Friendship Over

Reviewed by: Lisa Roberts - Portland Public Library, Portland, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 21, 2014

Review

This epistolary novel written from the point of view of fourth grader Celie Valentine is set in the current day in an unnamed city. The female characters are strong and convincing and develop throughout the story. The male characters are few and far between and a little flat. In addition to mostly strong character development, this "journal"? includes diary entries, drawings, and evidence including notes and emails. This is a strong novel for 3rd to 5th grade girls. It examines tough issues such as friendships ending, parents who fight, and grandparents who become ill. All of these issues are handled in a manner that is friendly for kids of this age and sympathetic to their fears, without becoming corny. Sternberg uses humor, anger, and all of the emotions that kids, and all people, experience to explore some very sensitive issues. It took a little while for me to be drawn in, but by the halfway point of this book I was cheering for Celie, Jo, and the other characters in this heart-warming novel.

Overall Book Score: excellent