Friends with Boys

by Faith Erin Hicks

The youngest of four siblings, Maggie is starting ninth grade at public school after... read more

The youngest of four siblings, Maggie is starting ninth grade at public school after years of being homeschooled. Maggie has three older brothers, a father, and a mother who has recently left their home. After years of social interactions centered on her family, Maggie gradually figures out how to function at school, and makes friends with Lucy and her brother Alistair. Alistair is a former popular boy, who has made a break with his cool volleyball team clique, despite the social backlash that creates. Maggie’s life without a mother is coming around—except for the unhappy ghost who is haunting her, seeming to plead for her help. This graphic novel which looks at all kinds of relationships—between siblings, between friends, between not-so-friendly school peers, and between parents and children—offers the ghost as a metaphor for Maggie’s inability to control everything in her life. She can make her own friends, but she can’t figure out what the ghost needs, just like she can’t know exactly why her mom left, or fix things to bring her home again. (Age 13 and older)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2013

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