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  • Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split, and: Anna, Banana, and the Monkey in the Middle by Anica Mrose Rissi
  • Hope Morrison
Rissi, Anica Mrose Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split; illus. by Meg Park. Simon, 2015 110p
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-1605-4 $15.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-1607-8 $10.99 Ad Gr. 3-5
Anna, Banana, and the Monkey in the Middle; illus. by Meg Park. Simon, 2015 [128p]
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-1608-5 $15.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-1610-8 $10.99
Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 3-5

This new chapter-book series introduces third-grader Anna, her beloved dachshund Banana, and Anna’s friends Sadie and Isabel. In Friendship Split, Anna is bullied by her friend Sadie, who insists she’s entitled to the necklace Anna received from her grandparents for her birthday and coerces it from her. When Anna resists, Sadie turns on her, and the rift between the two friends grows worse before it gets better. In the second book, Anna finds herself increasingly caught in the middle between Sadie and new friend Isabel, who both expect her to agree with them and take their side. When Anna finally tells the other two that she can’t take it anymore (“You’re going to rip me apart!”), the three decide to try a new approach wherein they all agree on everything so that no one feels left out, an idea that doesn’t work out so well. Although Anna is a likable protagonist, both storylines suffer from weak plots and rapid resolutions of long-simmering problems. In the first book, Sadie is awful to the point of caricature, and the neat resolution doesn’t match the depth of the conflict. The second book is stronger, with an actual discussion of and reflection on what the problem is and a mutual effort from all three girls to work it out. Despite the plotting issues, the familiar trials of middle-grade friendship are likely to appeal to same-aged readers looking for a new chapter-book heroine. Final illustrations not seen.

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