BFF Breakup

Gr 4—8—Brooke and Madeline have been BFFs since, like, forever. The plan is to continue being besties in high school and college, and then date and marry boys who are best friends, and then live next door to each other so that their children can be best friends too. But now with big changes happening in their lives—such as starting junior high—Brooke is worried about how they'll fit into a bigger community of students. And Madeline is concerned about her parents, whose tensions frequently erupt into terrible shouting matches. It only takes a few sharp words, a few poorly worded emails, and a few jealous misunderstandings, and suddenly Brooke and Madeline are avoiding one another and wondering what they ever saw in each other. Skillful writing and the opposing points of view portrayed in alternating chapters clearly capture the changing dynamic. Madeline feels unsupported by Brooke as her family struggles to adapt to a new definition, and Brooke feels betrayed when Madeline shuts her out in favor of new, popular friends. The hard but valuable lessons that both girls learn through this typical but emotionally devastating experience eventually allow their relationship to evolve, but there's no doubt it was a tough road to reconciliation. Tweens will easily relate to their experiences.—Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY