Synopses & Reviews
In middle school, nothing is more important than friendship.
When Truly is invited to sit at the Popular Table with the group she has dreamed of joining, she can hardly believe her luck. Everyone seems so nice, so kind to one another. But all is not as it seems with her new friends, and soon she's caught in a maelstrom of lies, misunderstandings, accusations and counter-accusations, all happening very publicly in the relentless, hyperconnected social media world from which there is no escape.
Six eighth-graders, four girls and two boys, struggle to understand and process their fractured glimples into one another's lives as they find new ways to disconnect, but also to connect, in Rachel Vail's richest and most searching book.
Review
Praise for Unfriended:
"Hearkens back to Vails wonderful The Friendship Ring series in its opportunity to see how various characters delight, suffer, and rationalize, complicating the portrayals. . . Clear and compelling. . . This will be an irresistible starter to a discussion of ethics and values, and readers will appreciate both the cautionary tale and the message of survivals possibility." —BCCB, starred review
"With keen insight, Vail reveals the internal struggles with uncertainty and self-doubt that can plague young teens regardless of popularity status. . . With a resolution that is both realistic and hopeful, Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity." —Publishers Weekly
"Vail has a great ear for dialogue, and her characters. . . are well differentiated and realistic." —VOYA
"A realistic portrayal of middle school life. Truly is depicted as a complex young adult, not a single-minded social climber. . . [and] the other characters are multidimensional; they have struggles and worries, and are not the flat, stereotypical popular kids that are sometimes portrayed in YA novels. . . A solid choice that will ignite meaningful discussion." —School Library Journal
"Vail brings her sharp observations and wry humor to the world of eighth-grade friendships." —Horn Book
"Mean girls, misunderstood girls, awkward boys, friendship, popularity, social misfits, all play into this book that epitomizes the roller coaster that is middle school." —LMC
Praise for Rachel Vail:
"Wonder is wonderful! It's got energy, humor and heart." —Judy Blume, for Wonder
“The writing is sharp, unpredictably clever” —Avi, Newbery Medalist, for Justin Case: School, Drool, and other Daily Disasters
“Vail again demonstrates a penetrating insight into the concerns of young teen girls … Readers will absorb this in one fell swoop.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, for Lucky
“Vail proves that first love is anything but simple and sweet. Her razor-sharp wit will keep readers turning pages.” —Publishers Weekly, for If We Kiss
Review
"Another winner by Rachel Vail. At times laugh-out-loud funny, and other times heartbreaking., Unfriended is the kind of book I wish there were more of: emotionally complex, beautifully written, and impossble to put down. I never wanted it to end."--Meg Cabot
"Rachel Vail should be required reading for all middle-schoolers. Deft and funny, this tale of the doom and drama of friendships played out in a digital universe is pitch-perfect and sheer fun."--Judy Blundell, author of What I Saw and How I Lied
"Rachel Vail's ingenious, humorous, and compassionate storytelling brings her six narrators so fully alive that by the end of her book you cannot imagine ever 'unfriending' any of them."--Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Treehouse books
"With keen insight, Vail reveals the internal struggles with uncertainty and self-doubt that can plague young teens regardless of popularity status. . . With a resolution that is both realistic and hopeful, Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity." —Publishers Weekly
"Vail has a great ear for dialogue, and her characters. . . are well differentiated and realistic." —VOYA
"Vail has always had her finger solidly on the pulse of middle-school social dynamics, with an uncanny ear for young teen dialogue and a real empathy for the wide and awkward range of social and physical development that characterize this age . . . Vails considerable fan base alone would justify multiple-copy purchase plans, but the hot-button topic of cyberbullying will further increase requests."--Booklist
"A realistic portrayal of middle school life . . . A solid choice that will ignite meaningful discussion."--School Library Journal
"Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity."--Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
The fourth book in bestselling author Rachel Vail's beloved Friendship Ring series!
4 rings, 1 promise: Best Friends Forever
Olivia is the 'brain' of the group and she's not afraid to speak her mind. So when the rest of her friends gush over guys and clothes, she can't see what the big deal is. That sort of thing has never been important to her. Until she starts to have strange feelings for a boy in her class, made worse by the fact that her friend Morgan thinks he's a total dork. Now, Olivia finds herself keeping her feelings inside, when she knows she should just be honest with her friends.
About the Author
Rachel Vail is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including her first book, Wonder, about which Judy Blume said: "Wonder is wonderful. It's got energy, humor, and heart." Her four-book series, The Friendship Ring, will be reissued in Puffin in Fall 2014. Rachel grew up in New Rochelle and attended Georgetown University. She has two sons; they and their friends provide her with a wealth of material for her writing. She lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.