Forever is not just about those awkward years， but about the friendships that shape who we are and reflect who we want to be。 This will be well-loved in school libraries， classrooms， and youth departments。 。。。more
Ms Threlkeld
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Oof。 So honest that it was hard to read at times， but definitely a book kids will benefit from。
Melanie Dulaney
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Shannon Hale continues her nearly autobiographical graphic novel series with this latest installment which young Shannon beginning 8th grade still looking to find her niche and become beautiful and popular。 Hopefully， MG readers will read through to the end when she seems to finally be recognizing that she is wonderful just the way she is because she is truly obsessed with superficial looks。 However， the realism of middle school rings out from each and every page as students struggle to make and Shannon Hale continues her nearly autobiographical graphic novel series with this latest installment which young Shannon beginning 8th grade still looking to find her niche and become beautiful and popular。 Hopefully， MG readers will read through to the end when she seems to finally be recognizing that she is wonderful just the way she is because she is truly obsessed with superficial looks。 However， the realism of middle school rings out from each and every page as students struggle to make and keep friends， deal with class work and teachers， and agonize over things like what to wear on picture day！ As Shannon gets older， the scenarios described in her life do as well and some may wonder if this series remains appropriate for the 4th and 5th graders who began reading it with Real Friends， but Hale keeps the text and illustrations free of profanity， violence and sexual content。 8th grade crushes are strictly rated “G。” Thanks for the dARC， NetGalley。 。。。more
The Keepers of the Books
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This chapter preview gave a great premise for setting up book three in Shannon Hale's graphic novel biography。 This series has been incredibly popular with my students because Shannon is such a relatable character。 The idiosyncrasies of middle school make a perfect premise for kids to realize that they aren't the only one who feels like they aren't perfect and they don't quite belong。 Shannon brings real life to the characters and helps others to realize that others are just like them。 Grades: 4 This chapter preview gave a great premise for setting up book three in Shannon Hale's graphic novel biography。 This series has been incredibly popular with my students because Shannon is such a relatable character。 The idiosyncrasies of middle school make a perfect premise for kids to realize that they aren't the only one who feels like they aren't perfect and they don't quite belong。 Shannon brings real life to the characters and helps others to realize that others are just like them。 Grades: 4-8Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。。 All opinions expressed are our own。 No financial compensation was received。 。。。more
Pam
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Graphic NovelI received an electronic ARC from First Second Books through NetGalley。Hale brings us back into Shannon's middle school world。 This time， readers see her eighth grade year。 Hale's writing style is warm and inviting。 She invites readers to become part of the story。 Readers will connect to the emotions shared and hidden as they either experience this time period along with the characters or remember this time in their lives。 The artwork captures the emotional gamut and adds subtle und Graphic NovelI received an electronic ARC from First Second Books through NetGalley。Hale brings us back into Shannon's middle school world。 This time， readers see her eighth grade year。 Hale's writing style is warm and inviting。 She invites readers to become part of the story。 Readers will connect to the emotions shared and hidden as they either experience this time period along with the characters or remember this time in their lives。 The artwork captures the emotional gamut and adds subtle undertones as the story unfolds。 I've appreciated Hale's vulnerability in sharing her memories and offering support for those currently coping with mental health concerns in the middle grade years。 The self affirmation and encouragement come through clearly。 This is one that will be checked out constantly。 。。。more
Liv
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well i never read it lol but i have read best freindas and real freinds and those were great books
Andréa
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Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。
Amber Webb
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Amazing chapter preview！ Immediately speaks to the messages girls receive constantly about how they should look， behave， move and act in order to gain the attention of others instead of doing things for yourself。 Can't wait to see the rest of the book。 Amazing chapter preview！ Immediately speaks to the messages girls receive constantly about how they should look， behave， move and act in order to gain the attention of others instead of doing things for yourself。 Can't wait to see the rest of the book。 。。。more
Gretchen
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