However, I think Real Friends can be greatly enjoyed by readers of all kinds. This is a great book to educate and comfort younger audiences struggling with their own friendships and the process of growing up. The characters are mainly elementary school students and the story is geared towards younger audiences. This book will be most appealing for readers about 7 to 12 years old. This is a memoir of the author's elementary years, and I like that the book includes many different spheres and angles of Shannon’s life, such as her struggles at school, as well as her struggles at home, especially with her siblings. For example, Shannon’s sister Wendy is drawn as a ferocious bear, but as Shannon's relationship with her sister shifts, so does the visual representation. The art is fantastic, and I love the vibrant color and design work put into the flashback and daydreaming segments, as well as the stylistic approaches of using symbolism to represent certain people or feelings. It definitely brings back a lot of nostalgia of my own elementary school days and struggles. Will she ever have the confidence to have real friends? She wants to be herself, but then she will lose all her friends. When she gets the chance to be part of “The Group,” she now has to deal with jealous bullies, social pressures, anxiety, and the other side-effects of instant popularity. Shannon finds herself meeting new people and navigating the social struggles of fitting in. By third grade, though, Adrienne is being pulled into 'The Group,' a circle of kids who are popular.

In Kindergarten, she and Adrienne are best of friends. She loves to make up games and stories, and her random quirky personality sets her apart from the other girls.

Shannon is a spunky, creative girl with a huge imagination. Diverse Easy Reader | Illustrated Chapter.

Shannon hale friends