Best Friends

Review

Common Sense Media says

Story of a friend moving is comforting and relatable.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this book deals with the emotional ups and downs of friendship and loss when one friend moves away. Gemma acts out a little in response to this. She challenges someone to a fight that never happens, shouts in anger, and eats sweets until she's sick. Gemma also says "damn" and "hell" a couple of times in front of her granddad, who gently admonishes her.

  • Positive messages3
    Shows the strong friendship of two very different girls and how they bounce back after the loss.
  • Positive role models3
    Alice and Gemma are sweet girls who sometimes make poor choices, but learn from their mistakes. Friends and family are supportive, especially one beloved grandparent. However, when Gemma gets angry she shouts, fights, and eats until she’s sick. She says “damn” and “hell”
    a couple times. Alice’s mother is somewhat materialistic, favoring DKNY instead of Gap, and Gemma's mother doesn't like that her daughter dresses "like a boy." Adults serve Pimm's, which is an alcoholic beverage, at an afternoon picnic.
  • Violence & scariness1
    Gemma shouts when she's angry and treats a friend poorly by calling him fat and challenging him to a fight, which never happens.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's the story?

Gemma and Alice have been best friends since birth. They were born on the same day, in the same
hospital and have been inseparable ever since. Complete opposites (Gemma is athletic
and messy, while Alice is graceful and tidy), they have a bond that is unbreakable and every year on
their birthday they share the same wish: “We wish we stay friends forever and
ever and ever.” Everything seems ruined when Alice's father gets a new job hundreds of
miles away and the family has to move. Now Alice and Gemma have to navigate the rough waters
of adjusting to life without each other.

Is it any good?

 

Kids will relate to the strength of Gemma and Alice's friendship, as
well as the sadness and anger they feel at being separated against their will. They’ll
appreciate the warmth of Gemma’s granddad and the lengths he goes to in order
to help his granddaughter cope. Readers will find the book uplifting as they
see the characters learn how to move on.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about friendship and how people can be
    best friends even when they’re very different. Do you have friends who are
    different from you? How does that work for or against your friendship?

  • Why did Gemma feel that her mother would prefer Alice as a daughter? Why
    do some people expect that a girl should wear dresses and care about makeup
    and hairstyles? What do those expectations say to a girl who doesn’t fit those
    stereotypes?

  • Why do you think Gemma was so mad at Biscuits and why do you
    think Biscuits continued to be a good friend to her in spite of it?

This review was written by Abby Aldrich
Kid, 12 years old
October 21, 2009
AGE
8
 
GOOD
GREAT BOOK
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (4) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (5)
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by Abby Aldrich
Author:Jacqueline Wilson
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Friendship
Publisher:Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:September 30, 2008
Number of pages:240
Hardcover price:$15.95
Paperback price:$7.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):9 - 12
Read aloud:7
Read alone:7
This review was written by Abby Aldrich
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

More kids deal with moving
For kids who love friendship tales
Browse more books
 

vote now

Will you read Best Friends?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already read it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it