BoldlyU Magazine Nov 2017 Indy Issue | Page 11

ENTERTAINMENT Friends Are Like That Scholastic Inc., 1984 By: Patricia Hermes 152 pages Do you have a best friend? Do you argue? I know I argue all the time with my best friend. So does Tracey and Kelly, in the book Friends Are Like That by Patricia Hermes. If you have a best friend, I highly suggest reading this book because of the message you will find in the end. Especially, if you are faced with a hard decision when it comes to friendship, which someday you will. The end of junior high can be hard for anyone. You start to deal with relationships, friend- ships, and worry about your future as you go into high school. In this book, Tracey starts to have problems with her best friend, Kelly. When they start their last year of junior high, Tracey realizes that Kelly is weird. She thought Kelly would grow out of dressing weird and being different, but she doesn’t. Finally, Tracey gets recognized by the pop- ular kids but becomes embarrassed of Kelly. After finally getting everything she ever wanted, being popular, Tracey faces a hard decision. It becomes an even harder decision when she finds out that her crush, Steve, is one of the popular kids. She must either decide to leave Kelly for her crush and the popular kids or stick with her only best friend, that has always been there for her. Most importantly, I recommend this book to anyone, especially junior high kids. This age range will be able to connect and understand each of the characters, in their own way. I learned, don’t do anything you will regret tomorrow, and many more helpful themes while reading Friends Are Like That by Patricia Hermes. This book was not my favorite book, because of how the characters handled given circumstances; but, I believe it is all worth reading for the main theme, which applies to life overall, not just friendship. Earlier, in the first paragraph I said I argued with my best friend all the time, and with the main theme, I realized something. The theme of the book helped me see that even though we might fight, we will never be able to destroy our unbreakable bond. Overall this book was inspirational, effec- tive, and bone-chilling. Jona, 13 November/December 2017 11