Real Friends by Shannon Hale

Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends since the start of school.  But one day, Adrienne becomes friends with Jen.  Now, they are all part of The Group, a circle of girls that are friends.  Everyone wants to be next to leader Jen and some of girls will even bully the others to get to that coveted position.

Now every day is a roller coaster for Shannon.  Will she and Adrienne stay friends?  Can she stand up for herself?  And is she part of The Group -- or not?



This graphic novel memoir by author Shannon Hale is really well done.  It accurately portrays how it feels when your friends start to abandon you and when a former friend becomes an enemy.  It also incorporates OCD in children without forcing the issue.  The symptoms are merely mentioned at times without any commentary.  I would highly recommend this to grade school girls to read.