About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is experiencing the complex growing pains of a tight-knit friend group being disrupted by a new, more worldly or eccentric personality. It is a perfect fit for the middle-schooler who is beginning to question group-think and is learning how to navigate the blurry line between being loyal to old friends and being intrigued by someone who challenges the status quo. Schuyler Sweet and her friends in the Chum Club find their small-town dynamics upended by Nell, an unusual girl from out of state who wears green eye shadow and possesses a bluntness that is both refreshing and intimidating. Constance C. Greene captures the authentic, sometimes messy reality of female friendships in the pre-teen years. This story normalizes the feelings of jealousy and inadequacy that often arise when a peer seems more sophisticated than the rest. It is a realistic, secular look at self-discovery that avoids easy moralizing, making it an excellent conversation starter for children who feel pressured to choose sides in social squabbles.
