FICTION

The Friendship Garden: Green Thumbs-Up!

by Jenny Meyerhoff
The Friendship Garden: Green Thumbs-Up! illus. by Éva Chatelain. 176p. (Friendship Garden Series: Bk. 1). S. & S. Aug. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781481439060; pap. $5.99. ISBN 9781481439046; ebk. $5.99. ISBN 9781481439077.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2–4—When Anna moves into a new town, she has a hard time making friends. When a group project for school ends up helping her hit it off with two other people, things start to look up for Anna. Together, the trio comes upon a community garden. The garden looks more like a plant junkyard. The friends get an idea to start a kids garden club, but the president of the garden says they need an adult to supervise. Can they persuade an adult to help them out? This well-written book adeptly ties the multiple, but simple subplots together. The characters are likable and fairly well developed. The author's use of clever chapter headings and descriptive words draw readers easily into Anna's world.
VERDICT Similar to Megan McDonalds's "Judy Moody" series (Candlewick) and Laurie Friedman's "Mallory" books (Lerner), this book will appeal to readers who enjoy humorous realistic fiction.
Reviewed by Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT
A school assignment helps third grader Anna make friends at her new Chicago school. With her classmates, she starts a kids' gardening club (Green) and they work together to catch the thief who stole their biggest pumpkin (Pumpkin). Likable characters in relatable situations and soft, expressive halftone illustrations make this a welcome new chapter-book series. Story-inspired activities and recipes are appended. Review covers these Friendship Garden titles: Green Thumbs-Up! and Pumpkin Spice.
 , May 01, 2015

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