Real Friends

Book:  Real Friends (Book Link)
Author: Shannon Hale (Author Link)
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham (Illustrator Link)
Publisher: Amulet Books Publishing
Date of Publication: 2017
Genre: Graphic Novel, Written in the last 4 years, Diverse Protagonists
Lexile Score: GN290L
Citation:  Hale, S. (2017). Real Friends. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Summary: In this book the character goes through difficult times because they find it hard to make 'real friends'.  The main character Shannon is best friends with Adrienne until one day she starts hanging out with someone else.  It is then that her friend starts doing anything she can to be that one girls number one friend and seems to forget all about Shannon.  This is devastating to Shannon as she has to find ways to deal with losing her best friend and learn to stand up for herself. 

Audience:  I would say this book would be targeted at grades fifth through eighth.  In these grades girls seem to be going through all types of drama.  They are struggling to find who they fit in with, and what group they want to be apart of.  Therefore I think it would be a very relatable book in those grades.  If it was an option to read in class it might have many strong discussion points that can be talked about.  

Evaluation:  I think this has many features that make it a high quality graphic novel.  First off the layout of the text was very easy to follow.  The flow of the text page to page made it easy to read quickly.  In grades fifth through eighth I think that it also makes it seem as though they aren't really reading a book.  It also has give a clear depiction of what the characters were going through by the great graphic images. 

Activity:  Have the students write a letter to one of their friends in the class.  In the book have them point out how their friends make them feel, and then share them with whomever they wrote it to.