Now their favorite thing to do together is eat!Īmong the Hidden Biographies Book Giveaway Book to Movie Adaptation book trailer Deborah Ellis Diary of a Wimpy Kid Erin Hunter Food Graphic Novels Harry Potter Heroes of Olympus J.K. Their favorite things to do together were create treasure hunts for each other, play UNO, and talk about The Baby-Sitters Club. Karen’s best friend from middle school is named Erin, and they’re still friends to this day. Have you read any of the books mentioned here, or do you have a recommendation for a different book that covers similar themes? Leave a comment below! I highly recommend both Invisible Emmie and Real Friends, especially if you’re a fan of El Deafo by Cece Bell, Smile by Raina Telgemeier, and All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. The artwork in these books is essential to experiencing them, so rather than try to describe the illustrations, I’ll leave you with these two videos that will give you a sense of the characters and their worlds: Just as I sympathized with the characters’ struggles, I also delighted in the brighter moments of their days, like when Shannon and her friends come up with funny (and sometimes bonkers) games of pretend or when Emmie and her best friend write hilarious love letters to their crushes (never meant to be shared, of course!). Unfortunately, both protagonists therefore find themselves controlled by the decisions of their classmates, unable to make choices about what they really want their school and friend group experience to be and unable to be proud of their talents and let their strengths shine.īut don’t worry - the books aren’t dark or super sad. Both books are about girls who only have one really good friend and lack the confidence to stand up for themselves. Here I’m going to focus on Real Friends and Invisible Emmie - which have a lot of similarities even though Real Friends is a memoir (telling the story of author Shannon Hale’s childhood) and Invisible Emmie is a novel (telling the fictional story of Emmie).
You should definitely check out what your fellow readers have to say about those books and then decide if they’re right for you. If you click on the links above, you’ll see that we already have plenty of reviews for Awkward and Roller Girl from Kidsmomo visitors like you.
And they were all AMAZING in the very real way that they depict the rough waters of school and friendship. One after the other, I gobbled up Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, Real Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham, and Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson. Recently, I went on a reading spree of graphic novels/memoirs and illustrated books.