The Friendship Riddle

Almost-twelve-year-old Ruth finds a series of mysterious clues. She's eager to embark on a quest to solve the mystery, but former best friend Charlotte thinks Ruth should grow up. A spelling bee helps Ruth find like-minded friends who help her solve the puzzle. Blakemore addresses thornier aspects of middle school (from bra shopping to bullying) honestly; Ruth's relationships with her peers play as big a role as the riddle.

A snow day in the library of a small Maine town turns exciting for almost-twelve-year-old Ruth when she finds the first in a series of notes with mysterious clues. Though she’s eager to embark on a quest, her former best friend Charlotte thinks she should just grow up. Signing up for a spelling bee helps Ruth find new, like-minded friends, who in turn help her solve the puzzle. The riddle of Ruth’s relationships with her peers plays at least as big a role in the story as the riddle set by the notes, though the latter pays off in a way only a book-geek like Ruth could fully appreciate. Blakemore addresses the thornier aspects of middle school honestly, from bra shopping to bullying to It’s Perfectly Normal (rev. 3/95) -- and it’s perfectly normal that Ruth has two moms and Charlotte, two dads, though the novel acknowledges that some might not see it that way. (Charlotte’s new, judgmental friend Melinda: “That’s so weird…Not weird like bad, of course. Just weird.”) Hand this to almost-middle-schoolers who aren’t yet too old for treasure-hunt stories. shoshana flax