Friend or Fiction – Abby Cooper, Charlesbridge, (9781623541088), 2019
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5
Genre: Contemporary, mostly realistic fiction
What did you like about the book? Jade lives in this strange town with her little brother and her parents. The town is strange because almost everyone moves on after a short time. Jade had two friends that left and now she has no one. So she creates a friend, Zoe, for which she writes out all manner of adventures that they have together. Jade spends her lunch alone writing about Zoe; when she gets home, she goes to her room to write about Zoe. But then this boy that Jade does not like very much, Clue, steals her writing journal; he sprinkles it with water from what is thought to be a magical pond – and Zoe comes to life! A magical atmosphere permeates the story. Jade is well-drawn and her plight compelling and real.
Anything you did not like about the book? No.
To whom would you recommend this book? I would recommend this to 4th and 5th graders who like a story a bit out of the ordinary, who are able to suspend belief and accept magic.
Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Juvenile fiction
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No, but an excellent choice for recommending to 4th-6th graders
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Katrina Yurenka, Retired Librarian, Manager, Youth Services Book Review
Date of review: 1/20/2020
Youth Services Book Review 
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