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Making Friends #1
Making Friends
Sixth grade was SO much easier for Danielle. All her friends were in the same room and she knew what to expect from her life. But now that she's in seventh grade, she's in a new middle school, her friends are in different classes and forming new cliques, and she is completely lost.
When Danielle inherits a magical sketchbook from her eccentric great aunt Elma, she draws Madison, an ideal best friend that springs to life right off the page! But even when you create a best friend, it's not easy navigating the ups and downs of relationships, and before long Danielle and Madison are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.
To make matters worse, Danielle has drawn the head of her favorite (and totally misunderstood) cartoon villain, Prince Neptune. He's also come to life and is giving her terrible advice about how to make people like her. When she rejects him and he goes on a rampage during a school pep rally, Danielle and Madison have to set aside their differences to stop him!
When Danielle inherits a magical sketchbook from her eccentric great aunt Elma, she draws Madison, an ideal best friend that springs to life right off the page! But even when you create a best friend, it's not easy navigating the ups and downs of relationships, and before long Danielle and Madison are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.
To make matters worse, Danielle has drawn the head of her favorite (and totally misunderstood) cartoon villain, Prince Neptune. He's also come to life and is giving her terrible advice about how to make people like her. When she rejects him and he goes on a rampage during a school pep rally, Danielle and Madison have to set aside their differences to stop him!
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 699 reviews
May 23, 2019
A story about Danielle, in seventh grade, a fairly typical struggling kid until she draws Prince Neptune, in her late aunt’s sketch book (like a magic notebook, a fairy typical trope, yep) and things pick up for her a bit. He comes alive and becomes a talking, flying head (no, not exactly nearly headless Nick from Harry Potter, but close) who is willing to act on her behalf.
It's a fairly manic story, very busy (too busy?) art, maybe in the manga manner, webcomic turned kickstarter project, by the artist who did Henchman. This feels more disjointed, jumpy. A kind of "buddy read" with a couple middle schoolers who live in my house and who liked it "all right, it was pretty good," which is to say a little better than I liked it, maybe 2.5 for me which I round up for them. Probably with this publisher it will be popular, marketed well.
It's a fairly manic story, very busy (too busy?) art, maybe in the manga manner, webcomic turned kickstarter project, by the artist who did Henchman. This feels more disjointed, jumpy. A kind of "buddy read" with a couple middle schoolers who live in my house and who liked it "all right, it was pretty good," which is to say a little better than I liked it, maybe 2.5 for me which I round up for them. Probably with this publisher it will be popular, marketed well.
January 31, 2021
Danielle's great-aunt Elma passed away and in her will she left instructions saying that the family can sort through my stuff. Whilst sorting through, Danielle comes across an unfinished sketchbook and Danielle takes it. She goes to the local middle school and her two best friends aren't on the same class schedule as hers so currently she doesn't have anyone to talk to at school. She loves watching a show called Solar Sisters and loves the villain in that show, Prince Neptune. She thinks he is dreamy and misunderstood and draws his head in that sketchbook. That head comes to life and she finds out that the sketchbook is magical.
Since she doesn't currently have any friends, she draws a girl and names her Madison who is cool and best friends with Danielle. Madison comes to life and Danielle and Madison have a lot of fun but when Madison asks about her parents, Danielle says that they are in New York busy with the move and buying the house and all. Madison thinks that she must be a terrible daughter that they don't even check up on her. But Prince Neptune tells Madison the truth and Madison freaks out.
When Prince Neptune starts to manipulate Danielle to take over this dimension, Madison and Danielle team up with some of their other friends and banish Prince Neptune to moon which is a shame because I really liked Prince Neptune. In fact, he was the only interesting character in the story for me. I liked the art but the story had too much going on and couldn't quite focus anywhere particularly. It starts off with Danielle's family fighting over the things that Elma left behind but we never got to see what happened at the end with that. Overall, it was not bad.
3 stars
Since she doesn't currently have any friends, she draws a girl and names her Madison who is cool and best friends with Danielle. Madison comes to life and Danielle and Madison have a lot of fun but when Madison asks about her parents, Danielle says that they are in New York busy with the move and buying the house and all. Madison thinks that she must be a terrible daughter that they don't even check up on her. But Prince Neptune tells Madison the truth and Madison freaks out.
When Prince Neptune starts to manipulate Danielle to take over this dimension, Madison and Danielle team up with some of their other friends and banish Prince Neptune to moon which is a shame because I really liked Prince Neptune. In fact, he was the only interesting character in the story for me. I liked the art but the story had too much going on and couldn't quite focus anywhere particularly. It starts off with Danielle's family fighting over the things that Elma left behind but we never got to see what happened at the end with that. Overall, it was not bad.
3 stars
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January 20, 2022Dany is not enjoying the start of 7th grade. She is at a brand new school and all of her friends are in separate classes and a different lunch hour. She feels completely alone and unable to make new friends. When Dany inherits an old sketch book from her great aunt Elma, she decides to draw the head of her favorite anime character: the evil but misunderstood Prince Neptune. To her surprise, the drawing comes to life! With this newfound magical ability, Dany decides to draw the perfect best friend, Madison, who will make all of her troubles go away. With Madison by her side, Dany is happy again but what will happen if Madison discovers the truth about where she comes from and will Prince Neptune shows his true colors? This is the perfect book for young readers and adults alike. It is a funny and heartwarming story about growing up and the power of friendship. The artwork is incredible and the message is even more so. – Jenny L.
September 23, 2018
That was...very bizarre. RTC
Full review:
I'm not sure how to classify this novel. I read a fair amount of middle grade graphic novels, many of which have lots of fantastical elements, but I've never read one quite like this. While it has an interesting premise--a lonely, middle school girl finds a magic notebook that makes her drawings literally come to life--the execution left something to be desired. Since I can't otherwise elaborate what my problems with the book were, I'll have to give away plot elements, so read further at your own risk.
In a nutshell, my problem with this book is that the plot is messy, and that made it hard for me to get into. Had the author stuck with the central conceit of Dany creating a friend for herself and then dealing with the consequences, I think it would have been a much, much stronger story. Instead, she chose to throw in a subplot involving a disembodied head who looks like one of Dany's favorite anime/manga characters, and to my mind this drags the whole book down.
My other big problem with Prince Neptune is that he's toxic, but the book does not interrogate this as much as I wanted it to. I think that's a big no for a book that's being targeted at middle grade readers, and since the main character is a girl, I think it's fair to say the target audience is also middle grade girls. Occasionally characters will make a comment about Neptune being vile, but Dany always insists he's misunderstood, and this really got under my skin. Girls are so socially conditioned to excuse boys' actions (boys will be boys, after all) that I hated the fact that the main character in this book was presenting such a toxic sludge of a male character as Neptune as someone desirable. I also don't think the argument that he shows his true colors in the end is supportable, since Dany only seems to get that he's evil when he starts destroying her school and hurting innocent people. I wanted the fact that he says shocking and vile things to be enough to clue her in to the fact that this guy is not okay. In 2018, I think *all* literature needs to do better when portraying toxic men like this, and I think children's and YA lit especially needs to be careful how it handles these messages.
I also was not a fan of Dany. I don't need characters to be "likable". Even the use of that word makes me cringe, because I hate the idea that there's a belief out there that readers are supposed to identify and sympathize with all characters when that's simply not the case. However, my problem with Dany is she is the hero of this book and things do end up turning out okay for her, but she never experiences the kind of growth I would have liked to see in a character who ends up being redeemed. She moans and complains a lot about how unfortunate she is and how no one likes her, but never once do we even see her trying to reach out to other kids, and more than once, other kids reach out to her in clearly friendly ways. I found myself very confused about what Dany was complaining about, and I was impatient with her self-centeredness. Had she arrived at a sense of self-awareness by the end of the book, I would have welcomed that, but I never felt she did.
In the end, I didn't dislike this book. I saw a glimmer of something there, but the book simply took too many bizarre turns and the narrative wasn't nearly tight enough to redeem it. I think this author has promise, though, and hopefully her future works will be more cohesive.
Full review:
I'm not sure how to classify this novel. I read a fair amount of middle grade graphic novels, many of which have lots of fantastical elements, but I've never read one quite like this. While it has an interesting premise--a lonely, middle school girl finds a magic notebook that makes her drawings literally come to life--the execution left something to be desired. Since I can't otherwise elaborate what my problems with the book were, I'll have to give away plot elements, so read further at your own risk.
In a nutshell, my problem with this book is that the plot is messy, and that made it hard for me to get into. Had the author stuck with the central conceit of Dany creating a friend for herself and then dealing with the consequences, I think it would have been a much, much stronger story. Instead, she chose to throw in a subplot involving a disembodied head who looks like one of Dany's favorite anime/manga characters, and to my mind this drags the whole book down.
My other big problem with Prince Neptune is that he's toxic, but the book does not interrogate this as much as I wanted it to. I think that's a big no for a book that's being targeted at middle grade readers, and since the main character is a girl, I think it's fair to say the target audience is also middle grade girls. Occasionally characters will make a comment about Neptune being vile, but Dany always insists he's misunderstood, and this really got under my skin. Girls are so socially conditioned to excuse boys' actions (boys will be boys, after all) that I hated the fact that the main character in this book was presenting such a toxic sludge of a male character as Neptune as someone desirable. I also don't think the argument that he shows his true colors in the end is supportable, since Dany only seems to get that he's evil when he starts destroying her school and hurting innocent people. I wanted the fact that he says shocking and vile things to be enough to clue her in to the fact that this guy is not okay. In 2018, I think *all* literature needs to do better when portraying toxic men like this, and I think children's and YA lit especially needs to be careful how it handles these messages.
I also was not a fan of Dany. I don't need characters to be "likable". Even the use of that word makes me cringe, because I hate the idea that there's a belief out there that readers are supposed to identify and sympathize with all characters when that's simply not the case. However, my problem with Dany is she is the hero of this book and things do end up turning out okay for her, but she never experiences the kind of growth I would have liked to see in a character who ends up being redeemed. She moans and complains a lot about how unfortunate she is and how no one likes her, but never once do we even see her trying to reach out to other kids, and more than once, other kids reach out to her in clearly friendly ways. I found myself very confused about what Dany was complaining about, and I was impatient with her self-centeredness. Had she arrived at a sense of self-awareness by the end of the book, I would have welcomed that, but I never felt she did.
In the end, I didn't dislike this book. I saw a glimmer of something there, but the book simply took too many bizarre turns and the narrative wasn't nearly tight enough to redeem it. I think this author has promise, though, and hopefully her future works will be more cohesive.
February 19, 2024
Danielle is struggling to adjust to her new middle school life. Hers is the typical tween story until she draws her favorite manga character, heartthrob villain Prince Neptune, in her eccentric aunt’s inherited sketch book. He emerges, alive, from the pages into her room, but since she only sketched his pretty face, he is just a talking “floaty head.” She wants to keep him around and secret so she carries him in her backpack and keeps him in her locker. Once she knows the power of the sketchbook, she draws a new perfect bestie, Madison, who will surely make her popular. Floaty head Prince Neptune and full-body but homeless Madison become rivals, and Neptune shows his true colors when he tries to take over the school with his evil powers. The first few pages are in full color, but the rest of the book is black and white with sometimes vague minimal line drawings. Even with significant editing, it is hard to imagine this story becoming visually appealing or coherent. Awkward jumps between scenes and tiny illegible jokey comments in the frames’ backgrounds (which ARE sometimes funny when you can actually read them) are just two of the numerous problems with this disjointed story. Graphic novel fans who are also manga readers may be OK with a spasmodic storyline which can be more common in that format. Unfortunately, it’s a Scholastic Graphix publication which means it will likely be available at book fairs. Fans of Telgemeier will grab it based on its cover and will be completely confused and disappointed.
January 16, 2022
Rating this one this low is out of the norm for me. I'm typically a huge fan of middle grade graphic novels, but this one didn't work that well.
Making Friends is about Danny as she transitions to seventh grade. Unfortunately, her friends are in a different school cluster and she's forced to start this new school by herself without any friends. In the beginning of the story, readers see Danny acquire a sketchbook after a family member passes away. Soon she begins to use the sketchbook and finds that whatever she draws in the sketchbook "comes to life." First it's the literal floating head of a famous villain from a TV show, Prince Neptune (I'm assuming this is supposed to be play on Sailor Moon) and then Danny draws a young girl who sole purpose is to exist as her best friend. Unfortunately, Danny doesn't recognize the consequences of her actions and soon things turn chaotic. What was most troubling about this graphic novel is that it appears to want to tackle some tough topics, but then just brushes them off. There is seemingly abusive behavior that happens between family members that goes unaddressed; there is a student in foster care who attempts to stab Danny at one point and that's sort of brushed over. It just made the story feel extremely chaotic and disjointed. I will say that Gudsnuk does attempt to address the bullying and low self esteem that Danny experiences, but so much of it is handled in a joking manner that the overall affect is lost. In fact, there were a few moments in reading this that I became confused on the target audience. As an adult reader there were a few jokes that seemed more appropriate for me than a middle grade audience. Overall, I didn't really enjoy this one outside of the art and I highly doubt that I'll be continuing the story.
Making Friends is about Danny as she transitions to seventh grade. Unfortunately, her friends are in a different school cluster and she's forced to start this new school by herself without any friends. In the beginning of the story, readers see Danny acquire a sketchbook after a family member passes away. Soon she begins to use the sketchbook and finds that whatever she draws in the sketchbook "comes to life." First it's the literal floating head of a famous villain from a TV show, Prince Neptune (I'm assuming this is supposed to be play on Sailor Moon) and then Danny draws a young girl who sole purpose is to exist as her best friend. Unfortunately, Danny doesn't recognize the consequences of her actions and soon things turn chaotic. What was most troubling about this graphic novel is that it appears to want to tackle some tough topics, but then just brushes them off. There is seemingly abusive behavior that happens between family members that goes unaddressed; there is a student in foster care who attempts to stab Danny at one point and that's sort of brushed over. It just made the story feel extremely chaotic and disjointed. I will say that Gudsnuk does attempt to address the bullying and low self esteem that Danny experiences, but so much of it is handled in a joking manner that the overall affect is lost. In fact, there were a few moments in reading this that I became confused on the target audience. As an adult reader there were a few jokes that seemed more appropriate for me than a middle grade audience. Overall, I didn't really enjoy this one outside of the art and I highly doubt that I'll be continuing the story.
August 16, 2018
I loved it. A fun, tongue in cheek homage to childhood difficulties and passions with a delightful dash of magic. Art fit the story perfectly.
June 26, 2020
Bardzo przyjemny komiks dla młodszych odbiorców, który pod płaszczykiem prostej kreski i dowcipnego języka ukrywa morał na temat naszej wewnętrznej potrzeby bycia zauważonym i lubianym - potrzeby momentami tak dużej, że przestajemy być sobą.
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Danny ma 12 lat, kocha serial "Słoneczne Siostry" (CZARODZIEJKI Z KSIĘŻYCA?!) i trafia do nowej szkoły, w której nikogo nie zna i czuje się samotna. Pewnego dnia znajduje magiczny szkicownik, z którego wszystko, co narysuje, przedostaje się do świata rzeczywistego (ZACZAROWANY OŁÓWEK?!). Dziewczyna postanawia więc, że narysuje sobie przyjaciółkę idealną. Co jednak, gdy ta stworzona istota nie będzie chciała żyć tylko dla Danny, ale również dla... siebie? (FRANKENSTAIN?!)
.
Naprawdę miły komiks, w którym - jak to w komiksach - wszystko dzieje się szybko i efektownie. Są tu zarówno elementy obyczajowe, dotyczące przyjaźni i fandomowych, ważnych dla nastolatek spraw, jak i fantastyka. I do tego piękna paleta barw utrzymana w różach, fioletach i błękitach.
.
Danny ma 12 lat, kocha serial "Słoneczne Siostry" (CZARODZIEJKI Z KSIĘŻYCA?!) i trafia do nowej szkoły, w której nikogo nie zna i czuje się samotna. Pewnego dnia znajduje magiczny szkicownik, z którego wszystko, co narysuje, przedostaje się do świata rzeczywistego (ZACZAROWANY OŁÓWEK?!). Dziewczyna postanawia więc, że narysuje sobie przyjaciółkę idealną. Co jednak, gdy ta stworzona istota nie będzie chciała żyć tylko dla Danny, ale również dla... siebie? (FRANKENSTAIN?!)
.
Naprawdę miły komiks, w którym - jak to w komiksach - wszystko dzieje się szybko i efektownie. Są tu zarówno elementy obyczajowe, dotyczące przyjaźni i fandomowych, ważnych dla nastolatek spraw, jak i fantastyka. I do tego piękna paleta barw utrzymana w różach, fioletach i błękitach.
December 4, 2018
A magic notebook that can make money?
Sign me up.
Sign me up.
April 16, 2022
A warm, unique, and hysterical book, great for middle grades. But, we read it in our Bookworms book club for 4th-6th graders and they didn't love it like I did.
May 21, 2019
3.5 rounded up.
June 9, 2018
Gudsnuk, Kristen Making Friends, 257 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Graphix (Scholastic), 2018. $25. Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG (bullying).
School for Dany is crazy. She had sixth grade figured out but now seventh grade is going to give her a run for her money. Dany inherits a magical notebook from her aunt that passed away. In that notebook the things she draws comes to life, so when she draws her dream best friend and favorite anime character stuff gets real. This is Dany’s story of surviving middle school, friend drama, and finding herself.
I hated this book. I thought that the book was all over the place and I felt as though I had no real idea of what was going on. The main character was not very likable and most of the story revolved around a fictional TV show that the reader has never seen, so it is confusing to the reader what is happening. I was also disappointed in the ending because there was little closure.
MS – NOT RECOMMENDED. Reviewer, Isabelle, 8th grade student reviewer.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
School for Dany is crazy. She had sixth grade figured out but now seventh grade is going to give her a run for her money. Dany inherits a magical notebook from her aunt that passed away. In that notebook the things she draws comes to life, so when she draws her dream best friend and favorite anime character stuff gets real. This is Dany’s story of surviving middle school, friend drama, and finding herself.
I hated this book. I thought that the book was all over the place and I felt as though I had no real idea of what was going on. The main character was not very likable and most of the story revolved around a fictional TV show that the reader has never seen, so it is confusing to the reader what is happening. I was also disappointed in the ending because there was little closure.
MS – NOT RECOMMENDED. Reviewer, Isabelle, 8th grade student reviewer.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
August 31, 2018
Ahhhhh, this was just too much fun to read! I just adored it. It is full of magic, making friends (which isn't easy to do), imagination, and finding a place to belong. I adored the characters, though I did feel sorry for Madison. I wish that Danielle had talked to her sooner about where she came from, instead of making up lies. The floating head? Made me laugh so much, but I kept wondering when it would show its true colours! The ending was spectacular, a bit chaotic though, but still it fit with the story. And then those last pages? Made me smile!
Of course the art is fabulous. Kristen Gudsnuk just makes awesome things!
Of course the art is fabulous. Kristen Gudsnuk just makes awesome things!
October 13, 2018
1. I thought this book was really cute!
2. I loved the concept of being able to draw anything you want and it comes to life. I think there could have been even more of that in this book. Middle schoolers are selfish and would ask for all kinds of crap. Maybe a series would be good.
3. I think the message of being yourself is important for kids.
4. The illustrations were so pretty and unique.
5. I love that “Hot Topic” was called “Cool Subject” in this book.
6. “Why the heck do they want twelve-year-olds playing with band saws, anyway?”
“It’s part of government conspiracy to prepare upcoming generations for survival in a technology-free dystopia. I read about it online.”
Hahahahah
2. I loved the concept of being able to draw anything you want and it comes to life. I think there could have been even more of that in this book. Middle schoolers are selfish and would ask for all kinds of crap. Maybe a series would be good.
3. I think the message of being yourself is important for kids.
4. The illustrations were so pretty and unique.
5. I love that “Hot Topic” was called “Cool Subject” in this book.
6. “Why the heck do they want twelve-year-olds playing with band saws, anyway?”
“It’s part of government conspiracy to prepare upcoming generations for survival in a technology-free dystopia. I read about it online.”
Hahahahah
April 1, 2020
Re-read 4/1/2020:
Since re-reading this, I still enjoy this silly story. I ended up buying this book last year, but I hadn’t read it again until now. Dany’s naivety and utter ignorance is more glaring now. Who would really listen to Prince Neptune’s advice? Like really, y’all? I also notice a few more references that I may have overlooked. The art style is super cartoony, but there are a few exceptional moments.
STORY:
In Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk (272 pages), Dany is bummed to find herself split up from her usual friend group. Now in the 7th grade, she finds herself lonely and unable to befriend anyone. Through luck, she discovers her aunt's old sketchbook has some serious magical capabilities. She brings to life Prince Neptune (from a Tokyo Mew Mew/Sailor Moon/magical girl mash-up of an anime) and her ideal best friend, Madison from New York. Only thing is when imaginary beings become sentient, free-thinking beings, everything doesn't go as planned.
Existential crisis in juvenile fiction? The best friend is the ultra special, pink-haired character from anime(s) with actual depth? Magical girl shoujo references!?! Let's go!
I honestly enjoyed the entire cast of characters, relatability, and artwork. Yes, to that cute, expressive artwork. The light humor is great too, not cringy just right.
This story is great for younger kids to acknowledge how all your actions have a consequence; On the other hand, older kids/teens will love that it explores the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope in a fresh way.
And that plot twist tho? Laughs for days!
"You're a minor character! Boom!" No context needed! xD
CHARACTERS:
I loved the cast of characters and a few of them came from diverse backgrounds (black, Guatemalan, Asian, etc).
Dany is pretty normal. Usually, in these type of stories, the main character is whiny, annoying, or special-snowflakey. Dany might be a touch of that, but she's still likable to me.
Prince Neptune is fun! Yeah, Dany I liked him too.
Also, go Aleesha! She's adorable and brainy and comically serious and has a cute bun of natural hair.
Tom is also equally fun. He's an adorable character obsessed with conspiracy theories and can think for himself. Gasp. A middle-school character not consumed with popularity? Yep, that's him.
ART:
A wonderful display of colors, not too bold but not too soft. It reminds me of the palette of a 90's pop culture ad, green, blue, purple, pink, etc.
Like I said before, I enjoyed the anime-inspired expressions and whatnot. I think the paneling was fine as well.
OVERALL:
Making Friends is beautiful and wonderfully dumb.
READ IT!
If you're like me and love shoujo/general anime references, light-hearted stories, and a good laugh, then I definitely recommend it. I couldn't stop smiling while reading this.
5 out of 5
Since re-reading this, I still enjoy this silly story. I ended up buying this book last year, but I hadn’t read it again until now. Dany’s naivety and utter ignorance is more glaring now. Who would really listen to Prince Neptune’s advice? Like really, y’all? I also notice a few more references that I may have overlooked. The art style is super cartoony, but there are a few exceptional moments.
STORY:
"How do you weaponize friendship?" (pg 234)
In Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk (272 pages), Dany is bummed to find herself split up from her usual friend group. Now in the 7th grade, she finds herself lonely and unable to befriend anyone. Through luck, she discovers her aunt's old sketchbook has some serious magical capabilities. She brings to life Prince Neptune (from a Tokyo Mew Mew/Sailor Moon/magical girl mash-up of an anime) and her ideal best friend, Madison from New York. Only thing is when imaginary beings become sentient, free-thinking beings, everything doesn't go as planned.
Existential crisis in juvenile fiction? The best friend is the ultra special, pink-haired character from anime(s) with actual depth? Magical girl shoujo references!?! Let's go!
I honestly enjoyed the entire cast of characters, relatability, and artwork. Yes, to that cute, expressive artwork. The light humor is great too, not cringy just right.
This story is great for younger kids to acknowledge how all your actions have a consequence; On the other hand, older kids/teens will love that it explores the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope in a fresh way.
And that plot twist tho? Laughs for days!
"You're a minor character! Boom!" No context needed! xD
CHARACTERS:
I loved the cast of characters and a few of them came from diverse backgrounds (black, Guatemalan, Asian, etc).
Dany is pretty normal. Usually, in these type of stories, the main character is whiny, annoying, or special-snowflakey. Dany might be a touch of that, but she's still likable to me.
Prince Neptune is fun! Yeah, Dany I liked him too.
Also, go Aleesha! She's adorable and brainy and comically serious and has a cute bun of natural hair.
Tom is also equally fun. He's an adorable character obsessed with conspiracy theories and can think for himself. Gasp. A middle-school character not consumed with popularity? Yep, that's him.
ART:
A wonderful display of colors, not too bold but not too soft. It reminds me of the palette of a 90's pop culture ad, green, blue, purple, pink, etc.
Like I said before, I enjoyed the anime-inspired expressions and whatnot. I think the paneling was fine as well.
OVERALL:
Making Friends is beautiful and wonderfully dumb.
READ IT!
If you're like me and love shoujo/general anime references, light-hearted stories, and a good laugh, then I definitely recommend it. I couldn't stop smiling while reading this.
5 out of 5
Read
October 20, 2022Dany misses Middle School. All her old friends have different schedules this year, and she's struggling to find where she fits in the 7th grade. But everything changes when she finds her great-aunt Elma's old sketchbook and discovers that everything she draws in it comes to life--starting with the disembodied head of the handsome villain from her favorite anime.
By turns thoughtful, heartfelt, charming, and chaotic, "Making Friends" is well worth your time.
-Evin, Reading Rocket Team
By turns thoughtful, heartfelt, charming, and chaotic, "Making Friends" is well worth your time.
-Evin, Reading Rocket Team
September 15, 2018
I loved all the Sailor Moon references in this graphic novel, instantly sold me!
October 9, 2019
I was a bit worried at the beginning that I wouldn't like it, but it turned out to be such a cute graphic novel about friendship and being your own person! (3.5)
April 29, 2022
3.5 stars!
November 10, 2021
For anyone who is thinking of gifting a graphic novel for a struggling pre-teen, this might be the perfect fit. I have had so many students connect to this story and I can not recommend it enough.
~ Happy Reading xx
~ Happy Reading xx
December 31, 2019
I guess I should watch more tv. I didn’t understand any of what just happened.
I loved this silly comic about making and keeping friends. There’s a magic notebook that can make money and this girl still finds a way to end the world. It was cute and funny. And full of teenage emotions. For a silly magical comic it was full of great advice.
Bullying: Don’t do it, bullying hurts feelings.
Which honestly made me laugh. The video!!!!
But most importantly.
You would trust grown ups?! Grown ups are actively ruining the world. Can you imagine how much faster they’d ruin it if they had magic?
It felt a little rushed to me and definitely missing some meat. But I can see the appeal to younger kids. And adults alike. I’m pretty sure they were referring to Sailor Moon but I also don’t watch much tv so I don’t know. And the moral of the story was a good one. Accept yourself and sometimes bullies have very hard lives at home so be kind.
I loved this silly comic about making and keeping friends. There’s a magic notebook that can make money and this girl still finds a way to end the world. It was cute and funny. And full of teenage emotions. For a silly magical comic it was full of great advice.
Bullying: Don’t do it, bullying hurts feelings.
Which honestly made me laugh. The video!!!!
But most importantly.
You would trust grown ups?! Grown ups are actively ruining the world. Can you imagine how much faster they’d ruin it if they had magic?
It felt a little rushed to me and definitely missing some meat. But I can see the appeal to younger kids. And adults alike. I’m pretty sure they were referring to Sailor Moon but I also don’t watch much tv so I don’t know. And the moral of the story was a good one. Accept yourself and sometimes bullies have very hard lives at home so be kind.
December 10, 2018
From the start I found the movement of this book from panel to panel, page to page, to be frenetic, disjointed, distracting, and far from engaging. There was no point at which I really enjoyed the world of the book or the characters. I've read quite a few positive reviews, to try to understand what it is people enjoy about the book, and it seems that a lot of people really love the humor, and some the magical conceit (girl draws things in magic notebook that then become real). I guess the humor wasn't for me and the whole magic notebook thing, well, it's not a new idea, but it's a fine idea. Only the way it plays out just doesn't interest me. To be honest, I found the book pretty off-putting. I do enjoy some middle grade graphic novels, but, I suppose this one's just not for me. (I have another book by this author from the library and I'm wondering if I should give it a try...)
October 10, 2018
One of the best kids’ graphic novels I’ve ever read. This is a laugh-out-loud funny romp, following Dany, a seventh grader who’s having difficulty socially – so when she finds a magic sketchbook that brings anything she draws to life, she makes herself a new best friend (as well as bringing her favorite manga character to life). Hijinks, of course, ensue. This story has a great message for kids, but is also completely enthralling, engaging and surprising. I loved this so much!!!!!
November 21, 2018
The color story is incredible! I also found myself laughing, and not just from the main story, but from all the little asides in the far corners of the panels and the brand & name changes so as not to have copyright infringement (Wolmort instead of Walmart).
And it has The Power of Friendship!
And it has The Power of Friendship!
June 26, 2022
This was pretty funny but also held some deep topics. I liked the art a lot and the plot was crazy but fine. I found the fake brand names hilarious and the whole Sailor Moon inspiration cute. Decent pick for kids who feel like making friends is hard.
February 26, 2023
SO GOOD and you know what, the author had a vision for this book and she nailed it, even if the story is wackadoodle all over the place at the end but it totally worked. I loved the characters so much omg pink haired girl EEEE
January 23, 2023
This was so fun and goofy and colorful and amusing and yeah I enjoyed it a lot
March 2, 2021
So cute! So funny! So unexpected! I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it had me actually laughing out loud in a few places.
May 30, 2022
Middle schoolers are insane. I love them.
July 26, 2019
A fun glimpse into the difficulties of making new friends, along with a twist of magic and fandom. It went a bit quick for me and perhaps could’ve been two volumes, which would have allowed more time to flesh out family matters and character development. But otherwise, it was a cute tale.
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