Friends with Boys. Faith Erin Hicks. New York, NY: Square Fish/Macmillan (Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books), 2012/2015. 224 pp., trade pbk., $11.50. ISBN 978-1-250-06816-3. Grades 8 and up / Ages 13 and up. Review by Natalie Schembri. **** /4

excerpt:

Why did mom leave?

Your mom spent seventeen years homeschooling you guys because she felt that’s what was best for you. Doing something like that asks a lot of sacrifice. Maybe she needed to do something just for herself, not for the family.

That’s not a very good reason.

Your mom loves you very much, Maggie.

In Faith Erin Hicks’ graphic novel, Friends with Boys, Maggie is beginning high school. Navigating the world of high school is a challenging time, but especially for Maggie who has been home-schooled by her mother her whole life. She now has to learn how to be socialized into the world of high school, but she does not really know how to fit in. On top of transitioning from home school to public school, Maggie is also dealing with the lingering memory of her mother who abandoned the family (her father, three brothers, and Maggie). Friends with Boys tells the story of Maggie and her new found friendship with brother and sister Alistair and Lucy, her loving relationship with her older brothers, and her encounters with a ghost—a metaphor for the haunting memory of her mother.

      Hicks’ narrative is a powerful story full of endearing characters. I would highly recommend Friends with Boys to youth and adults who enjoy quirky, emotional coming-of-age stories about the complexities of high school, fitting in, making new friends, and coping with memories of the past.

Highly Recommended.

Natalie Schembri is a librarian in the Lower Mainland, BC.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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