Who Can Afford the Price of Friendship Today?

Gr 4–7—Monica, Maggy, Smudge, and J-Five are teenagers who spend lots of time together in and out of school. They've known one another for years, but recently romance has sprung up between Monica and J-Five. The four of them get into various mix-ups and funny circumstances while trying to earn spending money. Whether dog-walking, cat-sitting, or selling old comics, the teens encounter plenty of surprises. This book is the beginning of a series marketed as "the Archie for today," and both the humor and the cartoonish art style evoke the classic comics. Monica is the emotional core of the group, strengthening their friendships while deciding which romantic advances she wants to encourage or decline. This series is imported from Brazil, where it has been cross-marketed into comic books, feature films, and even amusement parks. With its upbeat tone, this series will likely soon have a strong foothold in the U.S. comics market.