My Worst Best Friend

November 8, 2010
Something happened to end Gracie's best friendship with the beautiful, beloved yet ditzy Savanna but Gracie won't say what. Instead Sheldon (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen) unfolds their friendship's demise slowly, developing the complex dynamics of their relationship as well as the girls' individual personalities. As Gracie and Savanna's connection grows ever more tenuous—Savanna is constantly standing up Gracie (and others) and forcing her to lie on her behalf—the never-been-kissed Gracie has an unexpected suitor: the odd but adorable Cooper, who ropes her into volunteering with him. Gracie's down-to-earth narration and passion for protecting the environment makes Savanna's shallow and clueless nature all the more grating, though Savanna is never reduced to a mean-girl caricature. Instead, her actions come across more as misguided than intentionally cruel, and readers should relate to Gracie's painful experience of growing beyond a once-treasured friendship. Nevertheless, it's a relief when Gracie realizes that she has changed but that Savanna will not, and finally lets her go. Ages 12–up.

January 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-Gracie and Savanna are best friends, despite their differences. Gracie is short, shy, environmentally conscious, and an old movies buff kind of girl. Savanna, on the other hand, is tall, beautiful, and loves shopping and boys. The two have always gotten along until Savanna starts cheating on her boyfriend. She becomes "the worst best friend" ever by canceling or not showing up for things at the last minute. Even worse, she starts involving Gracie in her web of lies and uses her as an alibi to cover her tracks. Despite all of this, Gracie just doesn't recognize what a bad friend Savanna is. Then Savanna interjects herself between Gracie and her new friend/potential boyfriend. The scenario gets nasty and Gracie finally realizes how self-centered Savanna is. From then on their friendship takes a different turn. Fans of chick-lit and Sheldon's previous works will enjoy this book. The author has done a good job of focusing on themes teens will relate to: trust, friendship, and the importance of standing up for yourself. One thing readers may question is why it takes so long for Gracie to see the light.-Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Grades 6-9 Gracies best friend, Savanna, is a manipulative charmer who refuses to let truth interfere with her vision of life. Like Gracie, Savannas boyfriend, Archie, and his friends are merely Savannas pawns, who serve as a rapt audience for her stories and plans. But Gracies acceptance of her best friends foibles begins to erode after Savanna pressures her to lie to Archie, their friends, and both sets of parents so that she can surreptitiously date a college guy. Sheldon borders on the didactic as Savanna piles one ridiculous fabrication and exaggeration upon another, forcing Gracie into a deeper web of uneasy lies. Readers may grow frustrated with Gracies ready forgiveness and blind spots about Savannas behavior, but the humor and snappy dialogue, though not as polished as in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (1999) and Confessions of a Hollywood Star (2006), will still keep teens engaged and entertained.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Sheldon's novel is a break-up story about a friendship that's run its course. High school "soul sisters and cosmic twins" Gracie and Savanna first hit a rough patch when Savanna asks Gracie to lie about her budding romance with a college boy. Sheldon's depiction of a relationship that ends "not with a bang but with a whimper" is poignant and insightful.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2010
Best friends Gracie and Savanna are a classic case of opposites attracting. While Gracie is just "Regular. Ordinary. Plain," Savanna is "practically a natural phenomenon. You know, like sunrise over the Rockies or the aurora borealis." But Sheldon's novel isn't a tale of enduring sisterhood; it's a break-up story, told from Gracie's perspective, about a friendship that's run its course. The high school "soul sisters and cosmic twins" hit their first rough patch when Savanna asks Gracie to lie about her budding romance with a college boy. One falsehood leads to another, but Gracie can't muster up the courage to tell Savanna that she's sick of "editing the truth...fictionalizing...omitting a couple of tiny facts." When Gracie makes a new friend and volunteers for a literacy program, she begins to take baby steps toward a Savanna-free existence. Sheldon's writing is relaxed and unaffected, and her depiction of a relationship that ends "not with a bang but with a whimper" is poignant, insightful, and absolutely realistic. tanya d. auger

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)