Too many friends Kathryn Apel

Not for lunch

'Maybe Lucy

would like to sit

with us

for lunch today,'

I say 

as we collect lunch boxes

from our schoolbags.

'She always seems so

alone."

Yes Too many friends is a new verse novel (I adore them) but before I tell you about this brilliant book I am going to make a big call and say surely this book will be short listed for our CBCA awards in 2018.  Yes it really is that good.

Tahnee is in Year Two. She has lots of friends and enjoys school but she is also keenly aware of the different personalities in her class and is especially sensitive to the feelings of outsiders like Lucy.

The class have a most wonderful teacher with the perfect name Miss Darling.  "She smiles a lot and wears colourful clothes with spots and stripes and swirly patterns. ...  (She) smiles as she moves around the room like sunshine chasing rainbows. Miss Darling makes school exciting."

You will read about class relationships, projects, team work and a wonderful whole class writing idea. Meanwhile Tahnee has a birthday to plan and she hopes Lucy will come along.  The birthday theme is The Show.  Dad is such a good sport allowing the kids to throw wet sponges - Duck Dad.  The food is perfect too - hotdogs, pizza, fairy floss, slushies, hot chips, popcorn, corn on the cob and cupcakes along with little old fashioned party games like pass the parcel and pin the tail on the donkey.  Things are not perfect all the time, though.  Making new friends can mean old friends feel left out or worse they reject their friends. Tahnee has to find a way to bring everyone back together.

Read this review for more details.  I rarely give ratings but I give this book five stars out of five.  I would follow this book with Where I live by Eileen Spinelli, Sixth Grade Style Queen Not! by Sherryl Clark and Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend by Steven Herrick.

Too Many Friends is realistic—a finely nuanced story that gently reminds us of the positive effects of openhearted kindness and compassion. A welcome addition to our Australian fiction, it is credible and uplifting with nary a trace of didacticism.  Gleebooks