This semi-autobiographical graphic novel by the author of Bad Sister is once again set in the 1970s. Charise's best friend, Casey, lives next door to her in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the two spend lots of time together. When Casey starts high school while Charise is still in 8th grade, Casey completely ignores her former best friend, going as far as not even acknowledging her presence if they meet on the street! This makes middle school even harder. Charise is a talented clarinet player, so she now has more time to practice. She knows she needs to make new friends, but it has been so long since she has had to do this that she feels out of practice. To complicate matters, her grandmother who doesn't speak English has moved from France to live with Charise's family. Charise actively searches out people with whom she might be friends, but doesn't come up with the perfect person. As much as she likes her school librarian, Mrs. Lee, adults don't make good best friends. Paul's parents are no longer friends with her parents, making thins tough. She gets a long with Nicole, but she lives three hours away. She likes the same books as Susan (I recognized the 1970s cover for L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time), but when Susan invites Charise to her house, Charise ends up being VERY allergice to Susan's hamster! Charise doesn't like to invite people to her house, since she is embarrassed by the laundry hanging outside, bargain snacks, and her grandmother. When she makes the Pacifi-Tones ensemble, she meets Eva from school, and the two spend lots of time together. Charise is reluctant to let Susan and Eva hang out together, perhaps afraid that the two will want to be friends with each other and exclude her. Will Charise ever be able to find the right balance to have another best friend?
Strengths: Friend drama is a tremendously popular topic, especially in graphic novels. Even though Charise was definitely struggling with finding a comfortable friendship, this book was much more upbeat and less whiny than most graphic novels. Even though the friendship was the biggest part of this book, I really enjoyed the family dynamics as well, and Charise's developing relationship with her grandmother. The drawings indicate that the book is set in the 1970s, but it seems fairly universal, with only a few other touch points dating this to a different time (K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Shake Your Booty plays at one time). There's a touch of sibling rivalry, some good activities, and a feeling of forward motion as the book goes on, which many books lack. I'll definitely purchase this one, if only for the great illustrations of plaid pants!
Weaknesses: It seemed a bit odd that Charise didn't want more than one best friend and that she kept Susan and Eva apart. It would have been nice to have a little more information about that. As a survival mechanism, it's better to have as many friends as possible in middle school because you just don't know when someone will stop speaking to you!
What I really think: Comparisions to the graphic novels of Telgemaier, Hale, and Miller are apt, but this will also be a big hit with readers who enjoyed Montague's Camp Frenemies or Beka and Maya's Love Report books.
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