FRIENDSHIP FICTION Grades 4-6
Alcock, Vivien. The
Trial of Anna Cotman. J FIC Alcock
New to town, Anna is happy to find a friend, even if it is the
bossy and quarrelsome Lindy, and is pleased to be allowed to join
the secret society run by Lindy's older brother until she commits
a "crime" that the society won't forgive.
Asch, Frank. Hands
Around Lincoln School. J FIC Asch
When sixth grader Lindsay creates the Save the Earth Club at
school, her radical methods of enlightening the student body
jeopardize her friendship with best friend Amy.
Avi. Romeo
and Juliet--Together (and alive!) at last. J FIC
Avi
The eighth grade's plan to get two reluctant "lovers" together by
means of a classroom production of Shakespeare's play has some
very unexpected results.
Bauer, Marion Dane. A
Dream of Queens and Castles. J FIC Bauer
In England with her mother for a year, dreamy Diana meets an
eccentric old man and shares his frustrations and use of the royal
family as a means of escape.
Birdseye, Tom. Just
Call Me Stupid. J FIC Birdseye
Terrified of failing and believing that he is stupid, a fifth
grader who has never learned to read begins to believe in himself
with the help of an outgoing new girl next door.
Blume, Judy. Otherwise
Known as Sheila the Great. J FIC Blume
A summer in Tarrytown, N.Y., is a lot of fun for ten-year-old
Sheila even though her friends make her face up to some
self-truths she doesn't want to admit.
Bowe, Julie. My
Best Frenemy. J FIC Bowe (SERIES)
Almost-ten-year-old Ida May finally has a new best friend at
school, but after bossy Jenna Drews starts an increasingly
dangerous game of Truth or Dare, Ida is not quite sure who her
friends really are.
Byars, Betsy Cromer. The
Pinballs. JPB B // J Fic Byars
Three lonely foster children learn to care about themselves and
each other.
Carbone, Elisa Lynn. Sarah
and the Naked Truth. J FIC Carbone
While ten-year-old Sarah faces some challenges after losing most
of her hair in a bubble gum accident, her closest friends
Christina and Olivia deal with identity issues of their own, and
in the end all learn to stand up to others in order to be true
to themselves.
Carbone, Elisa Lynn. Starting
School With an Enemy. J FIC Carbone
Worried about finding friends when she moves from Maine to
Maryland, ten-year-old Sarah gets off to a bad start by making an
enemy of a boy.
Cassedy, Sylvia.M.E.
and Morton. J FIC Cassedy
Eleven-year-old Mary Ella, ashamed that her older brother Morton
is a slow learner and longing for a friend of her own, is
astonished when the flamboyant new girl on the block picks Morton
for a friend.
Clarke, Judith.Riffraff.
J FIC Clarke
An eccentric writer brings about a friendship between two unusual
nine-year-olds, rowdy forceful Sophia and shy artistic Sam.
DeClements, Barthe. The
Pickle Song. J FIC DeClements
When Paula attempts to befriend the new girl on the block, she
learns that there is more to friendship than simply sharing good
times.
Ellis, Sarah. Next-Door
Neighbors. J FIC Ellis
Her family's move to a new town in Canada leaves shy
twelve-year-old Peggy feeling lonely and uncomfortable, until she
befriends the unconventional George and the Chinese servant of her
imperious neighbor Mrs. Manning.
Farrar, Susan Clement. Samantha
on Stage. J FIC Farrar
Eleven-year-old Samantha has always been the best in her ballet
class, but when she sees the new Russian girl dance she begins to
wonder who would get the coveted lead in the school's production
of the Nutcracker ballet.
Ferguson, Alane. Cricket
and the Crackerbox Kid. J FIC Ferguson
Pampered eleven-year-old rich kid Cricket thinks she has finally
found a friend in Dominic, who lives in the low-income houses
called crackerboxes, until they quarrel over ownership of a dog
and their classroom becomes a courtroom to decide who is right.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Love,
from the Fifth Grade Celebrity. J FIC Giff
Casey enjoyed Tracy's company during summer vacation but becomes
increasingly jealous of her irrepressible new friend when she
joins Casey's fifth-grade class.
Givner, Joan. Ellen
Fremedon : Journalist. J Fic Givner
Ellen and her best friend Jenny decide to publish a newspaperthat
will, unlike so many others, be completely truthful. But
publishing a paper isn't as easy as it seems.
Gormley, Beatrice. Best
Friend Insurance. J FIC Gormley
Just when Maureen feels she has been demoted to second-best status
by her former best friend Tracey, a rather unusual insurance agent
turns up, guaranteeing replacement of lost friends within
twenty-four hours.
Grabenstein, Chris. Riley Mack and the Other Known
Troublemakers. J FIC Grabenstein
Eleven-year-old Riley Mack and his friends, Briana, Mongo, Jake
and Jamal outwit the school bully, solve the mystery of who stole
the goldendoodle named Poodle, and get evidence to help the FBI
catch bank robbers.
Henkes, Kevin. Words
of Stone. J FIC Henkes // J PB H
Busy trying to deal with his many fears and his troubled feelings
for his dead mother, ten-year-old Blaze has his life changed when
he meets the boisterous and irresistible Joselle.
Holmes, Barbara Ware. Charlotte
Shakespeare and Annie the Great. J FIC Holmes
After prodding her best friend Annie into trying out for the lead
in the play she has written for their sixth grade class, Charlotte
feels herself losing control of her own play and experiences
jealousy when Annie suddenly gets all the attention.
House, Silas. Same Sun Here. J FIC House
A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky
coal miner's son become pen pals, and eventually best friends,
through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as
environmental activism, immigration, and racism.
Jones, Jennifer B. Dear
Mrs. Ryan, You're Ruining My Life. J FIC
Jones
In an effort to get his mother to stop writing about him in her
books, fifth-grader Harvey and his best friend decide to try to
make a romantic connection between her and their school principal.
Levinson, Marilyn. And
Don't Bring Jeremy. J FIC Levinson
New in the neighborhood and eager to be part of a new crowd,
sixth-grader Adam finds it difficult to come to terms with the
needs of his older brother who suffers from a learning disability
and often seems younger than Adam himself.
O'Connor, Jane. Yours
Till Niagara Falls, Abby. J FIC O'Connor
Ten-year-old Abby faces two months of summer camp without her best
friend.
Perkins, Lynne Rae. All
Alone in the Universe. J FIC Perkins
Debbie is dismayed when her best friend Maureen starts spending
time with ordinary, boring Glenna.
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Make
Believe. J FIC Pfeffer
Carrie and Jill are best friends and their families have always
been close, so when Jill's parents separate, it not only affects
Carrie and Jill's friendship, but Carrie's feelings about her own
family as well.
Robinson, Nancy K. Veronica
Knows Best. J FIC Robinson
No longer a show-off, Veronica decides the best way to make
friends is to "take an interest" in people and determines to
practice this theory on Kimberly Watson. Sequel to "Veronica the
Show-Off."
Roos, Stephen. The
Fair-Weather Friends. J FIC Roos
Twelve-year-old Kit has looked forward all winter to spending the
summer at her grandmother's on Plymouth Island and seeing her
friend Phoebe, but she finds Phoebe changed--more grown-up--and
wonders if the gap between them is too great to bridge.
Sachs, Marilyn. A
Secret Friend. J FIC Sachs
Ten-year-old Jessica loses her best friend, and in struggling to
win her back finds out some important things about friendship.
Sawyer, Ruth. Roller
Skates. J FIC Sawyer
Liberated for a year from her parents' restrictions, ten-year-old
Lucinda discovers true freedom in the care of her temporary
guardians as she roller skates around the streets of
turn-of-the-century New York.
Shalant, Phyllis. The
Transformation of Faith Futterman. J FIC Shalant
Suzanne jeopardizes her membership in the sixth grade's most
popular group, the Insiders, when she joins the school band and
befriends a "Nearly Nerd" named Faith Futterman.
Simon, Coco. Mia in the Mix.
JPB S (SERIES: Cupcake Diaries)
When the popular girls club takes interest in Mia, she has to
decide between being popular and her new cupcake club friends.
Slote, Alfred. Tony
and Me. J FIC Slote
Tony, a star athlete, befriends Bill and gives hope to the losing
baseball team, but Tony's problems force Bill to make some tough
decisions.
Snyder, Laurel. Penny
Dreadful. J FIC Snyder
When her father suddenly quits his job, the almost ten-year-old ,
friendless Penny and her neglectful parents leave their privileged
life in the city for a ramshackle property in Thrush Junction,
Tennessee, where their tenants have never paid rent and their
town's shop include Praise God the Lord Hot Dog Shack Fugate's
Feed Shop and Bridal Store.
Teague, Sam. The
King of Hearts' Heart. J FIC Teague
Aspiring to make the varsity track team, thirteen-year-old Harold
neglects his brain-damaged friend Billy, until a crisis leads him
to transfer his dreams of championship to Billy.
Wallace, Barbara Brooks. Claudia
and Duffy. J FIC Wallace
All the troubles in sixth-grader Claudia Harper's life seem to
start with her fourth-grade friend Dunford Wylie Booth V.
Weeks, Sarah. Oggie
Cooder. J FIC Weeks
Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder goes from being shunned to
everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of
cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular
television talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a
celebrity--and having a neighbor girl as his manager.
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