Friends for Life

Gr 5 Up—Francis, a middle school student, is sitting by himself on a bench during lunch. He wants to be alone and seldom speaks to anyone in school. Out of nowhere, a young girl, Jessica, appears wearing a sleeveless dress in the freezing February weather. He offers her warm tea, and she is more than a little startled because she, too, has not communicated with anyone for a very long time—a year, in fact. Jessica is a ghost, and Francis is the first live person able to see and talk to her. Thus begins an unusual friendship of a lonely boy and a sympathetic ghost. But it doesn't end there. Jessica and Francis go ahead and befriend two more lonely souls, Andi and Roland, and the four become inseparable. The adolescents are linked by their painful experiences and their mutual thoughts of suicide. Each person's situation is a bit different; Francis is teased because he likes to design and sew girls' clothes; Andi looks masculine and is quick to punch anyone, boy or girl, who makes comments; while Roland is grossly overweight and bullied. The friends make it their mission to discover why Jessica is still roaming the world of the living. Norriss has a keen eye for well-meaning adults who are nevertheless powerless to prevent possible tragedies. In the course of the book, Norriss provides some positive suggestions that a suicidal or depressed youngster may pick up on.