Best Friend Next Door - Hardcover

Carolyn Mackler is the author of the popular teen novels, THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS (A Michael L. Printz Honor Book), TANGLED, GUYAHOLIC, VEGAN VIRGIN VALENTINE, and LOVE AND OTHER FOUR-LETTER WORDS. Carolyn's most recent novel, THE FUTURE OF US, co-written with bestselling author Jay Asher, has received starred reviews, and the film rights have been sold to Warner Brothers.
BEST FRIEND NEXT DOOR is her first novel for a younger audience.

Gr 3–5—When Hannah's best friend and next-door neighbor Sophie moves to Canada before the start of fifth grade, Hannah can't imagine life without her. Soon a new family moves in with a girl the same age as Hannah taking over Sophie's old room. After a rocky start, Hannah and Emme become fast friends, bonding over their shared love of palindromes and peanut butter and their dislike of pizza. Not everything is rosy as Hannah struggles to accept the new addition to her family and Emme deals with bullying at school. Mackler captures the ups and downs of close friendship as Hannah and Emme's relationship is challenged as they begin to discover their differences. The girls learn what it means to be a friend, in good times and bad. Mackler depicts modern families in an unobtrusive way—Hannah's dad and stepmom are expecting a new baby and Emme has two moms. VERDICT Sure to find readers amongst young readers, this charming book will be a hit with fans of Meg Cabot's "Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls" series (Scholastic).—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH