Best Friends | 
pickFull cast audiobook. One of my favorite middle grade books. An authentic representation of how it feels to go through the awkward middle school years. #shannonhale Thanks to #librofm for the advanced copy. #middlegrade #memoir #graphicnovel #audiobook
pickThanks to #Libro.fm for the ALC of this middle grade book. I‘m branching out in my reading to add new genres since I‘ve started working part-time at my local indie bookstore 😊📚🎉 Shannon Hale‘s story was very relatable and included realistic portrayals of how anxiety and OCD can manifest during childhood. The final chapter is a conversation with her kids that‘s not to be missed!
pickA great continuation of Hale‘s autobiographical GN series, this follows young Shannon in sixth grade. Every time she feels like she knows how to handle the friend thing, the rules change. Trying to be “mature” when she still feels like a kid, dealing with boy-girl drama…I remember a lot of this difficulty myself. I think most of us will identify with at least some of these stories. And I LOVE that Hale‘s anxiety and OCD get addressed, too.
More 80s nostalgia with Shannon Hale‘s sequel to Real Friends, and a memoir of her 6th grade year.
6th grade was the worst school year I ever had, largely due to being bullied by a gang of kids much like Shannon‘s group. I appreciate her honest portrayal, but parts of this book were hard to read, even all these years later.
Sexism is also a dominant theme, in a very similar way to how I was raised. Made a great discussion topic with Maya.
pickA great 80s throwback graphic novel exploring the themes of popularity, anxiety, and changing friendships.
#MiddleGradeMarch book 14
Care Bear, Hello Kitty, Cabbage Patch doll, Smurfs, boom box & cassette tapes. So 80s! ❤️
#MiddleGradeMarch
rubyslippersreads, Peddler410, Johanna414, erzascarletbookgasm, LibrarianRyan, thegirlwiththelibrarybag, TheBookHippie, hes7, Nute, SaturnDoo, cozypunk, BookishMe, Sace, juliegumdrop, amber_ldsmom, ravenlee, Butterfinger, sblbooks, AmyK1, Tracyantoon, JenniferTapler
YES!!! I knew I was going to love this book!
#MiddleGradeMarch
rubyslippersreads, Peddler410, Johanna414, erzascarletbookgasm, thegirlwiththelibrarybag, TheBookHippie, hes7, Nute, SaturnDoo, cozypunk, BookishMe, Sace, juliegumdrop, amber_ldsmom, ravenlee, Butterfinger, sblbooks, AmyK1, Tracyantoon, JenniferTapler
I already love this book.
#MiddleGradeMarch
rubyslippersreads, Peddler410, Johanna414, erzascarletbookgasm, LibrarianRyan, thegirlwiththelibrarybag, TheBookHippie, hes7, Nute, SaturnDoo, cozypunk, BookishMe, Sace, juliegumdrop, amber_ldsmom, ravenlee, sblbooks, AmyK1, Tracyantoon, JenniferTapler
pickagain, i read this almost a week ago. but wow. this book was great! it was an excellent companion to the first book, and i really enjoyed the story. this was, like the first book, very interesting and i love the graphics that go along with it. read this if you enjoyed the first book, you will not be disappointed!
pickA cute ya graphic novel about a girl in the sixth grade learning about friendship and how to relate to people. She also deals with anxiety.
pickThis is definitely a new favorite. This graphic novel memoir expertly highlights the trials and tribulations of 6th grade, including complicated friendships, self-perception, anxiety, and issues around representation.
Holy moly, this book has sooooo many good passages! Hard to pick just one (or even a few) to share. Hale has an uncanny ability to articulate the things I struggled with as a kid but could never quite name. This book is brilliant.
pickThis was fantastic! If you know a kid in 5th or 6th or 7th grade, get this book in their hands. This is the kind of book that I wished I‘d had back in the day to help me make better sense of friendships in those weird pre-adolescent years.
Whenever the kids I babysit get another book by Shannon Hale I get so excited. This one and Real Friends really captures much of the way I felt growing up. Anxiety about everything, intrusive thoughts, having a hard time making friends or knowing all the social rules. It‘s comforting in a way to know you aren‘t alone, especially when anxiety makes you feel that way.
