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leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had imaginary friends as a kid (and older, ngl), so I was very excited to read a book about them! There's endless posibilities for writing imaginary friends, and no set rules. Which played a bit against this book and its characters.
Zoe crossing over to real life felt messy, since everything happened too fast and before I knew it the book was over. I think the author focused too much on Jade's internal monologue and didn't spend enough time studying how Zoe coped with being who she was. Because it was a complex thing! She had no family, virtually no free will, and only a basic understanding of how the world works. We get a sneak peek at just how messed up this is, but I think that could've been explored more and still keep it middle-grade.
The cancer element was harsh af, even more so after Bo's evil guy's reveal. I really appreciated that as a future psychologist, I honestly think that scene can be given to kids as a tool to pick up on preocuppying stuff younger kids may be doing, since us adults aren't always that good noticing that kind of stuff. I don't remember what grade Jade was on, but I thought that catastrophic way of thinking about her dad's cancer was out of place, kind of? Her thinking her dad would relapse if she stopped writing felt way too childish, I would've liked it explored a bit more, or left out altogether. It didn't add much to the story, and sometimes it got in the way of some other subplot waiting to unfold.
The magic element was on point!!!!! The fact that magic can be hidden in places you've never looked at twice before, and that some kids can pick up on it more than others, and that it isn't inherently good or bad but rather a weird blank slate that you have to fill somehow... it's my favorite kind of magic, and I've rarely seen it done well in a middle-grade. Props to you, Abby Cooper!!!
But also, I wish the side characters were explored more, and that's why I would absolutely love to read a sequel, maybe even a YA one. The blooming friendship with the Glitter Girls and Clue at the end absolutely saved the book for me. It felt like the perfect moral of the story. Also there's a lot of room for LGBTQ+ growth, since we also see Clue has two dads, so I would like to see how this queer-friendly environment would come into play as the kids grow up. The fact that their city is just a town people live for a while before moving to Denver would make the existence of a sequel tricky, but long-distance friendships, people moving in and out of town and changing friends are all things that happen, and I would like to see this author's take on them.
I had imaginary friends as a kid (and older, ngl), so I was very excited to read a book about them! There's endless posibilities for writing imaginary friends, and no set rules. Which played a bit against this book and its characters.
Zoe crossing over to real life felt messy, since everything happened too fast and before I knew it the book was over. I think the author focused too much on Jade's internal monologue and didn't spend enough time studying how Zoe coped with being who she was. Because it was a complex thing! She had no family, virtually no free will, and only a basic understanding of how the world works. We get a sneak peek at just how messed up this is, but I think that could've been explored more and still keep it middle-grade.
The cancer element was harsh af, even more so after Bo's evil guy's reveal. I really appreciated that as a future psychologist, I honestly think that scene can be given to kids as a tool to pick up on preocuppying stuff younger kids may be doing, since us adults aren't always that good noticing that kind of stuff. I don't remember what grade Jade was on, but I thought that catastrophic way of thinking about her dad's cancer was out of place, kind of? Her thinking her dad would relapse if she stopped writing felt way too childish, I would've liked it explored a bit more, or left out altogether. It didn't add much to the story, and sometimes it got in the way of some other subplot waiting to unfold.
The magic element was on point!!!!! The fact that magic can be hidden in places you've never looked at twice before, and that some kids can pick up on it more than others, and that it isn't inherently good or bad but rather a weird blank slate that you have to fill somehow... it's my favorite kind of magic, and I've rarely seen it done well in a middle-grade. Props to you, Abby Cooper!!!
But also, I wish the side characters were explored more, and that's why I would absolutely love to read a sequel, maybe even a YA one. The blooming friendship with the Glitter Girls and Clue at the end absolutely saved the book for me. It felt like the perfect moral of the story. Also there's a lot of room for LGBTQ+ growth, since we also see Clue has two dads, so I would like to see how this queer-friendly environment would come into play as the kids grow up. The fact that their city is just a town people live for a while before moving to Denver would make the existence of a sequel tricky, but long-distance friendships, people moving in and out of town and changing friends are all things that happen, and I would like to see this author's take on them.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book is an exploration of what it truly means to be a friend. But it also covers many other relevant topics for kids today, like economic challenges, terminal illness, and loss of friendship due to moving. Jade lives in a sort of "stepping stone" town---people don't stick around for long there. So, she's struggled to make meaningful friendships and has resorted to an imaginary friend named Zoe who she writes about daily. When Zoe comes to life, it seems perfect, but Jade struggles when Zoe fails to live up to her expectations of what a best friend should be. She also struggles to deal with her father's cancer and his inability to be completely present in her life the way she'd like him to be. I'm not going to lie: Jade is sometimes a difficult character to like, even when you do sympathize with her. She often acts selfishly (with both Zoe and a boy named Clue, who she holds a grudge against), and her perspective is skewed by her past experiences of loss. Still, even though I didn't always love Jade's attitudes or actions, I was always rooting for her to grow and learn from her mistakes. By the end of the book, Jade realizes that she hasn't been looking at friendship the right way.
The magical elements of this book are intriguing and mysterious. And I love the way that Jade's love of writing was woven into the story (and into the magic in an unexpected way). Overall, this was a lovely story!
***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book is an exploration of what it truly means to be a friend. But it also covers many other relevant topics for kids today, like economic challenges, terminal illness, and loss of friendship due to moving. Jade lives in a sort of "stepping stone" town---people don't stick around for long there. So, she's struggled to make meaningful friendships and has resorted to an imaginary friend named Zoe who she writes about daily. When Zoe comes to life, it seems perfect, but Jade struggles when Zoe fails to live up to her expectations of what a best friend should be. She also struggles to deal with her father's cancer and his inability to be completely present in her life the way she'd like him to be. I'm not going to lie: Jade is sometimes a difficult character to like, even when you do sympathize with her. She often acts selfishly (with both Zoe and a boy named Clue, who she holds a grudge against), and her perspective is skewed by her past experiences of loss. Still, even though I didn't always love Jade's attitudes or actions, I was always rooting for her to grow and learn from her mistakes. By the end of the book, Jade realizes that she hasn't been looking at friendship the right way.
The magical elements of this book are intriguing and mysterious. And I love the way that Jade's love of writing was woven into the story (and into the magic in an unexpected way). Overall, this was a lovely story!
***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
charvi_not_just_fiction's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 stars
TW: cancer, prolonged illness, minor character mentioned death
What a beautiful and magical story! As a lonely kid who always wanted to have a best friend who truly understood me, I related to this book so much.
We follow Jade, a young girl who has been betrayed by friends and is no stranger to loneliness while struggling with her dad's cancer journey. All her best friends leave so what else is she supposed to do as a writer but write a new best-friend for her, one who will never ever leave her. That's Zoey. And then thanks to some magic performed by Clue, Zoey comes to life. Except does Jade have a best friend or a shell of a person who just follows everything she wants?
Ahem, I might have related to the character too hard but oh my god the message in this book??? Chef's kiss. Every kid dreams to have the perfect best friend, thanks to movies and media. They dream of someone who's always by their side, someone they will never fight with, someone who likes the same things that they do. Except that's not what great friendships are about and this is something a lot of us struggle with even in our teen years. This is what Jade faces in her life as well. What does is truly mean to have a best-friend? And how much of her real-life has she been escaping of while concocting her world of Zoey and Jade?
This book talks about friendships and writing and about dealing with cancer. I am forever a champion of pushing for themes and topics that are hard to talk about and deal with in middle grade books and this heartwarming story manages to do just that. I would absolutely recommend this for readers from all age groups :)
TW: cancer, prolonged illness, minor character mentioned death
What a beautiful and magical story! As a lonely kid who always wanted to have a best friend who truly understood me, I related to this book so much.
We follow Jade, a young girl who has been betrayed by friends and is no stranger to loneliness while struggling with her dad's cancer journey. All her best friends leave so what else is she supposed to do as a writer but write a new best-friend for her, one who will never ever leave her. That's Zoey. And then thanks to some magic performed by Clue, Zoey comes to life. Except does Jade have a best friend or a shell of a person who just follows everything she wants?
Ahem, I might have related to the character too hard but oh my god the message in this book??? Chef's kiss. Every kid dreams to have the perfect best friend, thanks to movies and media. They dream of someone who's always by their side, someone they will never fight with, someone who likes the same things that they do. Except that's not what great friendships are about and this is something a lot of us struggle with even in our teen years. This is what Jade faces in her life as well. What does is truly mean to have a best-friend? And how much of her real-life has she been escaping of while concocting her world of Zoey and Jade?
This book talks about friendships and writing and about dealing with cancer. I am forever a champion of pushing for themes and topics that are hard to talk about and deal with in middle grade books and this heartwarming story manages to do just that. I would absolutely recommend this for readers from all age groups :)
mrs_bookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this entertaining and inspirational read. Friendship is such a huge and important topic for middle schoolers and this book can help so many see that their struggles are not that different from others. I think the humor plus the serious tones really balanced out the story.
kngiordano's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet story dealing with middle school friendships, emotions, & coping. Getting to know Jade in Abby Cooper's realistic style was fun and took me right back to middle school!
tracybabler's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the Kid Lit Exchange for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
Our household is a big fan of Abby Cooper's, especially her first novel STICKS AND STONES. With this third novel, Abby has again done what she does so well--come up with an unbelievable plot premise and somehow build a novel around it that reads like realistic fiction.
In FRIEND OR FICTION, Jade lives in a town where no one sticks around for very long. This makes it tough to make friends, so Jade invents one of her own. Every day she writes about her exploits with her fictional friend Jade and reads them to her dad, who is in treatment for liver cancer. Then one day, with the help of a magical pond and a classmate named Clue, Zoe comes to life and everything Jade has written about starts happening in real life. Even better--Jade can control Zoe by writing new stories.
It doesn't take long for Jade to figure out that controlling everything someone does doesn't make for a very fulfilling friendship. I think middle grade readers will see the parallels between this fictional friendship and some real-life ones in which fitting in or please people replaces true connection. Abby contrasts this nicely with the new, authentic friendships that start to bud in Jade's life throughout the story.
This book feels to me like it will appeal to a younger middle grade reader, mostly because they will be less likely to question the magical pond that brings Zoe to life. The good news is, it's completely age-appropriate!
Our household is a big fan of Abby Cooper's, especially her first novel STICKS AND STONES. With this third novel, Abby has again done what she does so well--come up with an unbelievable plot premise and somehow build a novel around it that reads like realistic fiction.
In FRIEND OR FICTION, Jade lives in a town where no one sticks around for very long. This makes it tough to make friends, so Jade invents one of her own. Every day she writes about her exploits with her fictional friend Jade and reads them to her dad, who is in treatment for liver cancer. Then one day, with the help of a magical pond and a classmate named Clue, Zoe comes to life and everything Jade has written about starts happening in real life. Even better--Jade can control Zoe by writing new stories.
It doesn't take long for Jade to figure out that controlling everything someone does doesn't make for a very fulfilling friendship. I think middle grade readers will see the parallels between this fictional friendship and some real-life ones in which fitting in or please people replaces true connection. Abby contrasts this nicely with the new, authentic friendships that start to bud in Jade's life throughout the story.
This book feels to me like it will appeal to a younger middle grade reader, mostly because they will be less likely to question the magical pond that brings Zoe to life. The good news is, it's completely age-appropriate!
biteintobooks's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story, first of all, felt very original. The part that I liked most was that the main character, Jade, was aspiring to be writer. She is writing "oppservations" in her diary and that were the most fun parts for me, since the questions she asks there, are pretty philosophical and would be good for Middle Graders to think about. Sadly, I was annoyed by the main character most of the time, and didn't enjoy the story that much. That made me give the book 2 stars.
A longer review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
I'm pretty sure it's harder to write Children's and Middle Grade books if you're an adult author, because how do we know what kids of those ages like? Well, I do know what I want to teach kids in life, and I do know what I like as a reader, and this story just kinda missed the mark for me. I am curious what other readers and younger readers think, tough. The few oppservations in the book were fun and the message behind the story was nice, but I was mainly annoyed with Jade and the story.
The story, first of all, felt very original. The part that I liked most was that the main character, Jade, was aspiring to be writer. She is writing "oppservations" in her diary and that were the most fun parts for me, since the questions she asks there, are pretty philosophical and would be good for Middle Graders to think about. Sadly, I was annoyed by the main character most of the time, and didn't enjoy the story that much. That made me give the book 2 stars.
A longer review can be found at BiteIntoBooks
I'm pretty sure it's harder to write Children's and Middle Grade books if you're an adult author, because how do we know what kids of those ages like? Well, I do know what I want to teach kids in life, and I do know what I like as a reader, and this story just kinda missed the mark for me. I am curious what other readers and younger readers think, tough. The few oppservations in the book were fun and the message behind the story was nice, but I was mainly annoyed with Jade and the story.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a cool book, and it has two levels. One level is that Jade is lonely and so writes about her imaginary friend. Zoe is the perfect friend, and all her stories tell of how perfect she is, how fun she is, and what a good friend she is.
The other level is why Jade has created an imaginary friend to write about, and how Clue notices this, and understands, and so decides to help her by using magic water to bring Zoe to life.
I loved how Zoe was exactly what Jade had imagined, down to not having parents, because Jade had never done that part of the backstory for them.
Then there is the issue of Jade's father having cancer, that is driving her to need to have something good in her life.
I thought the story was only predictable when it came to Clue. But everything else was a delightful surprise, and kodos for not making the Sparkly Girls into mean girls. I am tired of that cliche.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The other level is why Jade has created an imaginary friend to write about, and how Clue notices this, and understands, and so decides to help her by using magic water to bring Zoe to life.
I loved how Zoe was exactly what Jade had imagined, down to not having parents, because Jade had never done that part of the backstory for them.
Then there is the issue of Jade's father having cancer, that is driving her to need to have something good in her life.
I thought the story was only predictable when it came to Clue. But everything else was a delightful surprise, and kodos for not making the Sparkly Girls into mean girls. I am tired of that cliche.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
ruhhnay's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first middle school read in probably 20 years and I loved it SO much more than I expected. I expected a sweet, simple, cutesy story but this was so much more than that.
Jade is a lonely girl in need of a true best friend. When no friendships seem to be working out, she takes to her notebook and crafts her ideal friend in her character named Zoe, in which they have endless laughs and unwavering dedication to each other. In a fun twist of magical realism, Zoe winds up joining Jade’s class as a new student and Jade quickly realizes every detail of her fictional story is now coming to life. Zoe helps Jade cope with the tough emotions of her father’s cancer diagnosis and is exactly the type of friend she needs.
Through the story, Jade learns some seriously powerful lessons. My favorite parts of the book were her “Observations” and “Questions for Research” - little ways Jade could learn and grow from her experiences from jealousy in friendship to evolving family bonds. She also got some solid advice from Mrs. Yang who inspires her to keep writing.
Overall, I just loved every second. Cassandra Morris was a perfect narrator too! Wonderful, meaningful read.
Jade is a lonely girl in need of a true best friend. When no friendships seem to be working out, she takes to her notebook and crafts her ideal friend in her character named Zoe, in which they have endless laughs and unwavering dedication to each other. In a fun twist of magical realism, Zoe winds up joining Jade’s class as a new student and Jade quickly realizes every detail of her fictional story is now coming to life. Zoe helps Jade cope with the tough emotions of her father’s cancer diagnosis and is exactly the type of friend she needs.
Through the story, Jade learns some seriously powerful lessons. My favorite parts of the book were her “Observations” and “Questions for Research” - little ways Jade could learn and grow from her experiences from jealousy in friendship to evolving family bonds. She also got some solid advice from Mrs. Yang who inspires her to keep writing.
Overall, I just loved every second. Cassandra Morris was a perfect narrator too! Wonderful, meaningful read.
ioanaisreading's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
Making friends is always hard, and Jade finds it so, too. Her bestie is in a big yellow notebook; her name's Zoe. Imagination is not something Jade lacks, so she can imagine all the fun she and Zoe can have.
This is the story of how to see and make friends with those around you, those waiting for you to look. Clue is one these people waiting. With a bit of magic, he makes Jade's wish come true - Zoe gets to live and be an in-real-life friend for Jade. However, Jade soon learns that it's harder than she thought to control every aspect of a friendship, and that being yourself and letting your friends be themselves will lead to a healthy friendship.
There are other deep aspects in the novel: Jade's sadness that people don't seem to stick for long in her town, her father's illness, her striving to be a better and better writer listening to Mrs. Yang's tips, her English teacher. All these add depth and by the end of the novel, Jade is more mature and sure of herself and her place in the school and in her family.
I absolutely adored this, and I think it's perfect for every middle grade student, but not only. A good starting point for discussions as well.
I received a free e-book copy of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.
Making friends is always hard, and Jade finds it so, too. Her bestie is in a big yellow notebook; her name's Zoe. Imagination is not something Jade lacks, so she can imagine all the fun she and Zoe can have.
This is the story of how to see and make friends with those around you, those waiting for you to look. Clue is one these people waiting. With a bit of magic, he makes Jade's wish come true - Zoe gets to live and be an in-real-life friend for Jade. However, Jade soon learns that it's harder than she thought to control every aspect of a friendship, and that being yourself and letting your friends be themselves will lead to a healthy friendship.
There are other deep aspects in the novel: Jade's sadness that people don't seem to stick for long in her town, her father's illness, her striving to be a better and better writer listening to Mrs. Yang's tips, her English teacher. All these add depth and by the end of the novel, Jade is more mature and sure of herself and her place in the school and in her family.
I absolutely adored this, and I think it's perfect for every middle grade student, but not only. A good starting point for discussions as well.
I received a free e-book copy of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.