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Sign up todayBest Friends
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Weโre taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn more"Author Shannon Hale narrates as a full cast enacts the drama of her sixth-grade year in this adaptation of the middle volume of her graphic memoir trilogy. Portraying young Shannon, Mia Jenness evokes excitement, uncertainty, and hurt--painfully and exquisitely--as she picks her way through a friendship minefield."- AudioFile (Earphones Award Winner)
"...a stellar full cast presents a wonderfully immersive production, augmented with 1980s music, and background sound effects. The result is a sensational rollercoaster ride epitomizing the ups and downs of middle school relationships..."- School Library Journal
"A talented group of voice actors play Shannon's friends, rivals, crushes, teachers, and family members. Young actor Mia Jenness especially excels as the young Shannon. Captivating, skillfully mixed sound effects fill the air throughout, giving the scenes set on playgrounds and in schoolrooms an immersive feel."- Booklist
This program includes captivating sound design, music, and a multicast narration with twelve voice actors including the author, her husband, and her children. It also includes a bonus conversation between the author and her sixth-grade daughters reflecting on their shared experiences.
A national and New York Times Bestseller!
The creators of Real Friends Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham are back with a true story about popularity, first crushes, and finding your own path in Best Friends.
Follow your heart. Find your people.
Sixth grade is supposed to be perfect. Shannonโs got a sure spot in the in-crowd called The Group, and her best friend is their leader, Jen, the most popular girl in school.
But the rules are always changing, and Shannon has to scramble to keep up. She never knows which TV shows are cool, what songs to listen to, and who sheโs allowed to talk to. Who makes these rules, anyway? And does Shannon have to follow them?
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2019
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2019
A National Public Radio (NPR) Best Book of 2019
One of NBC Today's 26 Best Kids' Books of 2019
2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year List
A Macmillan Audio production from Roaring Brook Press.
Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honorโwinning and New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Academy series, The Books of Bayern, Book of a Thousand Days, Dangerous, and the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revengeand Calamity Jack, as well as the Ever After High and Princess in Black series, and the upcoming The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl for Marvel. She also wrote three novels for adults, including Austenland, now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell. She and her husband, the author Dean Hale, have four children and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Shannon Hale is the bestselling author of many books, including Real Friends, the Ever After High series, and Princess Academy. With her husband Dean Hale she co-wrote Rapunzel's Revenge, Calamity Jack, the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series, and The Princess in Black series. They live with their four children near Salt Lake City, Utah.
LeUyen Pham has illustrated more than one hundred books for children, including the Caldecott Honor book Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris and the bestselling Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale. She is the co-creator, along with Shannon Hale, of the bestselling graphic memoirs Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever. Her own books include The Bear Who Wasn't There and Big Sister, Little Sister. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, LeUyen lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honorโwinning and New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Academy series, The Books of Bayern, Book of a Thousand Days, Dangerous, and the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revengeand Calamity Jack, as well as the Ever After High and Princess in Black series, and the upcoming The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl for Marvel. She also wrote three novels for adults, including Austenland, now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell. She and her husband, the author Dean Hale, have four children and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Shannon Hale
Narrators:
Carlotta Brentan, Dean Hale, Dinah Hale, Helen Laser, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Mark Sanderlin, Marni Penning, Mia Jenness, Michael Crouch, Rob Brinkmann, Shannon Hale & Wren Hale
ISBN:
9781250891716
Length:
3 hours 11 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
Publication date:
August 8, 2023
Edition:
Unabridged
Reviews
โSomehow, Hale and Pham have made the โnormal girlโ into the ultimate cool girl.โ โThe New York Times Book Review
โThis uncommonly honest portrayal of the lures and pitfalls of popularity will likely ring true to many elementary and middle-school readers.โ โBooklist, starred review
โA terrific look at middle school culture . . . This authentic, important book will mean a great deal to many kids.โ โSchool Library Journal, starred review
โA must-read for fans of Raina Telgemeier or Victoria Jamieson . . . This glimpse into middle school is insightful, introspective, and important.โ โKirkus Reviews, starred review
โA natural suggestion for fans of Cece Bell and Raina Telgemeier, this book offers an honest, empathetic, and encouraging narrative for young readers braving the ups and downs of the tween years.โ โHorn Book
Praise for Real Friends:
โFresh and funny.โ โNew York Times Book Review
โThe book's truth is as vibrant as its art.โ โWashington Post
"I have two boys, they love these books. They love to talk about the friendships, I love that I am discussing all of these issues through the lives of these girls. There is something about it that's so wonderful." โNPR
โWistful, affecting, and utterly charming.โ โBooklist, starred review
โA heart-stabbing tale of the everyday social agonies of girlhood.โ โWall Street Journal
โShows us the incredible kindness and solidarity that girls can and do display.โ โThe Mary Sue
โBound to resonate with most readers, especially fans of Raina Telgemeier.โ โSchool Library Journal, starred review
โA wonderfully observed portrait of finding oneโs place in your world.โ โPublishers Weekly, starred review
โNails what itโs like to navigate elementary-school friendships.โ โParents Magazine
โSure to be loved by anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.โ โVictoria Jamieson, New York Timesโbestselling and Newbery Honor author of Roller Girl
โFresh, fun, and achingly real. Bravo!โ โJennifer L. Holm, New York Timesโbestselling and Newbery Honor author and co-creator of Sunny Side Up and the Babymouse series
โThis book is SO GOOD. SO MANY FEELS.โ โGene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese