Want personalized picks that fit your family?
Set preferences to see our top age-appropriate picks for your kids.
Real Friends
Common Sense says
- Shannon Hale
- Friendship
- 2017
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Real Friends is a graphic novel memoir by Shannon Hale (the Princess Academy series) about her struggle to find good, reliable friends throughout elementary school. She touches on mental health issues and a distressing relationship with her angry older sister, who abuses her emotionally and physically. Hale's Mormon faith is a source of strength for her, and she prays for divine help navigating difficult relationships. Artwork by LeUyen Pham (A Piece of Cake) heightens the emotional intensity and brings some welcome levity with fanciful depictions of Shannon's imaginative inner life.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Terrible.
Real Friends by Shannon Hale
I wish i had Real Friends
My favorite graphic novel...
What's the story?
REAL FRIENDS begins with fretful Shannon becoming best friends with Adrienne in kindergarten. By third grade, however, Adrienne is getting drawn into "The Group," a small circle of popular kids with a girl named Jen at the center. Kids in "The Group" follow complicated rules and compete for Jen's favor, excluding everyone else. Shannon fumbles at the edges, feeling pulled in and then pushed away, targeted by a bully spreading lies and rumors. She's bullied at home, too, by an angry older sister. Shannon wants to be brave enough to stand up for herself, but she risks losing all her friends. When she finally walks away from "The Group," she feels lonely and unsure. Does anyone want to be friends with nice kids?
Is it any good?
In a remarkable memoir, Shannon Hale writes with heartbreaking honesty about her struggle to form genuine childhood friendships, turning painful memories into an encouraging, relatable graphic novel. Real Friends unites Hale with LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series. Together, the two create a vivid portrait of a shy, insecure young girl desperate for a kindred spirit.
Pham's artwork is full of tender details and whimsical imagery, depicting young Shannon's imaginative games of pretend and her sister in the form of a fierce bear. And Hale looks back on her elementary school years with sympathy for her younger self and an honest look at times she, too, failed to be a good friend to others. The cruelty of the bullying and Shannon's emotional distress at home can be hard to read. Unfortunately, many young readers will relate to her story and hopefully appreciate her message that it really does get better -- and being kind really does pay off in the long run.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about why Shannon tries so hard for so long to fit in with "The Group" in Real Friends. What makes popular cliques so appealing? Why are mean kids sometimes seen as "cool"?
Why do you think this memoir is told as a graphic novel? How do you think a written memoir or movie would compare?
Do you recognize yourself or your classmates in any of the characters?
Book details
- Author: Shannon Hale
- Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
- Genre: Friendship
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Misfits and Underdogs
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: First Second
- Publication date: May 2, 2017
- Number of pages: 224
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Themes & Topics
Browse titles with similar subject matter.
For kids who love graphic novels and friendship stories
Our editors recommend
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.