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themichellegray's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
A graphic memoir that navigates young friendships, sibling relationships, and the struggles that come along with both. I definitely would've appreciated reading this more as a child but it still managed to remind me how fortunate I am for my adult friendships!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Physical abuse
kaistephan's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
5.0
An absolute gut punch of childhood trauma. Reading this felt like reliving elementary school. Absolutely brilliant and spot on in its portrayal of girlhood friendship games.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Mental illness
pich's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
i read this a while ago in middle school, so i read it again for some nostalgia. it’s relatable and heartfelt, and i like the art style, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic friendship
Minor: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
kibbles15's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Wow! While my experience was different than that of the author's, this book brought back memories from my own childhood. This book shows and openness that lets people know that we all struggle in different ways. It is a wonderful way of depicting the emotions of those children who feel lonely and bullied. I highly Recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Toxic friendship
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Oof. I appreciate that this book exists but for me it was less 'oh, what an encouragingly relatable book' and more 'oh, this reminds me how hard childhood was and makes my stomach twist into knots again'. Plus, it just made me upset at how the school system makes it EVEN harder for friendships (including within families) to form and grow in a natural way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
snuggly_feminist's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Shannon Hale magically turns her younger self, a "normal" girl, into a hero whose tribulations are her friends, school and her family. LeUyen Pham's illustrations are lovely and can be funny.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexism
bookwormenthusiast's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
Real Friends is a quick read that tackles the difficulties of making friends when you're in elementary school. I ended up really relating to this story, especially with the idea of trying to find where you fit in with your classmates. Although obviously meant for a younger age group, this book was a great read for older audiences as well, but more so in terms of rethinking our own friend-making experiences. Overall, this was a funny and heartfelt story that really put into perspective growing up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Physical abuse