| Author | Shannon Hale |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | First Second Books |
Publication date | May 2, 2017 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 224 |
| Awards | 2019 Beehive Book Award winner |
| ISBN | 978-1626727854 |
Real Friends is a graphic memoir written by best-selling author Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. The book was awarded several awards, such as the Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 2017, School Library Journal Best Book of 2017, and the LA Times Best Book of the Year, and it was praised by several authors such as Victoria Jamieson, Jennifer Holm, and Gene Luen Yang.[1]
Plot
editAt Salt Lake City, Utah, 1979, Shannon Hale goes to kindergarten and meets her first friend, who is named Adrienne. They both hung out nearly every day, but later in the second grade, a boy and his friend set up a plan to kiss Adrienne, which succeeds but later fails when Shannon breaks free of the boy's friend and hits them both with the zipper of her coat. Adrienne then shouts at Shannon, saying that she should stop, and that she wanted to kiss him.
But one day, Adrienne's family bought a new house, and she changed schools, but eventually moved back. In third grade, Shannon finds out that Adrienne is in a clique called The Group, which every girl wants to join.The group's leader is a girl named Jen, the most popular girl in their grade. There is also a bully named Jenny, a girl who resents Shannon.
Later, in the fourth grade, Shannon and her class are writing down what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Shannon wrote that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. She began to write more often after her family purchased a computer.
In fifth grade, Shannon splits up from the group, makes her own group, and tries to get the members of the circle to join. They refuse to leave The Group, and Shannon is left alone.
A few months later, Shannon has two new best friends, Zara and Veronica. One day, Jen comes up to Shannon and asks if she could join her group instead. Shannon is instantly happy, and accepts.
Soon, some more people of The Group want to join Shannon's group. On Field Day, Jenny asks Shannon if she could join her group. Shannon thinks about including her, but eventually says no and slowly walks away.
Back Cover Summary
editShannon has been best friends with Adrienne for as long as she can remember, until in the third grade, Adrienne becomes good friends with Jen, the most popular girl in their classroom, and the leader of a small circle of friends called The Group, and every member wants to be Jen's #1, and some of the girls are so desperate for the top spot that they'll do anything, even if that means to bully the others.[2]
Description
editReal Friends is a small book with a measure of 5.50×7.60×0.60. The audience is from age 8 to 12.[3] The grade level for this book is 4 to 6.The Lexile for this book is 290L.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Honors & Reviews". Shannon Hale. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ "Real Friends series". Shannon Hale. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ a b "Real Friends by Shannon Hale (Friends, #1)". bookroo.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.