Friendship Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney

Amazon Price: $7.77 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Abrams Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 69 new & used starting at $5.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 179 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Boys don’t keep diaries—or do they?

The launch of an exciting and innovatively illustrated new series narrated by an unforgettable kid every family can relate to

It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.

In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

Author/illustrator Jeff Kinney recalls the growing pains of school life and introduces a new kind of hero who epitomizes the challenges of being a kid. As Greg says in his diary, “Just don’t expect me to be all ‘Dear Diary’ this and ‘Dear Diary’ that.” Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won’t do and what he actually does are two very different things.

Since its launch in May 2004 on Funbrain.com, the Web version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been viewed by 20 million unique online readers. This year, it is averaging 70,000 readers a day.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3)

Richelle Mead

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Razorbill Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $5.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

It's 1:19AM--and I have to work in the morning. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

...but even more, importantly, I had to finish this book, the latest installment in the Vampire Academy world.

Excellent. First word to last. As usual.

I'm already on the list to buy to buy the next one, as yet Untitled.

If you're not already hooked into this series, this author, by all means GO. Buy. Read. Definitely including this, the third book in the series, they'll all be well worth your time.

Skillful writing. Tight plotting. Excellent characterizations. Multi-layered motivations. The events in this book are carried forward by some really *good* writing of the very finest escapist-fiction variety. The usually so-obvious and solid line between good and bad takes a bit of a hit, too, here in the third Vampire Academy book.

This is a remarkable book in an extraordinary vampire fantasy series, a type of book which has, since the publication of LKH's 'Guilty Pleasures', become a _vastly_ overcrowded genre.

This book (and the series from whence it comes) adds another sparkling, sizzling book to the magic of the genre we call 'vampire fantasy' or 'vampire romance' or 'dark fantasy' or 'urban fantasy' or urban dark fantasy'. (Please insert whatever combination of adjectives you like best ['dark vampire romance urban magic blood bond fantasy'] in the appropriate place in the previous sentence.) Bottom line: This is a wonderful read, and the field needs more wildly imaginative and painstakingly perfectionist writers like Mead.

Gingerbread Friends

Amazon Price: $11.67 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Putnam Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $9.89

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Gingerbread Friends 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

My first graders loved Jan Brett's new book, Gingerbread Friends. It is a great sequel to Gingerbread Baby. A must buy to add to a Gingerbread book collection

Jan Brett Scores Again! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Gingerbread baby needs some friends but can he make them? Can he talk to them? Where do you find friends for gingerbread babies? Well, let's go to town and find out! What a wonderful story and so charming too. Jan Brett has some secrets for us in the corners of her books. It hints at the ending but you have to pay attention to find out!

Editorial Review:

That popular little character is back looking for friends, in an adventure he’ll never forget.

Confident and cocky, the Gingerbread Baby happens upon a bakery, where he dances and prances in front of a sugar cookie girl, trying to make friends. But she just stares and doesn’t say a word, like all the other sweet treats he tries to meet.

Discouraged, the Gingerbread Baby runs home, chased by a long line of hungry creatures, where Mattie has a fantastic surprise for him—gingerbread friends that fill a giant fold-out page.

Irresistible images inside the confectionery and outside in the snowy Swiss countryside will delight Jan Brett fans.

Purplicious

Elizabeth Kann

Amazon Price: $12.23 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperCollins Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $10.02

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Thank you for the Purplicious! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After reading all reviews I ordered the book for my 'almost 4' years old daughter. I was not disappointed. The book is beautiful, not 'too long' and to the point. My daughter agreed that other girls were not nice to Pinkalicious, was supporting Pinkalicious all the way thru the book and telling that she loves Pink too and was very happy when Pinkalicious finally found a good friend.

A Wonderful Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely LOVED the message of this book. It shows that you should always be yourself and not follow trends or peer pressure. I must admit that I read this one before Pinkalicious, so maybe coming into it without expectation, I viewed it as a wonderful teaching tool on how children should be true to themselves (a theme that shows up often in my own work.)

In real life, the mean kids may not change. The only thing children can change is their view of themselves, which this book underscores.

So, yay for Purplelicious! A wonderful title to add to my collection!

Editorial Review:

It's purple Pinkalicious!

Pinkalicious loves the color pink, but all the girls at school like black. They tease her, saying that pink stinks and pink is for babies. But Pinkalicious doesn't think so…that is, until her friends stop playing with her. Now Pinkalicious has a case of the blues. But could she ever turn her back on her favorite color?

In the follow-up to the bestselling Pinkalicious, a young girl remains true to herself and discovers that pink isn't only a pretty color, but also a powerful one.

A Visitor for Bear

Bonny Becker

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $8.55

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful story about loneliness and friendship-perfect for preschoolers! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"A Visitor for Bear" is a perfect story for preschoolers and anyone else for that matter. It tells the story of Bear, a rather reclusive character who prefers to live alone, undisturbed and even posts a sign on his front door "No Visitors Allowed". Things change when bear gets a visit -from a persistent, cute little mouse who just won't take NO for an answer and keeps popping up in the unlikeliest of places, much to the disgruntled Bear's annoyance. What happens eventually is the sweetest thing - friendship.

The book deftly handles the themes of loneliness and friendship, and the sentences are simply written - perfect for preschoolers. The illustrations are in watercolor and very beautiful with touches of humor, depicting the extremely annoyed Bear and the ever persistent Mouse to such an effect that one can't help but laugh out loud at their antics. Highly recommended and perfect for reading aloud.

Editorial Review:

Cheery persistence wears down a curmudgeonly bear in a wry comedy of manners that ends in a most unlikely friendship.

Bear is quite sure he doesn’t like visitors. He even has a sign. So when a mouse taps on his door one day, Bear tells him to leave. But when Bear goes to the cupboard to get a bowl, there is the mouse — small and gray and bright-eyed. In this slapstick tale that begs to be read aloud, all Bear wants is to eat his breakfast in peace, but the mouse — who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places — just won’t go away!

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Mysterious Benedict Society)

Trenton Lee Stewart

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Little, Brown Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $8.43

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another wonderful story to read to your children 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

About 2 years ago Iread the original Mysterious Benedict Society to my sons and they enjoyed it. Now they are 9 and 10, and I think this sequel was an even better story to share with them. In the original book, there is a series of challenges, puzzles or tests that had to be solved by the protagonists. My boys really enjoyed trying to puzzle these out. After that it was something less of an audience participation mystery. In the Perilous Journey there are clues that Mr. Benedict has hidden for his proteges, that they have to solve if they are going to save him and Number 2 from the clutches of Ledroptha Curtain, Mr. Benedict's nefarious brother. These are spread evenly throughout the book, and with some good old fashioned puzzling and talking we were able to solve them all. My sons really loved this part because it made them feel like they could join the Mysterious Benedict Society themselves. Now I am impatiently awaiting a third installment (and Mr. Curtain's escape virtually assures of another sequel), and looking for other childre's books based on mysteries with clues a young reader can solve for themselves. The only qualm I have with this book at all is that in order to finally escape, Mr. Benedict had to badly trick SQ Pedalian, perhaps ruining his sense of trust, and we never did find out if he was rescued from the island (surely Mr. Benedict would have tried!) or was swept up into Mr. Curtain's circle again. Poor SQ! My sons really liked his bumbling friendliness. I hope Mr. Stewart is gentle with him in the next book.

Editorial Review:

The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.

With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all--a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids

Carol McCloud

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ferne Press Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $5.29

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Guess what? Kids are not naturally kind! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was sucked into the whole bucket thing because the corresponding program is what my elementary school is doing this year. We have the posters throughout the school, the assemblies, and the books.

Sure, the cynical part of me was perfectly willing to mock this (and yes, we did have a little "don't shoot holes in Mike's bucket!" banter during faculty meeting).

But, when it gets down to it, this simple little book packs a message that every kid needs to know. Because, despite what we think, too many kids need lessons in how to be kind.

The book is not preachy or moralizing. It is what it is, a quick explanation on what happens if we fill or dip someone's bucket.

Editorial Review:

Through simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heartwarming book encourages positive behavior as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation, and love. Bucket filling and dipping are effective metaphors for understanding the effects of our actions and words on the well being of others and ourselves.

Pete & Pickles

Amazon Price: $11.67 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Philomel Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $10.67

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Gorgeous Illustrations 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Have always loved Bloom County. So when I was looking for children's books for my nieces I found this and the artwork is fabulous and the story is too cute for words. Great for someone tired of fairy tales and little princesses. The girls loved it very much!

Sweet, funny and touching 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book. I gave it as a baby gift to a die-hard Bloom County fan, and it is Berke Breathed at his finest. The illustrations are beautiful (of course they would be), and the story is touching without being cheesy. It is funny, too, in true Bloom County fashion. I recommend this to anyone (kid, adult, whatever)!

Editorial Review:

Pete is a perfectly predictable, practical, uncomplicated pig. At least, he was . . . before a runaway circus elephant named Pickles stampeded into his life, needing a friend. Pickles is larger than life and overflowing with imagination. She takes Pete swandiving off Niagara Falls. (Sort of.) And sledding down the Matterhorn. (Sort of.) Pete goes along for the wild ride and actually begins to enjoy himself . . . until Pickles goes too far. And Pete tells her she must leave.

Yet sometimes the simple life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed offers two new irresistible characters and a heartfelt, hilarious look at the rarity of true friendship.

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)

Rick Riordan

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Miramax Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $3.19

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 111 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson-a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia-only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name.the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends-Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson-must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family-one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends (How Do Dinosaurs)

Jane Yolen

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Blue Sky Press Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $2.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

great book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My son is an only child who recently started day care. This book has really helped to teach him how to behave with the other children at daycare.

How Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My grandson loves the entire series of the How Do Dinosaur by Jane Yolen . We read them everyday.

Fun story & teaches too! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great addition to the series. It takes kids through what not to do and then teaches them in the How Do Dinosaurs sing song story about what to do to play well with friends.

Editorial Review:

What if a dinosaur's friends come to play? Does he mope, does he pout if he can't get his way? Does he hide all his dump trucks, refusing to share? Does he throw his friends' coloring books up in the air? Time and time again, children are told to "play nice." This brilliantly illustrated board book is packed with rhymes that will teach children how. Mark Teague's laugh-aloud illustrations, along with Jane Yolen's playful text, will show children that "playing nice" can be easy and fun. Perfect for parents to read aloud with their children, this book is as humorous as it is instructive.