Real Friends

Description: Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends--and why it's worth the journey.

Brief description: LeUyen Pham is the award-winning and best-selling creator of over 140 books for children, including The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder, Caldecott Honor Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, and the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel Lunar New Year Love Story with Gene Yang. She is also the illustrator of the Princess in Black series, Real Friends graphic novel series, and cocreator of Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn with Shannon Hale. LeUyen lives with her family in Los Angeles, CA.

Review Quotes:

"In Real Friends, Shannon Hale reflects on her own friendship-troubled elementary school years with honesty, humor and grace . . . Her readers will find much to love here, including LeUyen Pham's brilliant and multilayered art . . . These detailed memories of elementary school will ring hilariously true to adult readers . . . At the same time, stories of whispered rumors and being left out will be achingly familiar for readers navigating those waters in the here and now." --author Kate Messner, writing in the New York Times Book Review

"The book's truth is as vibrant as its art." --Washington Post

"A heart-stabbing tale of the everyday social agonies of girlhood." --Wall Street Journal

"Real Friends tackles bullying, childhood anxiety, and growing pains in a heartfelt way that'll transport every woman who went to elementary school back into her days as a young girl . . . but the book also shows us the incredible kindness and solidarity that girls can and do display." --The Mary Sue

"A wistful, affecting, and utterly charming exploration of the realities of childhood friendship." --Booklist, starred review

"This tender, perceptive graphic memoir is bound to resonate with most readers, especially fans of Raina Telgemeier and kids struggling with the often turbulent waters of friendships and cliques." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A wonderfully observed portrait of finding one's place in your world." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Readers will appreciate Shannon's fantastic imagination that lightens her tough journey toward courage and self-acceptance." --Kirkus Reviews

"Hand this book to fans of Raina Telgemeier's and Cece Bell's graphic memoirs." --Horn Book

"The author's memoir nails what it's like to navigate elementary-school friendships." --Parents Magazine

"Pham's visual version of Hale expresses everything, with bright creativity and intense emotional suffering warring across her face, her body posture, and even in her gait. Hale fans will appreciate the look behind the curtain at where some of her amazing book ideas are rooted, and kids who have struggled with the complexity of grade school friendships, i.e., any kid, will find comfort that the dark days can be survived." --The Bulletin

"Real Friends is honest and heartfelt, and sure to be loved by anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. The artwork is stunning, too!" --Victoria Jamieson, New York Times-bestselling and Newbery Honor author of Roller Girl

"Fresh, fun, and achingly real. Bravo!" --Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling and Newbery Honor author and co-creator of Sunny Side Up and the Babymouse series

"Real Friends made me laugh, broke my heart, and gave me hope. This book is SO GOOD. SO MANY FEELS." --Gene Luen Yang, New York Times-bestselling and National Book Award Finalist author of American Born Chinese