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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: Friends Forever Author: Shannon Hale Illustrator: LeUyen Pham Series: Real Friends (#3) Publisher: First Second
Year: 2021 Good for Grades: 6-9 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic/Memoir/Fiction Graphic Novel
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Religion talk, talk of dating/kissing, bullying, brief alcohol mention, main character is put in a mildly unsafe situation. Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Most recent installment in a series we own
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Review:
In this recent/final installment of the Real Friends series, Shannon is once again struggling with friendships, school stress, family stress, and growing up during her last year of middle school. She has finally found a group of friends that she feels like she can really be herself with, but still struggles to cope with feelings of anxiety, depression, OCD, and self-worth. This graphic novel is a window into the middle school experience, and comes from the author's memory of age 13. It is poignant and greatly reminded me of my own middle school experience, and even touched a nerve regarding my current struggles.
I would recommend this book to mature upper elementary readers and middle schoolers. It deals with some tougher topics than the last two books, focusing a lot more on boy-girl relationships, "going together," making out, and an incident where the narrator was groped by a mall Santa. The heaviness of Shannon's struggles with mental health also shine through more clearly than previous books. The art style is just as engaging as the earlier installments, and keeps the reader involved throughout the story. Graphic novels are always very popular, and this book is likely to be scooped up by your avid graphic novel fans.
This book would be very useful in SEL lessons with middle schoolers, especially around navigating peer relationships, kindness, bullying, and feelings of anxiety/depression. The illustrations take on different color palettes depending on Shannon's state of mind, and her anxious/depressed thoughts are in different colors, fonts, and orientation to the normal speech bubbles, making them stand out and visually interesting. It would also help kids to understand that, as Shannon learns, "you are not alone."
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Find resources for Friends Forever at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
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