A charming, original voice in middle-grade literature

FRIEND OR FICTION
by Abby Cooper
Charlesbridge, October 2019

Middle school is tough enough already, and in the drab town of Tiveda where everybody leaves as soon as they arrive, friends are in short supply. So Jade makes one up. Inventing stories about a best friend named Zoe in her special notebook is almost as good as having the real thing – until one day Zoe suddenly shows up as a real person, in the flesh!  Jade can make Zoe do whatever she wants by writing in her notebook – chat to her all lunchtime, sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in front of the whole class, even eat gross chopped liver! But should she continue to control her, or should she let Zoe be independent, and run the risk of her ditching Jade for a cooler crowd? Maybe the perfect best friend doesn’t exist after all…

Abby Cooper is a former teacher and school librarian with a passion for collecting and sharing stories for young readers. Her previous novel, “Sticks And Stones”, was met with critical acclaim.