My Worst Best Friend

by Dyan Sheldon Narrated by Jennie Stith

Overview

The best-selling author of CONFESSIONS OF A DRAMA QUEEN takes a smart, funny look at friendship, staying true to your identity, and moving on. (Ages 12 and up)

Gracie and Savannah are best friends -and utterly unalike. Savannah is beautiful, outrageous, and irresistible to the opposite sex. Gracie is shy, smart, and would rather be studying lizards than meeting boys. Still, they've made a surprisingly great team, and (until now) it seemed as if nothing could come between them. But lately, Savannah's talent for lying and manipulating is becoming harder to ignore. She's fallen head over heels for an elusive college boy, and Gracie can't help wondering: is her friend as confident as she seems? When Savannah gets between Gracie and her crush, the line separating best friend from worst friend is crossed.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

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. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—Gracie believes that there are only two kinds of girls: "Those Girls," who make heads spin and horns beep, and everyone else. She is proof that opposites attract. Gracie is a smart, environmentally conscious, lizard-loving girl, while her best friend, Savannah, is a boy crazy, fashion loving, drama queen. The highs and lows of high school run their course, but the track becomes bumpy when Savannah begins to secretly date a college guy behind the back of her current beau, Archie. Savannah's GPA can't compare to Gracie's, but she's skilled in the art of communication with an almost innate ability to plead and cajole Gracie. Yet, Gracie remains loyal to a fault. However, Savannah's feathers get ruffled from the loss of attention when Archie's best friend, Cooper, changes from annoying presence at the lunch table into a quirky, fun-loving guy that Gracie spends an increasing amount of time with at Neighbour's Project, a community outreach center for kids. The girls' friendship starts to fray when Savannah's white lies domino to include Gracie's need to lie. Dyan Sheldon spins an insightful tale (Candlewick, 2010) about high school friendships and the delicate threads that hold them together. Narrator Jeannie Stith is wonderful, offering slight voice variations forthe many characters. She shines with Savannah, a pay-attention-to-me Valley girl. A great story about the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly sides of friendship.—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172640506
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	08/24/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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