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
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