Real Friends, by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

     I've read quite a few books this summer, as teachers do.  But I don't think that a book has quite nudged my heart the way Real Friends did.  I read the whole thing from start to finish - not tough, as it's a graphic novel.  But I doubt I would have put it down even if it had been a 400 page tome complete with index.  

     But I'm glad it wasn't.  The graphic novel format is perfect for this book, because the message in this book should be accessible to every girl in grades 4-6.  And honestly, parts of the story were better because they were in graphic format.  Pham's art melded so perfectly with Hale's words that the story had a more powerful impact.  

     Shannon is your typical middle grades girl - unique in her own way, but socially awkward in a way that all girls of that age are.  She really just wants one good friend, Adrienne.  But Adrienne joins up with a clique of girls.  Shannon must do what she can to fit in, or she'll lose her best friend.  

     What follows is close to the heart of probably every girl.  Sometimes Shannon fits in, and other times she doesn't.  Sometimes the clique's bully is kind to Shannon, but other times she isn't.  Not only that, but Shannon deals with the same struggles within her large family.  She becomes extremely anxious, with stomach aches, time off from school, and OCD to go with her anxiety.  

     Shannon uses everything she can think of to help her through her situation, including her faith, but nothing prevents her from reaching the point of critical mass.  She finally decides to stand up for herself and be the person she's always wanted to be.  In the process, she learns how to be more comfortable with who she is.

     This book had a real impact on me.  I wish this book had been around when I was in the middle grades.  And I suspect that most girls and women would feel the same way.  This book reaches out to that hurting girl in all of us, the one who just wishes people would like her for who she is.  A book like this validates the emotions that every girl feels, and allows girls to realize they are not alone.

     Real Friends should be required reading for every girl in the middle grades.  It's definitely finding a special place on my classroom shelves, and I plan on making this one my first Book Talk on the first day of school this year.  It's a great book for parents and teachers to read and discuss with their girls.