Synopses & Reviews
Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends — and why it's worth the journey.
When best friends are not forever...
Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends ever since they were little. But one day, Adrienne starts hanging out with Jen, the most popular girl in class and the leader of a circle of friends called The Group. Everyone in The Group wants to be Jen's #1, and some girls would do anything to stay on top...even if it means bullying others.
Now every day is like a roller coaster for Shannon. Will she and Adrienne stay friends? Can she stand up for herself? And is she in The Group — or out?
Review
"The book's truth is as vibrant as its art." Washington Post
Review
"A heart-stabbing tale of the everyday social agonies of girlhood." Wall Street Journal
Review
"In Real Friends, Shannon Hale reflects on her own friendship-troubled elementary school years with honesty, humor and grace...Her readers will find much to love here, including LeUyen Pham’s brilliant and multilayered art...These detailed memories of elementary school will ring hilariously true to adult readers...At the same time, stories of whispered rumors and being left out will be achingly familiar for readers navigating those waters in the here and now." Author Kate Messner, writing in the New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Shannon Hale is the bestselling author of many books for children, including the Ever After High series, Princess Academy (Newbery Honor book), and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl middle grade novel. She co-wrote the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack and the chapter book series The Princess in Black with her husband Dean Hale. They live with their four children near Salt Lake City, Utah.
LeUyen Pham is the bestselling illustrator of The Princess in Black series with Shannon and Dean Hale. She wrote and illustrated Big Sister, Little Sister and The Bear Who Wasn’t There and is the illustrator of many other picture books, including The Boy Who Loved Math. She lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and her two adorable sons.