STICK WITH ME

Two girls navigate the slippery ice of tween friendship.

Twelve-year-old Izzy is no longer best friends with Phoebe. Instead, Phoebe has attached herself to the popular (but mean) Daphne, and Daphne makes a point of excluding Izzy. To make matters worse, Izzy’s parents inform her that for financial reasons they will be moving to the apartment over their garage for a week because they’ve rented their house out to a family from out of town. This family also has a 12-year-old daughter, Wren, and they want to be close to the hospital where their 4-year-old is having surgery. At the book’s beginning, the girls’ stories are told in alternating third-person chapters integrated so well­ that when the two ultimately intertwine it is both natural and fresh. Wren, unlike Izzy, isn’t concerned with friendships or lack thereof. Wren has a focus and a passion: figure skating. And she is not happy to leave her practice rink four weeks before the sectionals competition to come with her family—though she feels bad about that. Wren and Izzy inevitably meet, but their budding friendship hits a snag, and it’s not certain if either girl can find the courage to make amends. Wren and Izzy have depth and nuance that give their stories vitality and believability, but the mean-girl storyline is run-of-the-mill (although the getting even part is fun). All characters read as White.

A pleasurable balance of original and satisfying.