Just as Long as We're Together

Gr 5–7—Stephanie moves to the same subdivision as her best friend, Rebecca. Just before school starts they make a new friend, Alison. Rebecca is ultra-organized and musically gifted. Alison, who was adopted as an infant from Vietnam, quickly becomes popular at school because she's perky and pretty. While being supportive to her friends, Stephanie tends to deal with her problems alone, including being called "El Chunko" because of her weight and learning that her parents are having a trial separation. Arguments with Rebecca over keeping secrets as well as a disastrous trip to her father's new apartment are laced realistically throughout the novel, and conflicts are not neatly resolved. Judy Blume's novel (Orchard, 1986) is somewhat dated. While Stephanie's desire to get a phone with a long cord and her brother's Cold War fears may be foreign to today's tweens, the realistic plot and issues involving friendship, popularity, and parents will resonate with listeners. Rebecca Soler's fully-voiced narration is spot-on once past the sibilance in the first few chapters.—C.A. Fehmel. St. Louis County Library, MO