Making Friends

(Paperback)

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Description

Sixth grade was so much easier for Danielle. All her friends were in the same room and she knew what to expect from her life. But now that shes in seventh grade, shes in a new middle school, her friends are in different classes and forming new cliques and she is completely lost. When Danielle inherits a magical sketchbook from her eccentric great aunt Elma, she draws Madison, an ideal best friend that springs to life right off the page! But even when you create a best friend, its not easy navigating the ups and downs of relationships and before long Danielle and Madison are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye. To make matters worse, Danielle has drawn the head of her favourite (and totally misunderstood) cartoon villain, Prince Neptune. Hes also come to life and is giving her terrible advice about how to make people like her. When she rejects him and he goes on a rampage during a school pep rally, Danielle and Madison have to set aside their differences to stop him!

Reviews

"Making Friends is the Scott Pilgrim for the tweenage set, perfect for any younger readers' graphic novel collection." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Gudsnuk's powers of imagination will make her plenty of friends." -- Publishers Weekly

"This charming graphic novel features full-color, manga-inspired illustrations and a breezy plot that blends wish fulfillment and fantasy with an approachable and contemporary storyline. With a broad brush, Gudsnuk hits many of the angst-y issues of middle school, including popularity, bullying, family relationships, body image, and fandom, creating appeal for a large swath of readers... A nifty pastiche of middle school matters." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Middle-schoolers, meanwhile, will appreciate Gudsnuk's light touch in bringing an empathetic, joyful, and judicious treatment to those tough in-between years." -- Booklist

Praise for Making Friends: Back to the Drawing Board:

"Gudsnuk's bubbly, playful artwork, in a warm palette dominated by pink and purple and dense with detail and expressive, goggle-eyed faces, is a pleasure to look at." -- Booklist

Author Bio

Kristen Gudsnuk is the creator of Making Friends, an IndieBound bestseller and YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection. The sequel, Making Friends: Back to the Drawing Board, was included in the 2020 ILA Children's Choices reading list. She's also the writer and artist of the Minecraft comic series Wither Without You, and her Henchgirl comic series is being developed into a TV show. Kristen was born in suburbia, didn't go to art school, and now lives in Queens, New York. Learn more about Kristen and her comics at kristengudsnuk.com