Not the Worst Friend in the World

November 13, 2023
Eleven-year-old Louise Bennett has been struggling with overwhelming guilt ever since she blurted out “terrible, horrible things” that ended her friendship with Francie Fitzpatrick. Lou is brainstorming ways to win Francie back when new girl Cece Clark-Duncan asks Lou for assistance in unraveling a mystery. Though Lou feels that she’s “not the kind of friend you should trust with your secrets,” she sees helping Cece as a chance to redeem herself. Cece, who believes that she has been kidnapped by her father, is convinced that Lou’s propensity to record observations in her notebook à la Harriet the Spy will help her contact her mother. As the pair investigate, Lou realizes that Cece’s predicament might not be what it seems, and she struggles with the possibility that the truth might hurt her new friend. Occasional flashback chapters depict Francie and Lou’s friendship and provide context to their falling out, which occurs before the book’s start. While the dual mysteries of the friendship breakup and Cece’s possible abduction don’t fully cohere, debut author Rellihan adeptly renders Lou’s pain from her broken friendship. Main characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Literary.

Starred review from December 1, 2023
Louise Bennett gets a second chance to not be a terrible friend in this debut novel. Just over three weeks ago, at the start of sixth grade at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Catholic school in Mayfield, Missouri, Lou said "terrible, horrible things" to Francie Fitzpatrick, her best friend since kindergarten. Now she's trying to figure out how to get Francie to talk to her again. When new classmate Cece Clark-Duncan passes Lou a note, it sparks a friendship and a big mystery. Cece believes she's been kidnapped by her dad, and she wants Lou--a Harriet the Spy fan who's always writing in her notebook--to help find her mom, whom she's sure must be looking for her. Lou is desperate to be a good friend this time and not spill secrets, but as she pieces together the truth, the right thing to do becomes less clear. Flashbacks are interspersed, highlighting Lou and Francie's history and leading to the reveal of what tore them apart. This story takes on weighty topics from imperfect parents to faith and belief and presents them with such an empathetic yet light, matter-of-fact touch that they feel completely realistic, while still allowing for the friendships to take center stage. Lou's first-person narration is pitch-perfect and endearing, and the small-town setting shines with authenticity. The leads are cued white. The mystery will reel readers in, while the emotions and relationships make this a book to savor. (Mystery. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
In this pitch-perfect middle-grade novel, Lou (short for Louise) copes with her deep shame over some unkind words she said in anger to Francie, her (now former) best friend. Lou can hardly believe that new-kid Cece wants to be friends, but she's intrigued by the girl's conviction about having been kidnapped by her father. Lou's first-person narration is punctuated with her notebook entries trying to sleuth out if Cece is correct and with flashbacks documenting her friendship with Francie, from kindergarten to "The Tenth Day of Sixth Grade" -- the day everything changed. Parallels with Harriet the Spy are spelled out, so what happens to that notebook and the emotional ramifications that follow are no surprise. Lou's tart perceptions of her Catholic school, her family (her white mother, Black stepfather, and two young siblings), and the emotional dynamics of sixth grade are sharply observant, as is her journey to understanding that people change. Other themes include Cece's keen interest in astrology (and insistence on interviewing a local reader for a "Christ Is Alive!" school project) and Francie's mother's depression; the depiction of the hot and humid Missouri setting is another strength. The mystery and plentiful conversation help keep the momentum going all the way to the end. Susan Dove Lempke

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* Lou and Francie have been best friends since kindergarten, but now, six years in, Lou senses that Francie is pulling away. Lou reacts harshly, saying hurtful things that she immediately regretted. Even several weeks afterward, she doesn't know how to mend their friendship. So when 11-year-old Cece, the new girl in their classroom, confides that she was kidnapped by her father and asks for help finding her mother, Lou tries to be the best possible friend: kind, smart, and supportive of Cece's ideas. But when those ideas include consulting an astrologer and taking a train alone to Kansas City, Lou's perspective shifts, leaving her torn between her fears of disappointing her friend and her realization that Cece needs far more help than she can give. In her first novel, Rellihan creates an appealing narrator in Lou, who carries a notebook like her literary heroine, Harriet the Spy, and bears a heavy burden of guilt for her cruel words to Francie. Grounded in everyday details of her life in her home, school, and church, Lou's narrative becomes increasingly involving as she hunts for clues, attempts to evaluate people, debates with herself, and tries to do the right thing. An engaging story told from a convincingly tween-age perspective.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024

Gr 4-6-Eleven-year old Lou Bennett has been adrift since the 10th day of sixth grade, when a fight with her best friend Francie left her an outcast at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. That all changes when the new girl, Cece Clark-Duncan, passes Lou a cryptic note asking to meet. Cece is convinced there's something sinister behind her family's sudden arrival in town and her mother's mysterious absence. Noticing that Lou keeps a Harriet the Spy-inspired notebook full of observations, Cece enlists her help tracking down her mother. With Cece, Lou sees a chance to redo her mistakes with Francie and prove that she can be a trustworthy friend. But Lou soon realizes that Cece's situation may be more complicated than anticipated, and their new relationship might not survive the truth. Flashbacks to Lou and Francie's bond are peppered throughout, slowly building up to the terrible fight that torpedoed their friendship. While the two mysteries lean toward the predictable, there's enough tension to keep readers turning the pages. There are no clear heroes and villains here. Just characters who are realistically flawed, their shortcomings lovingly rendered, and the turmoil of sixth grade friendship empathetically depicted. VERDICT A highly recommended story about friendship, family, and growing pains.-Alia Shields

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
In this pitch-perfect middle-grade novel, Lou (short for Louise) copes with her deep shame over some unkind words she said in anger to Francie, her (now former) best friend. Lou can hardly believe that new-kid Cece wants to be friends, but she's intrigued by the girl's conviction about having been kidnapped by her father. Lou's first-person narration is punctuated with her notebook entries trying to sleuth out if Cece is correct and with flashbacks documenting her friendship with Francie, from kindergarten to "The Tenth Day of Sixth Grade" -- the day everything changed. Parallels with Harriet the Spy are spelled out, so what happens to that notebook and the emotional ramifications that follow are no surprise. Lou's tart perceptions of her Catholic school, her family (her white mother, Black stepfather, and two young siblings), and the emotional dynamics of sixth grade are sharply observant, as is her journey to understanding that people change. Other themes include Cece's keen interest in astrology (and insistence on interviewing a local reader for a "Christ Is Alive!" school project) and Francie's mother's depression; the depiction of the hot and humid Missouri setting is another strength. The mystery and plentiful conversation help keep the momentum going all the way to the end.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)