Friends Forever

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Friends Forever) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 🙂 

Friends Forever is an interesting graphic novel walking us through the life of one 8th grader and all the challenges of that stage of life.  From awkward relationships, and expectations of parents, and how sometimes it all gets the better of a body.   Issues of self-esteem, mental health, relationships, and faith. Life is so complicated when you are in grade 8!

What I am Reviewing

Forever Friends, from Raincoast Books, is a graphic novel written by Shannon Hale.   It covered the life of Shannon as she starts and goes through grade 8.   At 304 pages, it’s written fully in graphic novel format.  LeUyen Pham is the illustrator.  This is a full-colour graphic novel written for youth 10-14 years old, though I think older youth would enjoy reading it as well. There is an introduction along with 6 chapters that cover different aspects of Shannon’s life.  This is the third book in Friends series.

Digging Deeper into Friends Forever

Six chapters make up the pages of Friends Forever.   Beautiful, famous, boys, successful, perfect, and nothing.  This is an 8th grade girls life. Boys, school, debates, friendship, awkward situations and more.  We not only watch Shannon live her life, but get access to her inward thoughts as well. 

Such a nice touch that… seeing her thoughts.  Not always matching what she showed externally.  Fantastically, her faith plays a role. This is sometimes helpful, and sometimes a challenge. 

With the wide use of a colour palette, Shannon’s life is brought into full view.  The use of colour brings depth and life to the story.  The story boxes show variety in their layout as well.   In the end notes I learned that much in this story is true.  Shannon, the author, uses her life as way to tell the story of being in eighth grade with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder.  It’s hard, and yet not hard.  It’s the moments that make life difficult at times you know? 

Don’t you just love when someone stands up for you?   I just love this scene, it’s so real.  Made my heart smile… even though that uncertainty shown eh? So nice to have good friends eh?

As mentioned earlier, this is the third book in the series.  For your convenience I’ve linked the other two as well.  Real Friends and Best Friends. 

Should you Get it?

I think that Friends Forever is well-worth reading for any girl and maybe for some guys, but it is a girl friendly book okay.  Growing up is hard.  Grade 8 has it’s own special worries, but so does grade 9 with it’s new expectations.  I suppose in some ways it depends on how your middle and high schools are divided up eh?  

Seeing Shannon navigate these years and being privy to some of her inward thoughts reflects the angst of these years between child-teen and teen-adult.  You expect much of yourself and have hopes and dreams, that often you need to balance out with the dreams of others. And sometimes your friends can be thoughtless.  

Shannon’s struggle with mental health mirrors what can so often happen in these years when you get lost in the struggle.  Her parents and family work hard to help her and I was delighted to see that, and her friends rallied around… so amazing.  Good friends, good family, it’s the best!  🙂 

Heads up, there is a creepy Santa, who really shouldn’t have been allowed to be a Santa. I wish that Shannon had been written doing something about it.  At the same time I know how difficult it would be to do so.  It’s like … who do you tell? Like Shannon, running away is a good option! 

This book reminds me of Besties which I have reviewed as well.