Synopses & Reviews
As Ida May begins fourth grade, she is determined never to make another best friend--because her last best friend moved away.and#160;This is a doable plan at first. Thanks to bratty, bossy Jenna Drews, who hates Ida, no one in class has ever really noticed her before.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;It's when the sparkly Stacey Merriweather comes to her school thatand#160;Ida'sand#160;plan goes awry. Ida reaches out despite her fear butand#160;doesn'tand#160;say hello--instead she writes Staceyand#160;anonymous notes.and#160;Soon their friendship develops without Ida ever having to reveal her real identity . . . until she has no choice.and#160;And that's when the true friendship begins.
Review
"A quiet, strongly realistic novel."--
Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
"This changing-friendship novel is refreshingly presented without villains or victims. . . . A perceptive, poignant novel of middle-school identity and friendship."--
The Horn Book "A particularly accessible [story]. . . . Readers will sympathize intensely with Sarah's dilemma."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The dialogue is right-on, and readers will recognize the vicious social warfare from the lunchroom to the school bus."--Booklist
"A heartwarming story about life's unexpected lessons, through the eyes of a girl experiencing them for the first time."--School Library Journal
Review
"A sweet read."--Discovery Girls magazine"Entertaining . . .and#160;A good selection for reluctant readers as well as those adjusting to the pressures of growing up."--Kirkus Reviews"Delightful."--School Library Journal"Ida embodies the universal longing to connect with a kindred spirit."--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Fourth grade is tough for self-deprecating misfit Ida May when her quirky best friend moves away
Synopsis
Sarah promised Marjorie when they were five years old that they would be best friends forever. But that was before seventh grade, when everything changed—everything except Marjorie. While Sarah wants to meet new people and try new things, Marjorie still likes doing the same things they always did. It seems the more time the two girls spend together, the more time Sarah wants to spend apart. How did a promise that was so easy to make become so hard to keep?
With beautifully drawn characters and vivid details, this incisive novel portrays middle school in all its complexity—both the promise of what is to come and the pain of what must be left behind.
About the Author
Sarah promised Marjorie when they were five years old that they would be best friends forever. But that was before seventh grade, when everything changedeverything except Marjorie. While Sarah wants to meet new people and try new things, Marjorie still likes doing the same things they always did. It seems the more time the two girls spend together, the more time Sarah wants to spend apart. How did a promise that was so easy to make become so hard to keep? "A quiet, strongly realistic novel."--
Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
"This changing-friendship novel is refreshingly presented without villains or victims. . . . A perceptive, poignant novel of middle-school identity and friendship."--
The Horn Book "A particularly accessible [story]. . . . Readers will sympathize intensely with Sarah's dilemma."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"The dialogue is right-on, and readers will recognize the vicious social warfare from the lunchroom to the school bus."--Booklist
"A heartwarming story about life's unexpected lessons, through the eyes of a girl experiencing them for the first time."--School Library JournalGina Willner-Pardo is the author of 15 books,My Mom and Other Mysteries of the Universe,whichKirkus Reviewssaid "Resonate[s] with authenticity." Her other books includeDaphne Eloise Slater, Who's Tall for Her AgeandFiguring Out Frances,which won the Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award and whichSchool Library Journalcalled "a small treasure." She lives in California.