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FRIENDS WITH BOYS by Faith Erin Hicks


copyright date: February 2012
primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up)

This summer I officially became a fan of graphic novels.  Somehow, I am more willing to suspend my disbelief when reading a graphic novel.  Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks is no exception.

Maggie, who has been homeschooled up to now, is starting high school.  Her only companions have been her older brothers, who become her only support system in high school as well.  That is, until she meets Lucy and her somewhat elusive brother Alistair.

Maggie, Lucy, and Alistair eventually find themselves in the midst of an adventure involving a museum, a graveyard, and a soul plagued with a sense of unrest.

While Maggie gets to know her new friends and works through the adventure they’ve uncovered, she also gets to know herself better.  There is depth to her personality and although the ghost story Maggie’s life becomes is fanciful, the dynamic within her family is achingly realistic. 

This is a very quick read that holds depth beyond what is initially apparent on the story’s surface.

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