--Part of the My Best Frenemy blog tour--
Author: Julie Bowe
Pages: 240
Published: Dial, May 13 2010
Genre: Middle grade fiction
Cover Score: B
Overall Grade: A-
Fourth grade is busier than ever for Ida May. Her best friend is making new friends, a game of truth or dare is stressing her out, her parents refuse to let her get her ears pierced, and her frenemy has a big secret! Add a risky triple dog dare (gulp) into the mix, and Ida's going to need some major help from her friends...
My thoughts: As always, Julie Bowe's latest in her Friends for Keeps series was sweet and honest. Ida makes a wonderful narrator and main character--readers of the same age group will feel that they can really relate to her. Ms. Bowe certainly did her research--she's got the typical fourth-grader down! I loved the whole truth-or-dare aspect of the plot. It spiced up the storyline and gave the series a new pop.
However, I found that My Best Frenemy didn't outshine the two previous books in the series. Compared to My Last Best Friend and My New Best Friend, it kind of almost fell flat. Although it was significantly longer than the others, this new story didn't have nearly all the drama and action that I loved in both previous stories. Also, I was disappointed that Stacey didn't have a larger role in the plot.
Still, readers ages 8-12 will love Ida and devour her latest adventures. The story gave me an overall warm-and-fuzzy feeling, and I definitely want to see what's next between Ida and Jenna in the next book, Forever Friends (coming out June 2011 from Dial)!
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Visit the next stop of the MBF tour over at the Literary Word.
4 comments:
I've loved the last two books in this series, as have our fourth and fifth grade girls, with all of their "friend dramas!" I can't wait to read this one!
Carol
www.carolwscorner@blogspot.com
Thanks for this review!
I am an adult and I had to read the first book in the series for my college class. I loved it so much that I am now going to purchase the second and third books in the series. I think that it is perfect for children in fourth grade and helps me to remember my childhood in school. Also I feel that as a future teacher I now have some good liturature for my students to read.
Katie
merrilka@uwec.edu
Those books are insanely cute! =)
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