Panels move the action along with crisp lines, fun 1980s references, and well-placed, expressive speech balloons. The artwork is appealing and animated, with backgrounds that darken and become shadowy when Shannon is feeling isolated and sad. With each page turn, every character becomes ever more believable and complex, and the situations they experience ring true. They belonged to “The Group,” a crew of new and old friends who were cute and popular but whose rules of behavior were capricious and confusing, often leaving Shannon anxious and struggling to make sense of it all and fit in. In 1985, Shannon and her friends were the oldest students and anticipated being queens of the school. This time the author looks back on sixth grade. Gr 4-7–Hale follows up her poignant graphic memoir Real Friends, which depicted the twists and turns of elementary school relationships.
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